Job Details

Western Carolina University continues to rank high on Forbes Best Employers lists each year. Including:
2025 - Ranked 1st in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes Americas Best Employers by State list.
2024 - Ranking in the top 8.5% on Forbes Americas Best Midsize Employers list, WCU was ranked 34 out of the top 400 employers across all industries.
2023 - Ranked in the top 20% on Forbes Americas Best Midsize Employers list, WCU was ranked 97 out of the top 500 employers across all industries.
2022 - Ranked 14th in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes Americas Best Employers by State list.
Western Carolina University is the UNC systems westernmost campus and has been consistently ranked as one of the top 15 public regional institutions in the South.
Employees of WCU are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other resources, policies and programs to ensure a happy and healthy work/life balance. Benefit eligible employees have access to dental, vision and health insurance plans - eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire. Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. Optional disability plans are also available.
Eligible employees have access to tuition waivers for up to three courses per academic year; employee may enroll at any of the constituent UNC System campuses. Also offered are free group exercise classes multiple times per week, a discounted membership to the campus recreation center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays and 24 hours of paid community service leave each year. Leave earning employees (staff and 12-month faculty) who work at least half of the working days of their first month of employment will begin accruing vacation and sick leave immediately. Paid parental leave after 12 months of continuous service.
WCU offers an abundance of training and development programs, certifications, workshops and conferences - many of which are offered free of charge.

The primary location of this position is on-site in Cullowhee, NC.

Western Carolina University (WCU), one of the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina system, invites applications for a one year 9-month fixed-term position at the rank of Instructor in Physics in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, starting August 1, 2026.

The Department of Chemistry and Physics at WCU offers B.S. degrees in Chemistry (including an ACS-certified degree program) and Forensic Science, an M.S. degree in Chemistry (both as a stand-alone program and as part of an accelerated Bachelors/Masters program), and minors in chemistry and physics. The Department of Chemistry & Physics is located in the new Tom Apodaca Science Building, which provides the department with state-of-the-art laboratory and classroom space and is a 30-minute drive from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The faculty member will be expected to teach 12 contact hours of introductory and/or general physics lectures and laboratory courses per semester and engage in service activities for the University.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong background in introductory physics, the ability to teach effectively in both lecture and laboratory settings, and a commitment to supporting the departments undergraduate teaching mission

The minimum educational/professional requirement for the position is an M.S. degree in physics or a closely related field. Candidates must have earned their degree prior to hire date.

In addition to the minimum qualifications listed, candidates with prior teaching experience are preferred.

Application materials must be submitted online. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until a candidate has been selected for hire.

Please include the following: 1) a letter of intent; 2) curriculum vitae; 3) teaching philosophy; 4) list of three references (including contact information); and 5) unofficial transcripts showing degree conferral dates for all degrees at the masters degree level and higher*.

For questions or additional information please contact Channa De Silva at mhdesilva@wcu.edu

*All applicants are required to submit an unofficial transcript of their highest attained degree, showing all completed coursework and the date the degree was conferred. The transcript must state Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred or a similar phrase. For candidates who are ABD, please submit your most recent doctoral program transcript along with your masters degree transcript, if you hold such a degree. The masters degree transcript must have a notation such as Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred or similar phrase, to verify it as your highest completed degree.