Jobs in EOAS

The Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS - https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/ ) and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES - https://ires.ubc.ca/) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) invite applications for the position of Assistant Professor (tenure track) of Teaching in Environmental Science. This role is a full-time joint appointment (50% EOAS, 50 % IRES) in the tenure-track Educational Leadership* stream. The position provides the opportunity to pursue a career based on excellence in teaching and educational leadership while contributing to one of the top programs of its kind.

In the 2025 QS university rankings, UBC is ranked 12th in the world for environmental sciences, and our Environmental Science BSc (ENSC) is internationally respected for its ability to train practitioners and prepare students for graduate and professional programs. EOAS administers the ENSC program with support from IRES, and the program is now expanding to run jointly between these academic units. The Assistant Professor of Teaching will help build strong collaboration between EOAS and IRES. The position has an expected start date of September 2025 or soon as possible thereafter and a salary range of $130,000 to $140,000 per annum.

The successful candidate will teach core undergraduate courses in environmental science, including introductory survey classes, communication, and quantitative / methods courses. They will also be expected to advance curriculum and pedagogy in ENSC and create innovative instructional environments. Candidates must have a natural science background that includes completing a PhD in an environmental science-related field, with preference given to applicants with backgrounds in (i) Energy Transitions and
Sustainability or (ii) Environmental Impacts on Human Health. They must also provide evidence of (a) excellence in, and commitment to, undergraduate teaching; (b) ability to work collaboratively as well as independently; (c) promise of educational leadership at UBC, nationally and/or internationally; and (d) effective communication skills. The successful candidate will be expected to participate in ENSC course and curriculum development, working with EOAS, IRES and UBC peers in the Education Leadership professorial stream to advance the university’s teaching and learning mandates. Recent initiatives undertaken by UBC's Educational Leadership faculty in Environmental Science include authoring textbooks, pioneering community-based and community-generated capstone projects, and developing online encyclopedias of taxonomy—such initiatives position UBC as a hub for innovation in environmental and sustainability education and evidence-based pedagogy. Candidates will also be expected to contribute to departmental service within and beyond the ENSC specialization. 

We seek candidates with the capacity and interest to interact with other teaching and learning clusters within and outside UBC, developing connections and fostering relationships with local community organizations, professional societies, and Indigenous communities. UBC’s campuses are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples and of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xwməθkwəyə̓ m (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and
Stó:lō and Səlílw ̓ ətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil Waututh) Nations. 

EOAS and IRES are dedicated to practicing excellence in evidence-based learning and provide a supportive environment and strong peer mentoring for new faculty members. The successful applicant will demonstrate a commitment to creating innovative instructional environments in the classroom and/or field. They will also strongly commit to equity, diversity and inclusion, working to create a welcoming community for all, particularly those who are historically, persistently or systemically marginalized. EOAS
and IRES are committed to supporting the success of individuals from traditionally disadvantaged groups, building on existing efforts across UBC to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in our research and teaching missions.

* “An activity taken at UBC and elsewhere to advance innovation in teaching and learning with impact beyond one’s classroom.” https://ctlt.ubc.ca/resources/teaching/teaching-and-educational-leaders…

How to apply

• Applications must be submitted and uploaded to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/29706 and include the following:

1. Cover letter (max two pages) describing [expertise, synergy with current groups & people].
2. Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications.
3. Teaching statement (max two pages) describing [experience, innovations, philosophy …].
4. Provide names and addresses of 4 referees.

• Diversity statement (max one page) describing your lived background experience (if comfortable), and past experience and future plans regarding working with a diverse student body and contributing to a culture of equity and inclusion.
• The closing date for applications is March 23, 2025.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. Inclusion is built by individual and institutional responsibility through continuous engagement with diversity to inspire people, ideas, and actions for a better world. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated
under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuk, or Indigenous person. UBC acknowledges that certain circumstances may cause career interruptions that legitimately affect an applicant’s record of research or educational leadership achievement. We encourage applicants to note in their applications whether they would like consideration given to the impact of any circumstances, such as those due to health or family reasons, in order to allow for a fair assessment of their research productivity.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority, and members of historically marginalized groups will be given special consideration.

If you have any needs or questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the job application, recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Center For Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/working-injury-illness-ordisabil… or contact the Centre at workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible work environment for all members of its workforce. Within this hiring process we will make efforts to create an accessible process for all candidates (including but not limited to disabled people). Confidential accommodations are available on request by contacting Hazel Evangelista, EOAS, at hevangelista@eoas.ubc.ca 

Applications are invited to apply to teach one section of EOSC 311: The Earth and Its Resources during the 2024-2025 academic year. The successful candidate will teach in Summer Term 1 (May – June, 2025).

Course Description: An introduction to the Earth with emphasis on its industrial and aesthetic resources. Rocks, minerals, gold, diamonds, sediments, fossils, oil and gas, canyons, and volcanoes and the processes that create them. Not for credit for students in specializations administered by the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.

EOSC 311 is a Hybrid Course where all term’s work is done by students online on Canvas. There are no ‘in person’ lectures in this course. All required term time content and assessments already exist on Canvas. More information about this course is available at http://www.eos.ubc.ca/courses/eosc311/eosc311.htm.

Responsibilities of the Sessional Lecturer will include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: organizing all administration for the course including preparing the course website before the course opens; organizing and supervising teaching assistants; interacting with students through email, Piazza discussion boards and Zoom regularly to resolve issues related to course content, technical issues with Canvas, personal issues, etc.; creating, organizing, invigilating and marking the Final Exam which will take place ‘in person’ at UBC, Vancouver at the date and time designated by UBC Exam Services at the end of June, 2025; finalizing course marks and uploading these to Workday. Mentoring will be provided by an experienced instructor.

Applicants must hold an M.Sc. or a Ph.D. (or be enrolled in a Ph.D. program) in a related field and have a demonstrated interest in teaching at the undergraduate level. Previous online course experience, teaching experience and/or instructional training are desired. (Note: UBC Ph.D. students without an M.Sc. must have passed their candidacy examination in order to apply; students currently enrolled in a M.Sc. program are not eligible for this position).

Please provide a curriculum vita. Applicants who have not previously lectured in the EOAS Department should also provide a one-page statement describing your scientific background and qualifications for teaching, and the names of two referees.

Applications and supporting material should be addressed to:
Dr. Erik Eberhardt
Department of Earth Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
University of British Columbia

E-mail submissions should be sent to Hazel Evangelista, HR Administrator (hevangelista@eoas.ubc.ca) by March 21, 2025.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and Permanent Residents will be given priority. 

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

Sessional lecturer positions are governed by Part 7 of the Collective Agreement on Conditions of Appointments for Sessional Faculty Members. 

term: 2 years with the possibility to extend
preferred start: on or before Sept 1, 2025
salary: $70,000 CAD
location: UBC Vancouver campus
supervisor: Dr. Lindsey Heagy (lheagy@eoas.ubc.ca)
 

Description
Applications are invited for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in applied and environmental geophysics. The main project will focus on the use of electromagnetic data for detecting and classifying unexploded ordnance (UXO). Specifically, this project will look at combining physics-based and machine learning approaches to develop an automated way to identify regions with a high density of metallic objects where traditional classification methods fail. This project builds upon our previous work in which we developed a workflow for the classification of UXOs based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and is a collaborative project with our industry partners at Black Tusk Geophysics. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will have opportunities to collaborate with other researchers at UBC-GIF, working on a range of applications, including mineral exploration, carbon capture and storage, and environmental studies. Our group actively contributes to open-source software (SimPEG) and open educational resources (GeoSci.xyz). The successful candidate will have the opportunity to use and contribute to these projects and engage with other efforts to promote open science. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been under-represented or discouraged. We particularly encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

About UBC-GIF
The University of British Columbia Geophysical Inversion Facility ( UBC-GIF ) is an academic research unit within the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) at UBC. Our research is methods-oriented and focuses on advancing numerical modelling, inversions, and machine learning for applied and environmental geophysics. We engage with industry collaborators in mineral exploration and with environmental firms. Our mission is to advance quantitative methods for using geophysical data to help solve problems that are important to society. We do this by: (a) developing methods in numerical simulations, inversions, and machine learning to extract insights from geophysical data, (b) advancing quantitative methods and tools that facilitate the integration of data, (c) maintaining and disseminating open-source software, and (d) training highly qualified geoscientists.

Requirements

• Motivated to use geophysical data for solving applied problems
• PhD in geophysics, physics, mathematics, computer science or related quantitative
  field
• Proficiency with programming. Python preferred
• Experience with numerical modelling
• Familiarity with inverse theory
• Experience with machine learning
• Familiarity with electromagnetic methods desired
• Capacity to lead projects with collaborators

Additional details
A description of benefits is available here:
https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc/faculty-titles-ranks-and-descriptions/postdoctoral-fellows

Application process

Please email Dr. Heagy (lheagy@eoas.ubc.ca) using the subject: UBC-GIF postdoc
application and provide:

• a current curriculum vitae
• a short (1 page or less) description of research interests
• one recent publication
• names and contact information for 2 references (no letters necessary)

Review of applications will begin immediately and the position will remain open until filled.