Three-Year Visiting Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at InsideHigherEd

The Department of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) at Colby College invites applications for a three-year Visiting Assistant Professor position. We seek candidates with a record of innovative, collaborative teaching and demonstrated excellence in scholarship in any area of the interdisciplinary field of STS. The teaching load will be five courses per year in 2026-27, four courses in 2027-28, and five courses in 2028-29. Those courses will include Introduction to STS; STS Methods; upper-level electives that fulfill the “Technoscience, Ethics, Justice” area requirement in the STS major; and sections of a newly launched STS Hub designed to promote student learning in the Natural Sciences Division (NSD). The department is committed to active learning and inclusive teaching at all levels of its curriculum. 

An innovative and flexible pedagogical structure, the STS Hub positions the department in a vital role at Colby as the college is undertaking a major science planning initiative and building interdisciplinary programs in engineering and public health. STS faculty teaching in the Hub design and lead lessons that introduce students enrolled in NSD courses to the social, political, cultural, and ethical dimensions of science and technology. This work requires collaboration with the NSD faculty to identify lesson topics and evaluate the impact of STS thinking on students’ learning. It also requires nimbleness, creativity, and dynamism in the classroom. 

Candidates who are on track to complete their PhD by September 1, 2027, are welcome to apply. Candidates must think critically about science and technology from multidisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives. We are especially interested in teacher-scholars who can engage with any of Colby’s recent investments in studying artificial intelligence, data science, engineering, entrepreneurship, public health, and public policy through the liberal arts. The successful candidate would have opportunities to collaborate with the Center for the Arts and Humanities, Colby College Museum of Art, Colby Libraries, Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs, Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurism, Oak Institute for Human Rights, and other multidisciplinary centers on campus. 

To apply, please submit applications via Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/177618. Complete applications include a cover letter; curriculum vitae; statement of teaching philosophy that demonstrates a commitment to active learning, inclusive teaching, and collaboration; 1-2 sample syllabi of courses previously taught or designed; and a list of three professional references who can comment on the candidate’s teaching and research. Review of materials will begin on January 16, 2026, and continue until the position is filled.

For further information, contact Professor Tanya Sheehan, chair of the Department of STS, [email protected], who is chairing the search committee. 

Colby is nationally recognized as a leader in the field of science, technology, and society. Founded as an interdisciplinary program in 1988, the Department of STS offers students rigorous core courses; a variety of electives across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities; opportunities for independent research; and the option of a senior thesis for majors. Through STS, students develop the critical thinking, research, and communication skills that prepare them to become better informed, thoughtful, and justice-minded leaders in a high-tech society.

Colby is a private, coeducational liberal arts college that admits students and makes personnel decisions on the basis of the individual’s qualifications to contribute to Colby’s educational objectives and institutional needs. The principle of not discriminating on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, caste, national or ethnic origin, marital status, genetic information, political beliefs, veteran or military status, parental status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, physical or mental disability unrelated to the job or course of study requirements is consistent with the mission of a liberal arts college and the law.