Description
The Williams College Chemistry Department invites applications for a two-year visiting assistant professor position and for a one-year visiting assistant professor position, both beginning in July 2026, in any subspecialty. We especially seek candidates who can contribute to the intellectual vibrancy and diversity of the academic community through their research, teaching and service, and who will contribute to the department’s commitment to increasing access and opportunities for populations of students that are currently underrepresented in the sciences. We welcome candidates of all backgrounds and strongly encourage individuals to apply those experiences and perspectives will enhance our commitment to academic excellence and innovation.
We seek a colleague whose primary teaching appointment will be in our foundational course sequence of general and/or organic chemistry and who will contribute to our upper-level curriculum in their subspecialty. The teaching load per semester typically includes complete responsibility for one lecture and two laboratory sections. It is expected that the candidate will participate meaningfully in the Winter Study curriculum during January. Preference will be given to candidates who are also interested in supervising experimental research projects with students. Laboratory space and modest funding will be available for research programs that engage Williams undergraduates.
Williams College is a liberal arts institution with a long history of excellence in the sciences and an equal emphasis on teaching and scholarship. Successful candidates will join the department's 14 current faculty in supporting a thriving undergraduate chemistry major. Our department graduates about 30-40 majors each year and offers a congenial working environment and state-of-the-art facilities supporting year-round research. More information about the department’s learning objectives and information about conducting research and teaching at a liberal arts college like Williams College is available at https://chemistry.williams.edu/. In addition to departmental mentoring, Williams College provides several resources for the support and development of faculty members, including the Rice Center for Teaching, First3, and membership in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD).
Requirements
For full consideration, candidates must hold a Ph.D. degree by February 2026, and postdoctoral experience is preferred.
Application Instructions
All applications must be submitted online through Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/178424. Applications must include: a cover letter addressed to Professor Christopher Goh (Chair, Chemistry Department), a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching and mentoring philosophy, and three letters of recommendation.
In your cover letter, indicate whether you are applying for the 1- or 2-year visiting position or wish to be considered for both. In your teaching statement (typically 1-2 pages), comment on your motivation for teaching and on your approach to providing a positive learning environment inside and outside of the classroom, and a brief description of an upper-level course you would ideally like to teach. In the application materials, we ask candidates to speak specifically to their approach to promoting an inclusive community and to working effectively with a student, staff, and faculty population that is broadly diverse.
Candidates are encouraged to include an optional research statement (typically 1-2 pages) that outlines their proposed research over the next 1-2 years and plans for engaging undergraduate researchers. Applications received by January 12, 2026, will receive full consideration. We anticipate campus visits to occur in early February 2026.
All offers of employment are contingent upon the completion of a background check. Further information is available here: https://dean-faculty.williams.edu/prospective-faculty/background-check-policy/.
