Director of Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and Professor

Chartered by the state of Georgia in 1785, the University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in America and is the state's flagship university (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 240 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University's main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,100 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University's enrollment exceeds 41,000 students including over 31,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 19 schools and colleges, including our newly established School of Medicine.

Skidaway Institute is a multidisciplinary research institution located on a 700-acre campus, 16 miles southeast of Savannah, Georgia. The main campus of the Institute is located on the Skidaway River, part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, with access to estuarine, coastal, and marine environments. Its combination of location near coastal and ocean waters, and state-of-the-art research instrumentation and facilities, generates opportunities for collaboration with Skidaway Institute's strongly interdisciplinary and internationally recognized faculty.

Skidaway Institute was created in 1968 to serve as a base of operations and central facility for marine interests within the University System of Georgia. In 2013, Skidaway Institute merged with UGA to synergize assets in marine and coastal programs and to build instruction, research and outreach capacity. The Institute and its Director report to the Vice President for Research at UGA and Skidaway Institute faculty members are appointed in the Department of Marine Sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Skidaway Institute is a self-reliant research facility with 10 permanent faculty, 20 PhD/MSc students and 32 scientific and operations support staff. Skidaway Institute had over $5 million in total research expenditures in the prior fiscal year, with nearly 90% from federal funding sources. A more detailed history of the Institute can be found here: UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

Skidaway Institute operates a 104-foot coastal class research vessel, the R/V Savannah. Purpose-built for regional oceanographic research and having undergone its mid-life refit in 2024, the vessel is part of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet and a member of the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System ( UNOLS). More information on the R/V Savannah can be found here: Research Vessel Savannah.

Skidaway Institute provides graduate students based in Savannah with research-based graduate training in faculty labs. Skidaway Institute offers ongoing in-person and online graduate and undergraduate courses in marine sciences with hundreds of enrolled students, using state-of-the-art remote teaching systems linking classrooms at Skidaway and in Athens. Experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate Ocean Science majors are provided through the residential capstone Semester@Skidaway domestic field study program. Annually, Skidaway Institute hosts more than 200 visiting scientists and students from all over the world. For housing visitors, the Skidaway Institute campus has 34 beds in 10 housing units.

The preferred start date is no later than July 1, 2027. To receive optimal consideration, applications should be submitted prior to November 1, 2026; however, this is a rolling search, and applications will be considered until the position is filled. Application materials should include a cover letter explaining the candidate's interest in the position and how the minimum and preferred qualifications are met, and a current curriculum vitae, along with a statement of research and teaching interests. A list of four references and their full contact information is required at the time of application. However, references will not be contacted without the knowledge and consent of the candidate.

Questions, nominations and/or other inquiries regarding this rolling search should be directed to Dr. Merryl Alber, Chair of the Search Committee, at malber@uga.edu.

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status or other protected status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR ( hrweb@uga.edu).

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Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 06.05 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom.