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Research Assistant Professor

Categories: Academic Affairs

Position TitleResearch Assistant Professor, Biological Oceanography

About the University

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department

About the Shannon Point Marine Center:

SPMC is Western Washington University’s coastal research facility, located in Anacortes, Washington, approximately 45 miles from Western’s main campus in Bellingham. The 78-acre site includes Pacific lowland forest and 3,000 feet of undisturbed shoreline along the Salish Sea. SPMC supports and advances WWU’s undergraduate and graduate programs in marine science, facilitates research across a broad range of marine-related disciplines, and provides access to facilities for visiting scientists. The center also hosts federally funded programs that enable undergraduates nationwide to conduct mentored research and promotes ocean literacy through K–12 and community education initiatives.

Facilities include a flow-through seawater system, a fleet of research vessels, SCUBA support, oceanographic instrumentation, a fully equipped analytical chemistry laboratory, and a fully equipped molecular laboratory. Together, these resources support the research and educational activities of WWU faculty, resident scientists, and visiting researchers. For more information visitspmc.wwu.edu.

About the MACS Program:Marine and Coastal Science (MACS) is an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science (BS) degree program with permanent and affiliated faculty in units across the university, drawing together the wealth of marine expertise in the Biology, Geology, Environmental Sciences, and Chemistry departments and at the Shannon Point Marine Center. The mission of MACS is to promote the study of marine systems with an emphasis on place-based learning, early exposure to research, and cohort-based, immersive educational experiences. The goal of the program is to help students develop into confident, thoughtful, ethical scientists ready to address the growing challenges affecting our marine and coastal environments (marine.wwu.edu).

Shannon Point Marine Center and the Marine and Coastal Science Program supportWestern's mission (https://president.wwu.edu/mission-strategic-plan) , which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

About the PositionThe Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) invites applications for a university supported, year-round, half-time Research Assistant Professor position with expertise in biological oceanography. This non-tenure track research faculty position will be based at the Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) in Anacortes, Washington with the position title granted through the Marine and Coastal Science (MACS) program.

We seek a dynamic and collaborative researcher who will be an active member of the SPMC community. The successful candidate will be expected to:

+ Develop and sustain a rigorous, externally funded research program in biological oceanography that leverages SPMC laboratory resources.

+ Engage and mentor students through research involvement and training opportunities.

+ Contribute to SPMC programs and the broader mission of the center through participation in research, outreach, and collaborative initiatives.

The position requires that the successful candidate be based at SPMC and conduct the majority of their work on site, with SPMC serving as their primary professional base. The initial appointment will be for three years, with the potential for renewal based on performance and annual evaluations.

Position Responsibilities:

+ Develop at SPMC a productive, externally funded research program that includes students.

+ Develop and submit external proposals through the WWU office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

+ Provide hands-on opportunities for students, mentoring at least two MACS or Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) students per year.

+ Develop and teach one course at SPMC per year.

+ Advise master’s students, contingent upon developing a working relationship with an affiliated department sufficient to be appointed to their Associate Graduate Faculty roster.

+ Serve as a contributing member of the SPMC community, maintaining an active presence, participating in program activities, and contributing to proposals for instrumentation and programmatic activities at SPMC.

+ Follow university guidelines for professional behavior and accomplishment as expected of employees holding faculty rank.

Required Qualifications

+ PhD in marine science.

+ Post-doctoral experience in biological oceanography or a closely related field.

+ Record of research productivity in biological oceanography, including refereed publications and conference presentations.

+ Evidence of grantsmanship, such as authorship of grant proposals or successful acquisition of research funding.

+ Demonstrated commitment to student mentoring.

Preferred Qualifications

+ Research that can be applied regionally.

+ Experience working successfully in collaborative, interdisciplinary environments.

Conditions of EmploymentAll employees must comply with our Immunization policies, includingProof of Rubeola Measles Immunity (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1300.01-Requiring-Proof-Of-Rubeola-Measles-Immunity) within 60-days of hire. Please reach out [email protected] you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary

For half-time, 12-month appointment, $50,000 - $54,000/year, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Benefits InformationBenefits Overview for Faculty Positions (https://hr.wwu.edu/files/2022-06/Benefits-Faculty.pdf)

Bargaining Unit

United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

Application must include:

+ A cover letter addressing the required and preferred qualifications

+ A curriculum vitae

+ A research statement containing:

+ Your vision for your research program, how it relates to existing research and programs at the Shannon Point Marine Center, and what plans you have to develop the resources (equipment, personnel) necessary to support your work.

+ A brief description of two research proposals you will pursue at SPMC.

+ Names and contact information for three professional references.

Closing Date Notes

Application review begins January 20, 2026 ; position is open until filled.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1600.02-Prohibiting-Discrimination-Based-on-A-Protected-Class-Interim) andProhibiting Discrimination Based on Sex (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1600.04-Prohibiting-Discrimination-Based-on-Sex-Interim) . Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225;360.650.3307(voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); [email protected]

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services (https://hr.wwu.edu/workplace-accommodation) ,360.650.3751or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life [email protected]. The report can be found at:Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (https://www.wwu.edu/clery) .

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes asexual misconduct background check (https://hr.wwu.edu/sexual-misconduct-background-checks) .

Job no: 502853

Advertised: Dec 22 2025 09:00 Pacific Standard Time

Applications close: