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Assistant Professor - Environmental Change, Resilience, Precarity, and Justice in Archaeology/Bioanthropology

Position overview

Position title: Assistant Professor
Salary range: The current salary range for this position is $80,800 - $128,700 (9-month academic year salary), however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start: 7/1/2026

Application Window
Open date: August 28, 2025

Next review date: Saturday, Nov 1, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Saturday, Nov 1, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Position description

The Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position, in the area of Environmental Change, Resilience, Precarity, and Justice in Archaeology or Bioanthropology with an expected start date of July 1, 2026. The effects of environmental change and ensuing precarity, including disasters, are an area of urgent anthropological concern, especially considering anthropology's unique ability to understand these issues over the long term and on a global scale. Rigorous theoretical approaches have drawn upon expertise in analytical methods associated with environmental archaeology/bioanthropology (such as paleoethnobotany, charcoal analysis and palynology, stable isotopes, residue analysis, dendrochronology, bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, hydrology, GIS, soil science) to explore human relationships with, responses to, and impacts on environmental change in the ancient or recent past. Linked to these conditions are questions of sustainability, health, food security, and resilience that are already foci of several faculty in the department, across subdisciplines.

Berkeley's Anthropology Department is one of the nation's oldest, and Berkeley anthropologists have had leading roles in defining the discipline's key questions, including path breaking work in medical anthropology, cultural analysis of technologies, Indigenous archaeology, historical and contemporary Archaeology, preservation and heritage, biocultural approaches to human biology, and the multiple local effects of a transnational world. The department's faculty today are leaders in a revitalized, contemporary field of research and teaching that aims to highlight and work with knowledge about and from across the world's populations, adding depth to our understanding of the human condition in the past and present with a vision of a just and sustainable future.

The department is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: http://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty

The Social Sciences at Berkeley brings together faculty, students, and staff who represent the rich diversity of California, the United States, and the world. Not only is our division the most diverse on campus by any measure, but our members are committed to upholding the university's principles of community so that every individual can be successful in a healthy, welcoming, and safe environment.

https://ls.berkeley.edu/ls-divisions/social-sciences/diversity-equity-inclusion https://ls.berkeley.edu/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion

Department: https://anthropology.berkeley.edu/home

Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

Preferred qualifications
A Ph.D. or equivalent international degree in the candidates' field is preferred by the start date.

Candidates should connect their research to discussions in environmental and restorative justice as related to resiliency and impacts on marginalized communities, and their research should adhere to the highest ethical standards in the field. Candidates must be able to significantly contribute to the undergraduate and graduate curriculum in specifically archaeology, although preference will be given to candidates that can contribute to teaching in both archaeology and bioanthropology. Successful applicants will have evidence of an ongoing research program (active research in field sites, museums, and/or archives). Successful applicants will have evidence of teaching effectiveness and mentoring and demonstrated ability to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter - The cover letter should include the names/contact information for three references (one letter is required at the time of application, and an additional two letters will be solicited by the committee for candidates under serious consideration.)
• Statement of Research - Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans. This can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, and areas for future research. (one page)
• Statement of Teaching and Mentoring - Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests. This can include, for example, specific efforts and accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Please also discuss your mentoring experiences and approach. This can include, for example, past efforts and future plans to support the success of all students, and to foster an inclusive research environment that removes barriers and promotes equitable access and advancement of the research program. (one page)
• Statement of Service - Please discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities. This can include, for example, participating in professional or scientific associations, serving on committees that advance department, campus or discipline goals, and conducting outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase participation of academics in your field. (one page)
• Authorization to Release Information Form - A reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the Authorization to Release Information form:

Reference requirements

• 1 letter of reference required

The cover letter should include the names/contact information for three references (one letter is required at the time of application, and an additional two letters will be solicited by the committee for candidates under serious consideration.)

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05077

Help contact: habu@berkeley.edu

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy (APM 210 1-d). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, or discrimination. Consistent with this commitment, UC Berkeley requires all applicants for Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload an Authorization of Information Release form into AP Recruit as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, applicants will only be subject to institutional reference checks if and when they are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. More information is available on this website.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

Job location
Berkeley, CA


To apply, visit https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05077