25-26 Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Illinois Wesleyan University

  Department of Neuroscience

Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Illinois Wesleyan University invites applications for the position of Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience. This position is a full time, nine month, on-campus, benefits-eligible position that begins August 1, 2025. 

Illinois Wesleyan University is a four-year private liberal arts university with approximately 1600 students that is well-known nationally for offering small class sizes with dedicated faculty. The university consistently ranks in the top tier across numerous markers for providing students with a quality education. We are located in Bloomington, IL, a metro area of 170,000 people, which is about a two hour drive from Chicago and St. Louis. Illinois Wesleyan University is committed to recruiting, supporting, and fostering a diverse, inclusive, and civil community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students. We seek candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to supporting and further building our community in these dimensions. Illinois Wesleyan University is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusive excellence; details at www.iwu.edu/diversity.

Responsibilities: 

We seek to hire a colleague who can contribute courses within the neuroscience curriculum to our majors, as well as courses with a neuroscience emphasis to non-majors. The primary responsibility of this position will be to teach 8 courses (4 per semester). Teaching obligations will likely include an even mix of introductory and upper-level courses, such as multiple sections of Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience, multiple sections of a seminar course on a topic of the candidate’s choosing and a Senior Capstone course where the emphasis is on building student’s skills in scientific literacy and writing. The successful candidate will have opportunities to further enhance their teaching and expand their professional development in a variety of ways, including peer-peer mentorship, modest internal grants that can support teaching and learning efforts, and by utilizing our institution’s Thorpe Center for Teaching and Learning, which includes an instructional designer and instructional technologist. Though the responsibilities of this position do not extend beyond teaching, the successful candidate could have access to research facilities and resources, if so desired. 

Qualifications: 

The successful candidate should have a Masters (required) or Ph.D. (preferred) degree in Neuroscience or a closely related field and a strong commitment to excellence in undergraduate education. Preference will be given to candidates with prior teaching experience at the university level.    

Compensation and Benefits:

The position salary range for this position begins at $58,000 as well as access to a full benefits package.  An overview of IWU benefits can be found here. 

Application Information:

Interested applicants should submit the following files as a single PDF to neurosearch@iwu.edu, with the subject heading "Visiting Assistant Professor in Neuroscience":

1. a cover letter addressing qualifications; 
2. a curriculum vitae; 
3. a statement regarding teaching philosophy and unofficial copies of all academic transcripts;
4. a diversity statement on your experiences with or commitment to inclusive teaching;
5. the names and contact information for three professional references 

Review of applications will begin on March 7, 2025; however, applications will be accepted until the position has been filled. 

Questions may be directed to the Director of Neuroscience: Dr. Tyler Schwend, Associate Professor of Biology/Neuroscience, at tschwend@iwu.edu.