Career Center

The Department of Forest Engineering, Resources & Management invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 9-month, Tenure-Track (Annual) Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Economics position. 

Forest managers and policymakers must address increasing uncertainty, complexity, and risk as a consequence of climate change impacts on forest ecosystems and disturbance, shifting global markets, diversifying stakeholder values, and increasing demands to balance the provisioning of multiple ecosystem services with maintaining socio-ecological resilience across multiple ownerships and policy environments. There also is a need to address inequities in the distribution of benefits and costs of forest management and policy decisions across Oregon and the globe. We seek a colleague who can apply novel economic theory, models, and methods to address these challenges both in Oregon and beyond by informing the development of strategies and policies that foster resilient, adaptive, and sustainable forest-based social, economic, and ecological systems, while also promoting OSU and COF values related to community, inclusivity, diversity, and equity.  

The incumbent will teach 1–2 undergraduate required courses in forest economics and at least one graduate level course in the incumbent's area of expertise. As a member of the forest management faculty, the successful candidate will be responsible for delivering quality instruction and helping to maintain accreditation by the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for the Forestry and Forest Engineering undergraduate degree programs.  

The incumbent will also develop a successful research program developing and applying economic theory, models, and methods in a forestry context to inform local, regional, and global issues. Research areas may include forest and resource economics topics such as market analysis of the forest industry, supply and demand in forest products markets, risk and forest ecosystem disturbance, ecosystem services valuation, and natural resource policy. The ideal incumbent's research will contribute to the Department's focal areas of sustainable forest management and provide timely and relevant analysis to inform forest policy issues. Obtaining extramural research funding, success in mentoring graduate students, and publishing results in peer-reviewed journals is expected.  

FERM is a unique group of specialists in forest management, engineering, biometrics, hydrology, forest heath, fire science, wildlife ecology, policy, and silviculture, working to support sustainable forest management and policy solutions. FERM's mission is to develop, communicate, and teach the science and engineering necessary for sustainable management of forest, land, and water resources to achieve economic, environmental, and social objectives, with benefits distributed equitably across communities and stakeholder groups. Our teaching and research emphasize all aspects of forest management to promote a variety of ecosystem services across family forestlands, industrial forestlands, public lands, and the communities that depend on them. FERM is one of three departments in the College of Forestry, a nationally and internationally recognized program of excellence in multiple aspects of forestry, social and environmental systems, and wood science. Ample opportunities exist for collaboration and cooperation across many programs in the College and University.  We seek a colleague to complement and enhance the Department's reputation for excellence in undergraduate and graduate instruction, research, and public education and outreach, and contribute to an inclusive educational and workplace environment for all learners, visitors, and employees.