The position is a non-tenure contract position with a nine-month salary paid over twelve months. The initial contract will be for one year with an evaluation at the end of the first semester. Upon successful evaluation and funding availability, the contract can be renewed, and subsequent contracts can range from one to five years. The instructor’s expected coursework portfolio may span field-based data collection technologies (GNSS, drones, TLS) to fundamentals of GIS analysis (ESRI ArcPro software suite and open-source options such as QGIS) and advanced methods that could include Python, R, visualization and other specialized analysis (e.g. Pix4D). A portion of the instructor’s training portfolio may include thematic specialization in programmatic areas of the school (e.g. conservation, water, energy, forestry, environmental health etc.). Instruction will include updating existing courses as well as development of new courses in collaboration with the geospatial teaching team. Of the instructor’s 9-month appointment, 80% effort will focus on providing 5 course equivalents offered across the academic year. The 5-course equivalents will take into account in-class contact hours, lab preparation, repeated labs, multiple sections and additional effort for large (>50 person) courses. Larger geospatial courses are provided TA support. The instructor may pursue extramural research projects or teaching opportunities with principal investigators for the remaining months. The remaining 20% of the instructor’s time will focus on supporting various functions associated with maintaining the NSOE geospatial program including website content updates, tracking participation in the Geospatial Certificate, assisting students in outside-of-course geospatial projects (such as master’s projects), tracking and maintaining field equipment, and contributing other forms of support and input to the NSOE’s Geospatial Analysis Program and the Environmental Analytics and Modeling management concentration in the Masters of Environmental Management Program.

Courses will primarily be at the professional graduate level (MEM, MF), with a minority of courses at the undergraduate level and the possibility of supporting non-degree geospatial courses. 

Required Qualifications. 

The candidate must: • have a Masters or PhD degree in geospatial science, geography, or a related field; • demonstrate interest and experience in teaching and engaging a diverse student body • be proficient with geospatial analysis in ESRI products- e.g. ArcGIS Pro • have experience in field data collection (GNSS and/or drones) 

• Experience in other broadly used geospatial software (e.g. QGIS, GEE) • Experience in cartography or geovisualization • Proficiency in programming languages (e.g., SQL, Python, JavaScript, R); • Interest in socio-economic applications such as network analysis, environmental justice, energy siting 

To apply, please submit the following:

 • Cover letter describing your interest and qualifications for the position 

• Curriculum vitae 

 • Statement of teaching philosophy and experience with, and commitment to, teaching a diverse student body (1-2 p) 

• Syllabi of recent courses taught & teaching evaluations 

 • Statement of topical interests and innovation ideas in geospatial analysis (1-2 p) 

• Names and contact information for three references 

Applications should be submitted at Academic Jobs Online: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo, job #24698. Review of applications will begin on June 1, 2023 and will continue until the job is filled. 

Our Geospatial Program 

The Nicholas School of the Environment’s Geospatial Program has been a global leader for over 25 years in the application of geospatial techniques and technologies, supported by core faculty with the skills and experience needed to help solve the most pressing environmental problems of the day. For example, the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab has sat at forefront of marine spatial planning for the past two decades, studying marine ecology, resource management, and ocean conservation through data analysis and modeling that integrates biological, satellite, and ocean observing data to develop innovative analysis and visualization tools to inform management and ocean governance. The NSOE Geospatial program is also home to a vibrant remote sensing laboratory, which employs state-of-the-art remote sensing systems to study biodiversity patterns and climate-induced ecosystem changes and stress (deforestation/degradation, drought stress, afforestation, surface water changes) and three-dimensional forest attributes for wildlife habitat. The NSOE Geospatial program also integrates the the Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab, a center focused on promoting interdisciplinary research using unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS, aka drones) and other small robotic platforms. With locations at both the main Durham campus of Duke and at the Duke Marine Lab on Pivers Island in Beaufort, North Carolina, the NSOE Geospatial Program supports students and facultyty across disciplines in both research and educational endeavors. The NSOE Geospatial program also leverages the Duke Forest in Durham, and the Rachel Carson Reserve in Beaufort, NC as primary research and education field sites. 

The NSOE maintains three teaching computational labs with high-performance workstations designed for geospatial, photogrammetric and 3D analysis. Workstations are preloaded with software for image analysis, geospatial analysis, and structure from motion photogrammetry, including maintained software licenses for the Pix4D suite of drone mapping and photogrammetry tools. The Geospatial Program also has access to the Duke Compute Cluster which consists of over 30,000 vCPU cores, 850 GPUs and 200TB of RAM. 

Nicholas School of Environment: Our Goals and Values 

The Nicholas School of the Environment is home to faculty in both the natural and social sciences. Faculty are at the forefront of generating new disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge on scientific, management, and policy aspects of a range of environmental topics. The School values engagement with governments, private companies, nonprofit civil society organizations, and local communities that promotes more sustainable use of environmental resources. It also values diverse ways of knowing, understanding, and learning. Its excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, staff, and students who share a commitment to these values. 

The Nicholas School is committed to supporting the ‘whole person’, whether faculty, staff, or student. This includes addressing the broader needs of faculty, including dual career couples and primary care givers. Qualified individuals who have had non-traditional career paths, taken time off for family reasons, or achieved excellence in careers outside academia are encouraged to apply. Financial and in-kind resources are available from the University and the Nicholas School to pursue activities that help accelerate our efforts to achieve our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Examples of ongoing programming may be found at DEI_Nicholas School.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values. Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.