Job Details

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Position Number: 6437596
Location: Northfield, MN
Position Type: Science - Biology

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Description

The Department of Biology and the Neuroscience Program at St. Olaf College invite applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Neuroscience at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 2026.

Teaching responsibilities include five course equivalents from the following Neuroscience Program courses:

introductory neuroscience with lab
a 300-level neuroscience seminar in your field of expertise
at least two of the following three courses
- cellular/molecular neuroscience with lab
- systems neuroscience with lab
- behavioral/cognitive neuroscience with lab

Service expectations for this role include academic advising of Neuroscience and Biology students and leadership within the Neuroscience Program as appropriate to career stage.

Salary: $74,190 - $79,000

Qualifications
Qualified applicants will have a PhD in Neuroscience, Biology, Psychology or related field with demonstrated expertise in neuroendocrinology. Neuroendocrinology research that substantively involves undergraduates and is competitive for external funding is also required.

About the Department
Our Biology Department is ranked among the top three baccalaureate colleges for producing future PhDs, a testament to our strong commitment to academic excellence and mentorship. The Neuroscience Program at St. Olaf is robust and growing, with around 25 students completing the Neuroscience Concentration (interdisciplinary minor) in a typical year. The seven current Neuroscience Program faculty members are from the Biology, Psychology, and Physics Departments. A neuroscience major is slated to launch in the 2026-27 academic year. The Biology Department and the Neuroscience Program are both housed in a Platinum LEED certified science facility equipped with research and teaching infrastructure that includes a vivarium and surgical suite, cell culture and microscopy facilities, behavioral testing labs, and advanced electrophysiology rigs.

For more information about the department, visit wp.stolaf.edu/biology/. For more information about the Neuroscience Program, visit wp.stolaf.edu/neuroscience/.

We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity-gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age-to St. Olaf each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Community and Belonging website to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply
Throughout your materials, include how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. A complete application includes the following:

References: Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship. Letters will be solicited from references by the search committee for candidates who advance to the interview stage.

Supporting Documents and URLS:

Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position
Curriculum vitae
Graduate transcripts (unofficial)
Teaching Statement: Describe the strategies you plan to use when teaching undergraduate neuroscience including details and activities specific to at least two of the courses listed above (no more than three pages).
Professional Statement: Clearly lay out the research you plan to complete over the next five years, including the role that undergraduates will play and strategies for attracting external funding (no more than five pages).

Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2025, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will receive fullest consideration. Finalist interviews are expected in December. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to James Demas, Search Committee Chair, at tt2026neuro@stolaf.edu.

About Us

Who We Are:

Founded in 1874, St. Olaf College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff. The college is located on a picturesque 300-acre campus in Northfield, Minnesota, a vibrant, historic river town of 20,000 located 45 minutes south of culturally rich and diverse Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The college offers an academically rigorous, nationally ranked liberal arts education that fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and emphasizes learning in an inclusive and globally engaged community. We encourage applications from candidates committed to multicultural understanding and the enrichment of our diverse community.

The college offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a 9% retirement match, contributions to eligible employees' health savings accounts, a significant tuition discount (up to a 90% reduction) at ACM, GLCA, and ELCA colleges and universities for employees' children, and generous paid time off. For a full review of the college's benefits, please see the summary of our benefits here: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/benefits/

To provide a safe and secure educational environment, St. Olaf College verifies the accuracy of all credentials presented by applicants and conducts a criminal background check on every new hire.

A summary of the Flexible Work Policy for staff: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/flexible-work-policy/

A link to our Community and Belonging page: https://wp.stolaf.edu/equity-inclusion/

A virtual campus tour: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?p=483

An overview of Northfield: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/northfield/

An overview of the Twin Cities: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/twincities/

For Staff Application Assistance:

hrstaff@stolaf.edu

507-786-3068

For Faculty Application Assistance:
facultysearch@stolaf.edu
507-786-3356

Nondiscrimination Policy

St. Olaf College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, marital status, veteran status, or status with regard to public assistance. St. Olaf College prohibits discrimination and harassment based upon these and any other legally protected status in any education program or activity that it operates, including in admissions and employment.

Inquiries about this nondiscrimination policy may be referred to St. Olaf College's Director of Equal Opportunity, the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights, or both. St. Olaf's Director of Equal Opportunity (who serves as the College's Title IX, Title VI, and Section 504 Coordinator) is Pamela McDowell, Tomson Hall, mcdowell@stolaf.edu, (507) 786-3465.

To apply, visit https://fa-ewur-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_3/job/2057/?mode=location