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Assistant Professor in Remote Sensing, Department of Geography
Position overview
Position title: Assistant Professor in Remote Sensing, Department of GeographyApplication Window
Open date: October 11, 2024
Next review date: Sunday, Nov 10, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Monday, Jun 30, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara invites applications for a full time, 9-month tenure-track Assistant Professor with research expertise and teaching interests in the area of Remote Sensing, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025. We seek candidates with a good mechanistic understanding of remote sensing who will contribute to advancing remote sensing science and its applications for addressing complex environmental and societal challenges. Remote sensing expertise may include, but is not limited to, passive (optical) or active (e.g., LiDAR) sensors, hyperspectral imaging, thermal remote sensing, or other approaches for Earth observation.
The successful candidate will join exceptional scientists in the department of Geography at UCSB; a world leading program. The Department’s vision is to lead the integration of natural, social, and information sciences to solve problems of people and the environment. In alignment with the core mission of the University of California, the department aims to foster an academic climate that not only celebrates diversity but also actively dismantles institutional and systemic barriers to diversity.
Responsibilities of faculty members generally include the development of an actively funded research program of the highest quality, teaching at undergraduate and/or graduate levels, recruitment, supervision, and mentorship of graduate students, and participation in university service and professional activities. Successful candidates are expected to establish and maintain a strong quantitative research record, and high quality teaching relevant to Remote Sensing at both graduate and undergraduate levels. The University is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching and service as appropriate to the position. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at UC Santa Barbara. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values.
In 2024-25, UC Santa Barbara departments are partnering with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to launch a special faculty recruitment initiative named after Benjamin Banneker, the 18th-century African American mathematician, astronomer, antiracist, engineer, ecologist, and peace advocate. Funded by an Advancing Faculty Diversity grant from the UC Office of the President, the Banneker Initiative will recruit scholars, scientists, and engineers whose disciplinary and interdisciplinary work would take place within the community of concerns exemplified by Banneker’s intellectual, ethical, and social commitments as an African American scientist, especially his desire to advance
scientific and humanistic knowledge for the public good. With the goal of creating a diverse community around such concerns, applicants may be eligible to be fellows in the Benjamin Banneker Initiative. The community of Banneker Fellows will receive funding for cohort building and professional development activities, including enrollment in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity Faculty Success Program, proposal writing training, and seed grants. Further information about the Banneker Initiative can be found here:
https://diversity.ucsb.edu/initiatives-and-resources/benjamin-banne er-initiative
Department: https://www.geog.ucsb.edu/
Qualifications
- At a minimum, candidates must be ’all but dissertation’ (ABD) at the time of application in Geography, Remote Sensing, or a related field
- A PhD conferred in Geography, Remote Sensing, or a related field is required by the time of appointment
- Broadly trained with interdisciplinary expertise and a commitment to disciplines directly relevant to Remote Sensing. Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate significant contributions to the advancement of remote sensing science.
- Prior record of research, teaching, and professional activity in Remote Sensing or Earth Observation
- Evidence of past and ongoing contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, teaching, mentoring, professional activity, and/or service
Application Requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Please submit a complete CV including full publication, funding, and mentorship records.
Cover Letter - To facilitate unbiased review of applications, on a single page and with reasonable formatting, please concisely introduce your research program and highlight your unique qualifications (1 page max)
Statement of Research - Describe research experience and interests, your current research focus, and highlight any major contributions to the field thus far as well as areas to be investigated in future work. This statement may also include information about the candidate’s open science practices, possible areas of collaboration within the department or campus, and the potential for sustained impact of the research. (2 pages max)
Statement of Teaching - The search committee will use this document to evaluate your potential as an instructor. Please provide a statement that includes teaching and mentorship experiences to date, a brief summary of your teaching philosophy, a list of courses taught, and one or more topics that you would be interested in teaching. (2 pages max)
Statement of Contributions to Diversity - The search committee will use this document to evaluate your potential to contribute to the diversity of UC Santa Barbara. Please describe how your scholarship, teaching and mentoring, and/or service and engagement contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this statement, describe any steps you have taken (or are planning to take) to foster an inclusive intellectual environment in your lab, in the classroom, in the department and on campus, and/or in your field more generally. (2 page max)
- 3-4 required (contact information only)
Names and contact information for 3 - 4 references will be provided by each applicant. Letters from those
references will be requested for only those applicants selected for serious consideration.
Help contact: geog-facultyrecruit@ucsb.edu
About UC Santa Barbara
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20. For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination.
As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.