Position Details
Title: Open Rank, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty Position in Environmental Fate and Effects of Microplastics
Appointment Status: Tenure Track
Department: IU Bloomington Vice Provost For Faculty Affairs
Location: Bloomington
Position Summary
The O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) invites applications for a tenured/tenure-track faculty position in environmental science focused on the biological, physiological, and ecological processes governing the fate, transformation, transport, and effects of microplastics in the environment.
As a part of the Faculty 100 strategic hiring initiative, IUB seeks a scholar whose research connects processes across earth systems and biological scales—from microbial communities and organisms to terrestrial and aquatic food webs and ecosystems. Research areas may include microbial colonization, biotransformation, and biodegradation of microplastics; biologically mediated transport and accumulation in organisms and food webs; microplastic-facilitated transport of pathogens or other biological agents; food-web transfer; and organismal, community, food web, or ecosystem-level consequences. We particularly welcome research that uses microplastics to address broader fundamental questions in environmental microbiology, ecology, biogeochemistry, contaminant fate, or environmental health. The candidate will complement O’Neill’s strengths in environmental chemistry, toxicology, risk assessment, ecology, and sustainability science while creating new opportunities for collaboration across Indiana University.
Qualifications: Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in environmental science, environmental engineering, biology, or a related discipline by the time of appointment. Candidates should demonstrate a record of publications and professional achievements commensurate with appointment at the assistant professor rank; postdoctoral experience is preferred.
We anticipate hiring at the assistant professor rank but will also consider exceptional candidates at senior ranks. The successful applicant should conduct lab and/or field research that integrates across scales to understand how biological interactions and processes influence microplastic persistence, movement, and ecological consequences for organism well-being.
Responsibilities: The successful candidate will establish and maintain a rigorous, externally funded research program with national and international recognition; teach undergraduate and graduate courses; mentor students; contribute service to the O’Neill School and Indiana University. Institutional support will provide adequate startup funding and space to establish a successful research program.
We strongly encourage applicants whose work demonstrates interest in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration. All O’Neill faculty members are expected to engage with our diverse community of students and colleagues. We are especially interested in candidates with a record of effective teaching and mentoring of students from varied backgrounds.
Application procedure: To ensure full consideration, application materials must be received by December 14, 2026. However, the search will continue until the position is filled. Please submit the following materials via the online system:
- cover letter
- curriculum vitae
- statement on research and teaching
- copies of up to three publications
- names of three references who could provide letters of recommendation upon request.
Applications should be submitted via: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/34712
For more information, please contact the search committee chair Marta Venier (mvenier@iu.edu) or F100 search coordinator, Cindy Broderick (faculty1@iu.edu).
Preferred start date is August 1, 2027 or January 1, 2028.
Before a conditional offer of employment with tenure is finalized, candidates will be asked to disclose any pending investigations or previous findings of sexual or professional misconduct. Candidates will also be required to authorize Indiana University Bloomington to inquire with current and former employers regarding such matters. The relevance of information disclosed or obtained during this process to a candidate’s eligibility for hire will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Indiana University Bloomington takes matters of sexual and professional misconduct very seriously.
Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.
About Indiana University Bloomington and the O’Neill School
Founded in 1820, Indiana University-Bloomington (IUB) is the flagship campus of Indiana University. Located in Bloomington, IN., IUB constantly strives to embody its mission to create, disseminate, preserve, and apply knowledge. It does so through its commitments to cutting-edge research, scholarship, arts, and creative activity; inspired and challenging undergraduate, graduate, professional, and lifelong educational programs; meaningful experiences outside the classroom; expansive global educational opportunities; first-rate library and museum collections; and far-reaching economic development and impact in the state and region.
IUB is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) since 1909, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. With over 47,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the campus has 16 degree-granting colleges and schools offering 300+ undergraduate majors, 300+ Master’s degrees, and 150+ doctoral and professional degree opportunities. Known for its Indiana limestone facades and green spaces throughout, IUB is widely considered one of the country’s most beautiful college campuses.
The O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs offers abundant opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration within the school and across campus, including with the Departments of Chemistry, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, and Geography; the School of Public Health; and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Faculty also have exceptional access to world-class supercomputing resources, state-of-the-art analytical facilities—including the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Flow Cytometry Core Facility, and Light Microscopy Imaging Center—and distinctive field opportunities through the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve.
The O’Neill School is among the largest schools of public affairs and environmental science in the United States, with more than 34,000 alumni worldwide. Indiana University Bloomington is a major research university founded in 1820 and enrolls more than 38,000 undergraduate and 10,000 graduate and professional students. Bloomington is a diverse community in the wooded hills of southern Indiana, approximately one hour from Indianapolis and four hours from Chicago, offering cultural and recreational opportunities, comparatively affordable housing, and excellent schools.
Basic Qualifications
Qualifications: Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in environmental science, environmental engineering, biology, or a related discipline by the time of appointment. Candidates should demonstrate a record of publications and professional achievements commensurate with appointment at the assistant professor rank; postdoctoral experience is preferred.
We anticipate hiring at the assistant professor rank but will also consider exceptional candidates at senior ranks. The successful applicant should conduct lab and/or field research that integrates across scales to understand how biological interactions and processes influence microplastic persistence, movement, and ecological consequences for organism well-being.
Department Contact for Questions
For more information, please contact the search committee chair Marta Venier (mvenier@iu.edu) or F100 search coordinator, Cindy Broderick (faculty1@iu.edu).
Salary and Rank
Commensurate with experience
For Best Consideration Date
12/14/2026
Expected Start Date
08/01/2027
Posting Number
IU-101773-2026
