Assistant Professor

The Department of Biological Sciences and the Museum of Natural Science at Louisiana State University invite applications for a tenure-track faculty/curator position. The Department and Museum together house >60 faculty spanning a range of disciplines, with strengths in evolutionary biology, systematics, and ecology. We seek a vertebrate paleobiologist with a strong collections-based research program and expertise in the evolution of any group of vertebrates. Desirable disciplines include macroevolution, trait evolution, paleoecology, phylogenetics, and related fields. The successful candidate will curate the Museum's Vertebrate Paleontology collection of more than 43,000 specimens, which has excellent representation of early Tertiary marine vertebrates, and middle Tertiary and Pleistocene terrestrial faunas of the southeast. We seek a curator who will manage these existing resources while also fostering the use and growth of the collection through traditional and innovative approaches that build on existing strengths or develop new directions. The successful candidate is expected to run an independent and externally funded research program, teach undergraduate and graduate courses, and curate the Vertebrate Paleontology collection.

Required Qualifications : Ph.D. PhD in Biological Sciences, Geological Sciences or related field; a successful record of independent research; and a strong background in managing vertebrate paleontological collections. Postdoctoral experience is preferred. Successful candidates will be expected to establish and maintain a vigorous, extramurally funded research program, contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching, curate the Vertebrate Paleontology collection, and participate in the service missions of the Department and Museum.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, separate statements of interest (no more than 2 pages each) for research, teaching, and curation, and contact information for three references. For questions about the position, please contact Search Committee Chair Jake Esselstyn (View email address on click.appcast.io) or Senior Human Resource Specialist Lori Bond (View email address on click.appcast.io).

An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check. Review of applications will begin 16 November 2026 and continue until a candidate is selected. Apply online at:

LSU IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY