Chemistry -

We are processing applications for the chemistry position and are not accepting additional applications at this time.

St. Olaf College, a liberal arts college nationally renowned for its natural science and mathematics programs, requests applications for a tenure-track chemist with expertise in organic synthesis starting September 1, 2010.  We encourage applicants with experience related to, but not limited to, natural products synthesis, synthetic methods development, green chemistry methods development, catalysis, pharmaceutical science, or bioorganic chemistry.

Applications from candidates with a strong interest in quality undergraduate teaching are invited. In their application, candidates must demonstrate a commitment to liberal arts education and must explicitly describe how their proposed scholarly activity would involve undergraduates. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in chemistry or a related relevant field or expect completion of such prior to employment.
Teaching expectations will be primarily in the area of organic chemistry, which may include one or more sections of introductory organic chemistry with lab as well as occasional upper-level courses related to organic chemistry. Applications from candidates who are enthusiastic about teaching organic chemistry and have additional interest in teaching in other areas (first-year chemistry, chemistry for non-majors, and capstone courses, for example) or in an interdisciplinary context will be especially welcomed.
Applications must include:

  • a cover letter that summarizes the applicant’s interest in this position and how the applicant plans to contribute to the position as described,
  • a Curriculum Vitae,
  • a summary (approximately 2 pages) of the applicant’s teaching philosophy, including a discussion of pedagogical approaches,
  • a discussion of courses the applicant is interested in teaching (either based on courses currently listed at http://stolaf.edu/catalog/academicprogram/chemistry.html or courses that the applicant could envision teaching but are not currently being taught at St. Olaf),
  • a detailed description of research interests and plans (approximately 3-5 pages plus references) emphasizing the suitability of the research for undergraduate researchers and potential funding opportunities, and
  • official or unofficial transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.

In addition, letters of reference are required from three persons who are well acquainted with the applicant's professional qualifications. At least one of these letters should specifically address the applicant's teaching experience and ability. Letters of reference should be emailed to: chemsearch2010@stolaf.edu.  Applicants who submit unofficial transcripts may be asked to submit official transcripts at a later date. Review of applications will begin in mid September, 2009, and will continue until the position is filled, with interviews expected during the fall of 2009.

Email inquiries are welcome (chemsearch2010@stolaf.edu), but all application materials (other than letters of recommendation) must be submitted online at https://jobs.stolaf.edu. In the case of large files that cannot be uploaded, please contact chemsearch2010@stolaf.edu for instructions. Recommendation letters sent by email must be followed up with signed originals sent by post to:
Professor Robert Hanson, Search Committee Chair
Chemistry Department
St. Olaf College
1520 St. Olaf Ave.
Northfield, MN 55057

A liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA), St. Olaf College[1] is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity in its students, faculty and staff. The college is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our community through their teaching, research, and/or service.

Located in Northfield, Minnesota[2], a town with population approximately 20,000 situated 35 miles south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and an hour from Rochester, the college serves approximately 3000 students. Many of the faculty and students take advantage of the wide variety of cultural opportunities available in these urban centers, and most faculty choose to live either in or near Northfield or in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Members of the St. Olaf faculty enjoy a productive research environment, including collaborations with research groups at the University of Minnesota and The Mayo Clinic, both of which are within an hour’s drive, as well as with other national and international institutions.

The St. Olaf Chemistry Department[3] is ACS-accredited. The department resides in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics[4]  (FNSM), which includes the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science.  Members of this Faculty are known for their creative teamwork and individual excellence as teachers, scholars and campus leaders. The chemistry department currently has 10 tenured or tenure-track faculty members and graduates approximately 40-50 majors each year, with many continuing their educations in graduate or professional programs.

Within the FNSM and throughout the college curriculum, our faculty is engaged in a variety of innovative interdisciplinary programs. FNSM-centered programs include Biomolecular Science, Neuroscience and Statistics. Other campus-wide programs in which FNSM faculty participate include Environmental Studies, the Center for Integrated Studies, Biomedical Studies, the Science Conversation, First-Year Writing, and various international and off-campus programs[5] .

The Chemistry Department maintains a vibrant summer research program that includes faculty, students, and occasional postdoctoral researchers. The program is currently funded by a combination of individual, collaborative and program grants from external sources, amounting to over 3.5 million dollars over the past five years. Research continues throughout the academic year often via independent research courses. We are well equipped for modern research. Major equipment relating to this position includes:  Bruker MALDI/TOF/TOF mass spectrometer, Bruker ion trap LC/MS, a cyber-enabled web-accessible Bruker 400 MHz NMR with multinuclear probe, Varian Saturn 2000 GC-MS, Shimadzu Gas Chromatographs (2), JY fluorescence spectrometer, ThermoNicolet and Midac FTIR spectrometers (7), Agilent 1100 HPLC System, cold room, inert atmosphere glove box, many parallel- and sequential-readout UV/visible spectrophotometers, and an ensemble of over fifty computers for use in class and laboratory situations.

The Chemistry Department has a weekly seminar program, and the FNSM hosts a major science symposium focused on a particular interdisciplinary topic every spring. Department offices, laboratories, and teaching spaces are in Regents Hall of Natural Science and Mathematics[6], a 200,000 square foot, 60 million dollar state-of-the-art building designed to promote interdisciplinary teaching and research that opened during the fall of 2008.

Faculty in the Chemistry Department are known for their innovative teaching and scholarly work. Recent curricular developments include the introduction of green chemistry throughout the curriculum, the development of a combined chemistry/biology introductory sequence, and current development of a capstone course. Faculty actively publish manuscripts and textbooks and regularly attend national professional meetings, where they present research and educational innovations and organize symposia.

  Web Links:
1. http://stolaf.edu/
2. http://www.northfieldchamber.com/
3. http://stolaf.edu/depts/chemistry/
4. http://stolaf.edu/depts/fnsm/
5. http://stolaf.edu/international/
6. http://stolaf.edu/regentshall/