BCAS - Renewable Contract Research Assistant Professor and Curator of Paleontology

Department/Organization
204901 - Museums

Rank
Research Assistant Professor

Position Summary
The Department of Museum Research and Collections within UA Museums at the University of Alabama is searching for a Renewable Contract Research Assistant Professor and Curator of Paleontology with a start date of August of 2026. Successful applicants will have demonstrated experience in Paleontological Research and teaching experience in related fields.

Minimum Qualifications
PhD in Paleontology, or a related field; with some experience teaching at the college level.

Preferred Qualifications
PhD in Paleontology, or a related field; with some experience teaching at the college level.

About the Division/College/School
The J. Frank Barefield Jr. College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Alabama offers an exciting and dynamic environment for faculty seeking to make an impact in their field and in the lives of the innovators and changemakers of tomorrow.

As the largest college at The University, we house over 9,000 students and 1,000 faculty and staff across our 22 departments.

With nationally recognized programs and award-winning faculty, our College has positioned itself as a leader in higher education. Our facilities and resources include state-of-the-art laboratories, research centers, and performance venues, providing students with hands-on learning experiences and opportunities for research and creative expression.

The College is committed to the liberal arts philosophy that fosters creative and critical thinking and a lifetime of learning.”

About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.