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We're Hiring!

Assistant Professor

  • 511237
  • Main Campus - Starkville, MS
  • Mississippi - Main Campus
  • 034900 - Geosciences
  • Faculty
  • Regular Full-Time 9-month
  • Opening on: Oct 21 2026

Position Function:

The Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University invites applications for a nine-month, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor. We seek an innovative geoscientist who applies computational, data-driven, and modeling approaches to advance the understanding and prediction of the Earth system.


We are seeking dynamic, research-active scholars whose expertise aligns with one or more of the following high-priority areas:
• Physical Meteorology
• Satellite Meteorology
• Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP)
• Atmospheric Data Analysis
• Operational Weather Analysis and Forecasting (strongly preferred)

Candidates should demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence in teaching, mentoring, and research. The ideal applicant will have experience or clear potential to contribute to both undergraduate and graduate instruction, particularly in support of our thriving Professional Meteorology and Broadcast Meteorology programs.

Salary Grade:  UC

For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Department Profile:

Mississippi State University is a comprehensive land-grant institution with a Carnegie R1 "Very High Research Activity" designation. The Department of Geosciences is home to one of the largest undergraduate meteorology programs in the nation and supports robust research in weather forecasting, atmospheric science, GIS, and environmental geosciences.

Area of Specialization:

Computational and Earth System

Anticipated Appointment Date:

August 16, 2027

Tenure Track Status:

Tenure-Track 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Research
The successful candidate will establish an externally funded research program within the Department of Geosciences and will have opportunities to participate in ongoing NOAA-funded research conducted through the Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) at Mississippi State University.

The department is particularly interested in candidates whose research advances the observation, modeling, analysis, or prediction of Earth systems, especially with regard to ocean, surface, and atmosphere interactions. Examples include the development or application of Earth-system models; data assimilation methods; geospatial analytics and modeling; artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques; forecasting and prediction systems; or integrated approaches that combine observations, simulations, and data-driven approaches.

Available research infrastructure includes access to high-performance computing resources and institutional support for computationally intensive and data-rich geoscience research.

The successful candidate will be expected to develop a research program that complements departmental strengths while fostering collaborations across atmospheric science, geology, hydrology, ocean science, geography, and related disciplines. Opportunities also exist for collaboration with NOAA-funded researchers and external partners addressing challenges in environmental monitoring, prediction, and decision support.

Teaching and Graduate Education
The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate and graduate education within the Department of Geosciences. Teaching responsibilities will include existing courses aligned with the candidate's expertise as well as the development of new courses that strengthen computational and quantitative training across the geosciences.

Potential instructional areas include Earth system modeling and prediction, data assimilation, geocomputation, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and geospatial analytics.

A central goal of this position is to expand opportunities for students across atmospheric science, geography, geology, hydrology, and related disciplines to develop advanced computational and analytical skills that are increasingly essential in the geoscience workforce.

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science, Meteorology, Climate Science, Earth-System Science, Geosciences, Environmental Science, or a closely related field by the time of appointment.

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Potential to establish a productive, externally funded research program;
• Expertise in computational, quantitative, or data-driven approaches to geoscience research
• Experience with or strong interest in Earth system modeling and prediction, data assimilation, scientific computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial analytics, or related methodologies;
• Potential to collaborate effectively within interdisciplinary research teams in Geosciences;
• Potential for excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching and mentoring; and
• Ability to contribute to the Department of Geosciences through research, teaching, graduate education, and service.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with NOAA-funded research, Earth-system modeling and prediction, high-performance computing, or artificial intelligence and machine learning applications is desirable but not required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

See above

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

Standard office environment 

Instructions for Applying:

Applicants should submit the following materials via the MSU employment portal:
1. Cover letter addressing qualifications and interest in the position
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Statement of teaching philosophy
4. Statement of research interests
5. Names and contact information for three professional references

For questions about the position or the application process, please contact Andrew Mercer (Search Committee Chair) at mercer@ngi.msstate.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. Discrimination is prohibited in university employment, programs or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, or any other status to the extent protected by applicable law. Questions about equal opportunity programs or compliance should be directed to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, 231 Famous Maroon Band Street, P.O. 6044, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (662) 325-5839.

What do I do if I need an accommodation?

In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Mississippi State University, please contact the Department of Human Resources Management at tel: (662) 325-3713 or ada@hrm.msstate.edu.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, contact the Department of Human Resources Management at (662) 325-3713 or ada@hrm.msstate.edu. Upon request, sections of this job listing are available in large print, and readers are available to assist the visually impaired.

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