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POSITION DETAILS

Employment based visa sponsorship will be considered for this position.

Position Number:  128670
Classification Title:  Assistant or Associate Professor
Working Title:  Assistant or Associate Professor, Computational Biology/Bioinformatics

Department:  Biology
FLSA Status:  Exempt
Salary Range:  Commensurate with education and experience
Pay Basis:  Annually

POSITION OVERVIEW

JOB SUMMARY:

The Department of Biology at the University of West Florida (UWF) invites applications for a full-time, nine-month, open-rank tenure-earning faculty position at the Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor level in computational biology, bioinformatics, or a closely related field.
The successful candidate will hold a primary academic and tenure-earning appointment in the Department of Biology and will be expected to contribute to interdisciplinary research through sustained collaboration with UWF’s Center for Computational Intelligence. We seek candidates who use computational, quantitative, or data-intensive approaches to address significant biological or biomedical questions, strengthening computational biology within the department while fostering research connections across the university.
The faculty member may also develop collaborative research activities with the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) through separately defined and approved arrangements. Such collaborations would complement the faculty members’ primary nine-month appointment and responsibilities at UWF.
Areas of Interest
Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Bioinformatics, computational biology, and genomics/multiomics
• Systems biology and biological data science
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence applications in biological systems
• Quantitative biology and computational modeling
• Computational approaches to human, microbial, environmental, or biomedical research
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be expected to:
• Maintain an active research program with the potential for sustained external funding in computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related area.
• Develop collaborative research initiatives with Biology faculty and researchers affiliated with UWF’s Center for Computational Intelligence.
• Mentor and engage undergraduate and graduate students in computational and interdisciplinary research.
• Teach undergraduate and/or graduate courses in areas such as bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, data analysis, or other core/elective courses supporting departmental curricula.
• Contribute to the research, educational, and service missions of the Department of Biology, the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering (HMCSE), and the University.
• Participate in departmental, college, university, and professional service.
About the Department
The Department of Biology is a collegial and growing department within the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, with a strong culture of mentorship and hands-on student research. Faculty pursue a broad range of research areas including molecular biology, microbiology, ecology, genetics, biochemistry, and physiology. The department is housed in modern facilities with research laboratories and a state-of-the-art, $26 million Laboratory Sciences Annex featuring teaching laboratories. Faculty members maintain active research laboratories, and shared instrumentation supports a wide range of biological and biomedical research. Faculty actively engage with campus centers and interdisciplinary programs to build collaborative research and training opportunities. As a Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production institution, UWF offers a supportive environment for faculty developing competitive, student-centered research programs.
Learn more about the Department of Biology at www.uwf.edu/hmcse/departments/biology

Salary and Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank. UWF offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid leave options.

Review of applications will begin October 16, 2026. Applications received by this date will receive full consideration; however, the position will remain open until filled.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree from an accredited institution in biology, bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, biostatistics, data science, computer science, or a closely related discipline.
• Evidence of scholarly productivity through peer-reviewed publications or equivalent scholarly contributions appropriate to career stage.
• Demonstrated application of computational or quantitative approaches to biological or biomedical research questions.
• Evidence of, or demonstrated potential for, effective university-level teaching and student mentoring.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to conduct interdisciplinary and collaborative research.
• Candidates seeking appointments at the Associate Professor rank must demonstrate a sustained record of scholarship, teaching, service, and professional accomplishments appropriate to the proposed rank.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree from an accredited institution in biology, bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, biostatistics, data science, computer science, or a closely related discipline.
• Evidence of scholarly productivity through peer-reviewed publications or equivalent scholarly contributions appropriate to career stage.
• Demonstrated application of computational or quantitative approaches to biological or biomedical research questions.
• Evidence of, or demonstrated potential for, effective university-level teaching and student mentoring.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to conduct interdisciplinary and collaborative research.
• Candidates seeking appointments at the Associate Professor rank must demonstrate a sustained record of scholarship, teaching, service, and professional accomplishments appropriate to the proposed rank.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Preference will be given to candidates demonstrating one or more of the following:
• A record of securing competitive external research funding or, for early-career candidates, strong evidence of the potential to establish an externally funded research program.
• Expertise in analyzing large, complex biological datasets, including multiomics, imaging, clinical, environmental, or other data.
• Experience integrating computational methods with wet-lab experimental research.
• Experience mentoring undergraduate and/or graduate student researchers appropriate to career stage.
• Research interests that directly complement and expand the collaborative strengths of the Department of Biology and the Center for Computational Intelligence.
• Experience developing interdisciplinary or multi-investigator research proposals and working effectively across disciplinary or institutional boundaries.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Physical Requirements: Occasional and/or light lifting required. Limited exposure to elements such as heat, cold, noise, dust, dirt, chemicals, etc., but none to the point of being disagreeable. May involve minor safety hazards where likely results would be cuts, bruises, etc.
• Impact of Deadlines: Routine deadlines. Usually sufficient lead time. Variance in work volume, seasonal, and predictable. Priorities can be anticipated. Some interruptions are present. Involves occasional exposure to demands/pressures from persons other than immediate sup.
• Standing: Daily
• Walking: Daily
• Sitting: Daily
• Reaching with hands and arms: Daily
• Climbing or balancing: Occasionally
• Stooping: Occasionally
• Use of hands to handle objects: Frequently
• Lifting up to 10lbs: Frequently
• Lifting up to 25lbs: Occasionally
• Lifting over 25lbs: Occasionally
• Talking as express or exchange of ideas verbally: Daily
• Hearing as perceive sound by ear: Daily
• Vision as distinguish colors & depth: Daily

Special Requirements or Considerations of the Job:  

• This position requires a criminal background screening.

Special Instructions to Applicants:  Candidates must apply online through the University of West Florida website: https://careers.uwf.edu. Applicants are required to attach a cv, letter of interest (max of 2 pages) and contact information for three references. References will be contacted upon submission of this application. An opportunity to upload these documents will be provided during the application process. For assistance, please contact Human Resources at 850.474.2694 or email jobs@uwf.edu.

If one or more of your advanced degrees is awarded from an institution outside of the United States, UWF will require a credential evaluation and/or translation prior to onboarding. This credential evaluation should include original documents received directly from your institution so that the agency can evaluate and attest that your credential is equivalent to a similar degree earned at a US institution. If your credential is not in English, this evaluation should also include a translation to US English.

UWF does not endorse any particular approved agency; however, typically any current National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member agency is acceptable. You are advised to check with the agency first to make sure your educational background can be evaluated as some agencies do not evaluate all international degrees.

When necessary, these credential evaluations will be requested as part of the Offer Letter with instructions on where and to whom these documents should be submitted.

Applicants should also submit:

A research statement, maximum two pages, describing the applicant’s research accomplishments and future research program; plans for developing or expanding an externally supported research program at UWF; potential collaborations with Department of Biology faculty and the Center for Computational Intelligence; and approaches for engaging undergraduate and graduate students in research.
Teaching philosophy, maximum two pages.
Unofficial transcripts; official transcripts will be required upon hire.

ADDITIONAL POSTING DETAILS

Number of Vacancies: 1
Work Hours:  8:00am - 5:00pm
FTE:  1.0
Preferred Response Date:  10/15/2026