Assistant Professor of Elementary STEM Education--Science, Regular Title Series

Posting Details

Posting Details

Job Title Assistant Professor of Elementary STEM Education--Science, Regular Title Series Requisition Number FE04999 Working Title Department Name 8G020:Education Curriculum & Instr Work Location Lexington, KY Type of Position Faculty Position Time Status Full-Time Tenure Track Status Tenure Track Required Education

Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction - Science, Science Education, STEM Education, Engineering Education, OR a similar, equivalent degree and area of concentration.

Required Related Experience

Preference given to candidates with experience teaching elementary science methods and working with preservice and/or practicing teachers, as well as evidence of scholarly productivity, including refereed publications and/or presentations, that demonstrates potential for future success in developing and carrying out a productive research program in STEM/Science Education.

Required License/Registration/Certification

n/a

Job Summary

The Department of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky invites applications for a tenure-eligible, Regular Title Series Assistant Professor of Elementary STEM Education with an emphasis in Science Education. This is a 9-month appointment, effective August 16, 2027.

We seek a colleague with a promising research agenda focused on elementary science teaching and learning, elementary science teacher education, and/or related areas of STEM education. The successful candidate will contribute to elementary teacher preparation, and to undergraduate and graduate programs in science and STEM education, while developing an active program of research, scholarship, and external funding.

Responsibilities will be divided among research, teaching, and service, with faculty in this position typically expected to teach a 2-2 course load. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to integrate their teaching and service with research that aligns with the department, college, and university's mission.

Responsibilities include the following:

• Teach two courses each semester (fall and spring) such as:

• SEM 328 - Teaching Science in the Elementary School

• SEM 448 - Applications of Teaching Middle Level Science

• SEM 604 - History of STEM Education

• SEM 613 - Effective Use of Technology for Modeling-based Inquiry in STEM Ed.

• SEM 708 - Engineering in STEM Education

• Collaborate with school partners;

• Conduct a line of research relevant to the department and university's mission (e.g., peer reviewed publications, grant proposals, presentations);

• Seek extramural funding;

• Serve on masters and doctoral committees; and

• Provide service to the department, college, university, and profession.

The Distribution of Effort (DOE) for this position is approximately:

• 50% Instruction (12 credit hours each academic year)
• 30% Research
• 20% Service

Interested applicants should submit an application at www.uky.edu/ukjobs and include the following materials:

• Detailed Cover Letter - Note academic credentials and professional experience related to the responsibilities for this position.
• Curriculum Vita - Please include contact information for 3 professional references.
• Research & Teaching Statement - (Upload a single document under "Specific Request 1".)
• Teaching Evaluations and/or other evidence of excellence in teaching (upload under "Specific Request 2").
• Writing Sample - Provide one writing sample or scholarly publication representative of your research (upload under "Writing Sample").

Review of applications will begin October 1, 2026.

Questions regarding the position or application materials may be directed to search committee co-chairs Dr. Cindy Jong (cindy.Jong@uky.edu) and Dr. Sahar Alameh (sahar@uky.edu).

For institutional information, visit the following websites:

University of Kentucky - http://www.uky.edu

College of Education - http://education.uky.edu

Department of Teaching and Learning - https://education.uky.edu/academics/departments/dtl

Employment at UK is subject to fund availability and comes with many rewards, focusing on your total well-being and career development, with leadership striving to provide a strong work-life integration. The university generously contributes to employees' retirement plans, medical coverage, and life insurance. In addition, UK offers optional benefits such as dental and vision insurance, additional retirement plans and much more. To learn more about these benefits, please visit: https://hr.uky.edu/employment/our-benefits.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

Preference given to candidates with:

• Experience with interdisciplinary STEM education, and
• Experience in building school partnerships, supervising teacher candidates, and collaborating with schools, universities, and colleagues across institutions.

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? No Preferred Education/Experience

• Active research record and extramural funding
• Experience teaching science at the K-8 level
• Experience as an instructor of record in undergraduate and graduate courses.

Deadline to Apply Open Until Filled Yes Our University Community

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.

Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vita
• Specific Request 1
• Specific Request 2
• Writing Sample

Optional Documents