Visiting Assistant Professor/Instructor of Chemistry

Posting Details

Posting Details

Posting Number: 0603065 Recruitment Type: Open to All Applicants Position Title: Visiting Assistant Professor/Instructor of Chemistry Position Type: Faculty Benefits Status: Benefits Eligible FLSA: Exempt Hiring Range: $55,000-$60,000 per year + benefits package. Location

Tacoma, WA 98447

Department: Chemistry Department Posting Date: 05/29/2026 Closing Date Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Work Schedule:

Full-time, Visiting Assistant Professor/Instructor position available September 1, 2026. Academic year is September to May. Classes begin on September 8, 2026. New Faculty Orientation will take place in late August 2026.

General Description:

The Department of Chemistry at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) seeks to hire a full-time Visiting Assistant Professor/Instructor with teaching responsibilities primarily in general chemistry lecture and labs, as well as a general/organic/biochemistry course. The department (http://www.plu.edu/chemistry/) offers ACS certified degrees. Instrumentation and resources include 500 MHz FTNMR, AFM, GC/MS, HPLC, FTIR, Raman, UV/VIS, ICP-MS, GPC, a glovebox, and a variety of computational chemistry software.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Teaching duties will primarily include general chemistry lecture (CHEM 115) and labs (CHEM 115 and 116), as well as a general/organic/biochemistry course (CHEM 105).
• Hold regular student hours.
• Attend regular department meetings.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability, knowledge, and skill to successfully teach chemistry to diverse groups in a university setting at the undergraduate level.
• Commitment to effective and inclusive teaching strategies.
• Ability to contribute to fostering diversity of the campus, curriculum, and/or discipline.

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in chemistry or closely allied discipline must be in hand by September 1, 2026, for appointment at the Visiting Assistant Professor level. ABD or Master's degree required by September 1, 2026, for appointment at the Instructor level.
• Applicant must be legally eligible to work in the United States on hire date AND legally authorized to work in the United States for Pacific Lutheran University without sponsorship.
• Finalist applicants must satisfactorily complete pre-employment background checks.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D.
• College-level teaching experience.

Work Conditions: Physical Requirements: Special Instructions to Applicants:

Applicants should submit an application including:

• Cover letter;
• CV;
• Unofficial undergraduate and graduate transcripts; and
• A statement of teaching philosophy in which you describe your goals for student learning, the methods you use to help students achieve them, and how you assess student learning. This statement should also explicitly address how you create an inclusive learning environment that is attuned to diversity and equity.
• A list of three references will also be required as part of the application; confidential letters of reference will be requested by PLU for semi-finalists.

For more information contact Tina Saxowsky, Chair of Chemistry, at chair@chem.plu.edu.

Other Information:

Pacific Lutheran University purposefully integrates the liberal arts, professional studies and civic engagement in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Our faculty lead with a bold commitment to expanding well-being, opportunity, and justice and instill this commitment in their students. PLU educators work to create an environment where students feel heard and valued, nurturing lifelong learners who aren't afraid to do things differently to make the world better for everyone. PLU supports faculty as they help students turn ambition into purpose, skills into tools, and their caring into a transformative force.

Because PLU is a community committed to the creation and advancement of knowledge through diversity and inclusion, the university actively recruits a faculty, staff, and student body from all religions, races, socioeconomic groups, sexual orientations, and gender expressions and from all over the world. For the 2024-25 academic year, 40.6 percent of PLU undergraduate students are from the first generation in their families to attend college; 48.0 percent self-identify as students of color; and 34.2 percent are Pell Grant-eligible.

Offering distinctive opportunities for global engagement, collaborative student-faculty research, and purposeful learning, our faculty guide 2,700 students from all faiths and backgrounds to discern their purpose through relevant coursework, inclusive mentoring, and internships at world-class Puget Sound-area businesses and institutions. PLU is located on a 156-acre woodland campus in the Parkland neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington and about 40 minutes south of downtown Seattle. The campus reflects consciously green practices and is in proximity to the natural beauty of Mount Rainier, the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, and the Puget Sound.

PLU administration supports and respects the strong culture of faculty-shared governance by working closely and collaboratively with faculty leadership to sustain and strengthen existing structures and procedures while working together on key institutional, academic and curricular decisions. PLU is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from members of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who would bring broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research, or other work activities. For general application questions or if you need accommodations at any point in the application and/or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Office at 253-535-7185 or humr@plu.edu. Click here for detailed benefits information.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• • Will you have a Master's degree or higher in hand by the time of appointment?

• Yes

• No

• • Are you legally eligible to work in the United States on your hire date AND legally authorized to work in the United States for Pacific Lutheran University without sponsorship?

• Yes

• No

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Teaching Philosophy
• Unofficial Transcript 1
• Unofficial Transcript 2

Optional Documents