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FIRE HIRING

We are currently recruiting passionate and talented individuals for the following opportunities.

Current Positions

The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President is seeking full-time 12-month Assistant Clinical Professors to lead newly developed FIRE research streams designed around the research experience, passions, and goals of applicants.

 

We specifically seek individuals representing the following disciplines:

 

  • Social Science & Humanities (Psychology, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Political Science, Sociology, Communications, History, Music, Gender Studies, and all similar and related disciplines).
     

  • Natural Sciences: Biochemistry, Biology, Cellular Biology, Chemistry, Ecology, Environmental Science, Geology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Virology, and all similar and related disciplines.
     

  • Technology & Applied Science (Computer Science, Engineering, Information & Data Science, Geographical Information Systems, Physics, Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Computational Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, and all similar and related disciplines).

 

Position Description

FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors design and implement the group research agenda and are responsible for all research-related curriculum, instruction, and broad student mentorship.  The position empowers early-career faculty members to grow as research leaders, educators, mentors, and higher education professionals.

 

FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors work in collaboration with department-based UMD faculty members to design and implement the research agenda of a new FIRE research stream.  As the lead instructor of research-related FIRE courses, the FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors are tasked with providing an excellent educational experience through the development of a research-centered curriculum that allows for iteration: students engage in work that includes periods of uncertainty, setbacks, and unexpected outcomes and have the opportunity to repeat unsuccessful methodological attempts.  As the professional that works with FIRE-participating students, FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors provide personal, academic, research, and professional mentorship.

 

​Initial appointments will start in July 2025 and/or January 2026 (per candidate availability and unit positions available) and run through December 2026, with strong potential for annual renewals beginning in January 2027, per positive performance reviews. â€‹

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Minimum Qualifications

  • Ph.D. (title: Assistant Clinical Professor) or Master’s (title: Lecturer) degree.

  • Active research interests and goals.

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Preferences

  • Research leadership experience.

  • Experience working on funded research projects.

  • Prior supervisory experience of undergraduate researchers.

  • Record of success in presenting research at conferences and/or publishing research in peer-reviewed journals.

  • At least one year of experience in teaching undergraduate students (either as the instructor of record or as a teaching assistant).

  • At least one year of research team experience with substantial project management experience and organizational skills.

FAQs

Is this hiring call meant to find FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors to create new FIRE streams or run those that already exist?

New streams!   We want you to join us and design and launch a new FIRE stream in 2025 (July 2025 start date) or 2026 (January 2026 start date).

We also have an opportunity to help us continue an existing FIRE stream - FIRE Sustainability Analytics is seeking a new FIRE Faculty Leader.

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How many FIRE faculty members are a part of FIRE?  Will I be part of a team?

We currently have 16 full-time faculty members on our team.  You would be a part of a vibrant and collegial community.

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Should I submit letters of reference with my application?

The application requires a list of references but there is no requirement for letters of support at this stage.  We reach out to references at a later stage in the hiring process when we need additional information about an applicant.

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Will my FIRE stream idea work?

The following guidelines might help:

  • Will you be doing authentic, meaningful, relevant research using methods representing your discipline?   

  • Can you design and scale your research goals to enable 35-40 undergraduate students to work with you for a year? 

  • Can your research generally be done on campus during business hours?   

  • Does your research require only modest equipment and dedicated research space?

 

What are the expectations of the position?

  • ​Ability to lead a team of undergraduate peer mentors through clear communication and management.

  • Ability to develop instructional curriculum and protocols for research-based inquiry and discipline understanding.

  • Ability to effectively teach undergraduate students in lecture and research-based environments.

  • Ability to mentor students from research, academic and personal perspectives.

  • Ability to assess student learning through the development of formative and summative assessments appropriate for inquiry-based instruction.

  • Ability to manage research operations including student progress, equipment, consumables, and oversight of the fiscal budget.

  • Ability to effectively communicate with stream faculty members, undergraduate peer mentors, students, and institutional colleagues.

  • Ability to problem-solve, prioritize, and manage multiple projects and timelines.

  • Strong organizational and interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

  • Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively.

  • Flexibility to grow, adapt and change as FIRE develops at UMD.

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SUPPORT

Additional questions about our hiring processes can be sent to fire-office@umd.edu. 

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