Gordon A. Macdonald Professor (or Associate Professor) of Volcanology and Hawaiʻi State Volcanologist
The Department of Earth Sciences in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) seeks to fill a tenure-track faculty position at the level of Associate or Full Professor in the broad area of Volcano Science, to begin in Fall 2026. The successful candidate will be an expert in the study of volcanic processes and eruption products with a demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching related to active volcanic systems. The incumbent is expected to establish an externally funded research program supporting graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, contribute to undergraduate and graduate instruction, and mentor students and postdoctoral researchers. They will serve as a public resource on Hawaiian volcanoes, liaising with the staff of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and serving as the State Volcanologist for Hawai‘i.
The Gordon A. Macdonald Professor of Volcanology, established in 1979, is supported by memorial funds honoring Thomas Jagger, founder of the HVO, and Gordon A. Macdonald, former HVO director and UHM professor. This professorship honors Macdonald’s legacy as a meticulous, multidisciplinary pioneer in Hawaiian geology, volcanology, and related fields. We seek candidates who embody his integrative approach to understanding volcanoes, past and present. Research interests may include, but are not limited to, field volcanology, volcano monitoring and eruption processes, connections between magmatic systems and eruptions, and volcanic hazards and their societal impacts.
The appointee is expected to catalyze a new era of volcano science at UHM through innovative research and teaching, secure external funding from state and federal sources (e.g., National Science Foundation, USGS, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Disaster Preparedness and Training Center), and advance community resilience and sustainability.
The successful candidate will recognize and respect the cultural significance of volcanoes in Hawai‘i and contribute to UH Mānoa’s commitment to being a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning (https://manoa.hawaii.edu/nhpol/). Desire and ability to engage with faculty, staff, and students in a collaborative fashion that supports Indigenous values and perspectives is essential.
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?keywords=85535. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Preference will be given to applications received by December 31, 2025. Questions can be addressed to Prof. Julia Hammer (jhammer@hawaii.edu). The University of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
