Geomorphology of Ocean Islands (Assistant Professor)
The Department of Earth Sciences in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa seeks to fill a faculty position in Geomorphology of Ocean Islands, to begin in Fall 2026. We seek a dynamic scholar whose work integrates cutting-edge Earth Science and Indigenous Knowledge to understand the geologic formation and evolution of island landscapes and their reciprocal relationships with land stewardship on Pacific islands.
The successful candidate will develop and lead an externally funded, internationally recognized research and teaching program that explores how the surfaces of oceanic islands develop and how the processes driving this development interact with past, present, and future Indigenous and other island communities. This work will engage graduate and undergraduate students in research that provides knowledge and skillsets for employment in private- or public-sector geotechnical or environmental fields, as well as for continuing research. Applicants should demonstrate expertise in geomorphology, Earth systems, and physical geography, combined with a background in traditional knowledge of indigenous populations on oceanic islands. Applicants should also demonstrate a desire to include meaningful community engagement in their research. In short, the successful candidate will be expected to conduct collaborative, community-engaged geomorphological research, including but not limited to sedimentary processes, landscape evolution, land-sea connectivity, hydrology, erosion, coastal evolution, and related areas. Importantly, the candidate will examine how geomorphology and Indigenous and/or community-based frameworks guide resource management, agricultural practices, and adaptation to environmental change on oceanic islands.
The successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses in geomorphology and other Earth science topics, including courses that are part of our required undergraduate curricula, and courses that cover indigenous knowledge as related to land use and environmental stewardship. They will also advise and mentor students in preparation for employment in industry, government, or academia. The ideal candidate will build synergies across SOEST and other units across the UH Mānoa Campus, and collaborate with local and state agencies and community organizations. UH Mānoa is proud of its multiethnic heritage and many of UH Mānoa’s programs rank among the most diverse in the nation. We seek applicants who embrace this diversity and welcome candidates whose personal or professional perspectives will enrich the University, SOEST, the Department, and the broader communities we serve. We expect this candidate will contribute to the University’s mission of becoming a Native Hawaiian place of learning (https://manoa.hawaii.edu/nhpol/).
The Department of Earth Sciences (www.soest.hawaii.edu/earthsciences/) has 22 faculty members as well as 35 additional cooperating graduate faculty in the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology and across the university. Together these faculty instruct and advise approximately 60 graduate students and 100 undergraduate majors. The Department is one of four academic departments and thirteen research units within SOEST (www.soest.hawaii.edu/soestwp/), a world-class research and academic institution focused on informing solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems. The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is one of 115 Research-1 Universities in the country, is one of only a handful of land–, sea–, space–, and sun–grant institutions, and is a recognized leader in Earth and environmental science (ranked in the top 4% of US institutions in geological and earth sciences by the National Science Foundation). Located in Hawaii’s capital city of Honolulu at the crossroads of the Pacific, the campus is home to students, faculty and staff from Hawai‘i, the continental U.S., and more than 100 countries.
Apply online at https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/hawaiiedu/jobs/5134742/assistant-professor-geomorphology-of-ocean-islands-0086609?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs . Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Preference will be given to applications received by December 15, 2025. Questions can be addressed to Dr. Haunani Kane (hkane@hawaii.edu). The University of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
