Associate or Assistant Professor in Isotope Geochemistry - Tenure Track

The School of the Environment at Washington State University invites applications for a permanent, full-time, nine-month, tenure-track Assistant or tenure-eligible Associate Professor position in Pullman, Washington. (A successful Associate Professor candidate will have an expedited tenure review upon acceptance of the position.) We seek a scholar with expertise in radiogenic isotope geochemistry and lithospheric dynamics whose research advances understanding of Earth processes and has applications to economic geology, critical mineral resources, energy transition technologies, or other energy futures research.

A strong applicant will make extensive use of our state-of-the-art Geochemical Laboratory while guiding it into its next stage of growth and building upon the school's existing strengths in Earth science research and education. The established and highly regarded WSU Geochemical Laboratories include our Radiogenic Isotope and Geochronology Laboratory (RIGL) and the Peter Hooper GeoAnalytical Laboratory (GAL). The successful candidate will contribute to a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment that advances applications of isotope geochemistry and supports research relevant to critical minerals, energy resources, and sustainable energy futures. The successful candidate will play a leadership role in the Geochemical Laboratory, support its broad user community, and advance their scientific impact through innovative research, strategic partnerships, and external funding.

It is anticipated that the successful candidate will begin the appointment on August 16, 2027.

Job duties: A successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain an internationally recognized and externally funded research program focusing on isotope geochemistry, lithospheric processes, and other Earth systems. They will support the strategic growth of the Geochemical Laboratory, advancing capabilities through the development of new applications and instrumentation. The candidate will be expected to teach both undergraduate and graduate courses and supervise undergraduate and graduate students in research projects. Finally, they will be expected to contribute to the School of the Environment's growth through curriculum development, graduate student mentorship, recruitment, and assessment activities.

Lab overview: The Geochemical Laboratory within the School of the Environment incorporates a range of geochemical equipment run by our staff of excellent technicians. This lab includes a Thermo Scientific Neptune Plus MC-ICPMS, a Thermo Fisher Scientific Element 2 ICP-MS with an Analyte Excite 193-nm ArF Excimer laser, an Agilent 8900 ICP-MS/MS with an ESI 193 nm laser system, an Agilent 7700 ICP-MS, a Class 1000 HEPA-filtered clean lab for sample preparation, a JEOL JXA8500F Field Emission electron probe, and a ThermoARL Perform'X WDXRF. These facilities are consistently used for whole rock geochemical analysis, geochronology, thermochronology, elemental microanalysis, and major and trace element mapping.

Required Qualifications for All Candidates at All Ranks:

• Completed PhD in Geology, Earth Science or adjacent disciplines.
• Demonstrated record of laboratory management.
• Demonstrated potential for external funding.
• Demonstrated potential for successful teaching and instruction.
• Demonstration of potential to support access and opportunity in research, teaching, and service in alignment with WSU's land-grant mission.

Additional Required Qualifications for Associate Professor Rank:

• Demonstrated record of external funding.
• Demonstrated record of successful supervision of graduate students.
• Proven successful teaching and instruction of upper-level undergraduate courses.
• Demonstrated record of supporting access and opportunity in research, teaching, and service in alignment with WSU's land-grant mission.
• Currently serving in the rank of an Associate Professor or equivalent and has a record of accomplishments in research and teaching commensurate with department and college standards for tenure at the level of associate professor.
• CAS T&P Guidelines:

Preferred Qualifications for All Candidates at All Ranks:

• Demonstrated experience in the supervision of graduate students.
• Experience implementing clean laboratory SOPs.

9-Month Academic Year Salary:

Assistant Professor: $85,000-95,000 | Commensurate with experience and qualifications
Associate Professor: $96,000-110,000 | Commensurate with experience and qualifications

In accordance with RCW 49.58.110 , the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination.

Benefits:

WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life, and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation, and optional supplemental retirement accounts. For a more detailed summary of benefits offered by WSU for Faculty visit: Benefits Information for New Employees | Human Resource Services | Washington State University

Find total compensation information here: .

To Apply: Visit wsu.edu/jobs , select your appropriate employment status, and search for R-15562 . Applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application. External candidates, please upload all documents in the "Resume/CV" section of your application. Internal candidates, please upload all documents in the "Resume/Cover Letter" section of your application.

• A cover letter addressing qualifications for this position as well as a response to the following prompt:
• As a land-grant university, we have a commitment to ensure access and opportunity in all aspects of our work. The successful candidate for this faculty position will have the experiences, knowledge, and skills to build their research/scholarship/creative practice, pedagogy, curriculum, and service in ways that reflect and enhance this commitment. Using the job announcement for this position, please list and explain up to three areas of responsibility you see as related to fulfilling this mission.
• Curriculum vitae
• Teaching statement that describes your teaching experience and philosophy, which may incorporate experience from formal or informal teaching and mentoring opportunities.
• Research statement that outlines your scholarly work and includes your future plans.

Reference contact information will be requested later in the recruitment process through Workday. Note: Three (3) references are required at Assistant Professor rank and four (4) references are required at Associate Professor rank.

Inquiries should be directed to Sarah Roley ( View email address on earthworks-jobs.com )

Posting Close Date: Applicants must submit their completed application by Sunday, December 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PST .