DEEPS seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor
January 16, 2026
The Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University welcomes applications from qualified candidates (completion of PhD. in any subfield of Earth Science) for a full-time, fixed-duration Visiting Assistant Professor (VAP) position. The VAP will be appointed for one year, with an option to renew for a second year, and will teach two courses per quarter for three quarters per year. This is a full-time salaried position with benefits and no summer teaching is required. The department’s existing expertise lies in the physics, chemistry, and biology of the solid Earth, Earth’s surface, and the atmosphere. The VAP will teach one or more 200-level courses (major level, introductory), such as Physics of the Earth’s Interior, Data Analysis for Earth and Environmental Sciences, and/or Decision Making in the Anthropocene.
The VAP will also teach additional upper-level courses in sub-disciplines that align with their expertise and prior teaching experience, as well as curricular needs. Potential topics of interest include Climate Change, Energy Transition, Environmental Sustainability, Atmospheric Science, Oceanography; or Hydrogeology, Geomorphology, Soil science; or Structural Geology, Economic Geology, Tectonophysics, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Environmental Geophysics, Artificial Geointelligence; or a field or lab-based instrumentation practicum. See the department's course page for a list of existing courses and current teaching schedules.
Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV including teaching portfolio (teaching philosophy, potential courses, and any relevant documentation of teaching experience/performance) at <portal link posted soon>. Names and contact information for three letter writers who can address teaching skills should be included in the cover letter. Queries about the position may be addressed to Professor Brad Sageman at b-sageman@northwestern.edu. Completed applications will be reviewed beginning March 2, 2026; consideration will continue until the position is filled. Start date for the position is September 1, 2026.