Summer Science Program Looking for (SSP) College-Level Summer Teaching Position in Biochemistry Full Time

Reporting to: Chief Academic Officer

Schedule: Temporary full-time (June 9 – July 25th)

Travel required: Live on or near the Indiana
University (IU) campus from June 9th until July 25th. If feasible, faculty are typically required to travel for one weekend in Spring 2024
for our annual in-person Directors’ meeting.

Summary

SSP International, Inc. is an independent
non-profit that offers teens an exhilarating and inspiring immersion into hands-on experimental science in astrophysics,
biochemistry, genomics, and synthetic chemistry called the “Summer Science Program”. Working in teams of three, 36
participants and 8 faculty form a supportive “living and learning community” over 39 days. Each team completes an authentic
research project, taking and analyzing original data. Afterward, they join a worldwide network of 2,500+ alumni of all ages. More
information can be found at www.summerscience.org and www.summerscience.org/employment. 

We are looking for an Associate Academic Director (AAD) for the
2024 season to complement the established biochemistry research/teaching faculty at our
Indiana University campus.

You will work with the Academic Director (AD),
another AAD, and four TAs on the academic side of the SSP experience. SSP will provide lecture slides, lab slides, lab protocols, and the
overall program schedule, while the academic directors can and should optimize and customize these documents to match their style and
specific campus needs. The AD and AADs will also attend weekly faculty meetings and contribute to the discussion of each participant’s
academic growth/accomplishments. Outside of the summer requirements, the AD and AADs have a shared responsibility to complete letters of
recommendation (when appropriate) for participants’ college applications. Each AAD’s primary responsibility is to lead one third
of the lecture and laboratory sessions, with the AD and other AAD leading the other two thirds.

Curious? Email Dr. Mike Manzella (VP
of Faculty Recruitment and Training) to learn more about SSP and this position. 

With the abbreviated time frame before summer operations, we will be screening and hiring qualified applicants on a
“first-come-first-served” basis – so get your application in early!

Requirements

Education

• A PhD in biochemistry
  (preferred), chemistry, or a closely related field is required. 

Essential Duties and
Responsibilities

• Teach junior/senior university-level topics relevant to the research project to a group of 36
  high-ability high school students in a fast-paced university environment
• Work in a close-knit, flexible, and adaptable team that
  includes the AD, AADs, a Site Director, four university-age TAs (Teaching Assistant & Residential Mentors), and any adjunct instructors
  and/or laboratory assistants
• Live on or near the IU campus for 6.5 weeks, attend lunch and dinner with students most days, and
  participate in occasional field trips and social activities
• Present background material required for the research projects using
  lecture outlines, problem sets, laboratory procedures, and other resources provided by SSP as a starting point
  • These will be split
    evenly between the AD and AADs
• Ensure the research project is successful
• Consistently operate within, and be
  measured with respect to, SSP’s mission and values
• Other duties as assigned by the Chief Administrative Officer

Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills are
  required
• Intermediate computer skills are required
  • Experience with a suite of productivity apps (Google or Microsoft
    Office preferred)
  • Experience with a course LMS (such as Canvas or Google Classroom)
  • Experience with protein modeling
    software is preferred (such as MOE or PyMOL)
• Has worked as an instructor of record for one or more of the following
  courses (or similar) at a college level and/or has extensive research experience in the following topic areas:
  • Biochemistry, organic chemistry, general chemistry, and/or molecular modeling
  • The project largely involves the heterologous
    expression, purification (affinity chromatography), characterization (concentration, activity, and inhibition), and modeling of a protein.
    If you have that skillset and are comfortable teaching those concepts, you’re likely qualified to apply.
• Supervision of
  undergraduate research students, especially in the framework of a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), is desirable but
  not required
• Experience providing supportive and critical feedback on undergraduate ‘assignments’ (of which many are
  writing-intensive) is desirable but not required
  • Experience with AltGrading/Ungrading is desirable but not required

Working Conditions

• The position is temporary full-time with daily schedules (including
  provided meals) generally lasting from ~8 AM to ~7 PM with responsibilities shared between the AD and AADs
• Be energetic and
  engaging during class periods and be able to navigate the learning space to engage with participants during active-learning activities
• Be energetic and engaging during lab periods and be able to navigate the laboratory space to engage, supervise, and correct participants
  as they proceed through experiments
• Director and weekly meetings are often held outside of typical work hours and local travel may
  be required to reach the meeting location
• The working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an
  employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
  disabilities to perform these essential duties.

Clearance Requirements

• Authorization to
  work in the United States
• Ability to pass a background check and pre-employment screening

SSP is committed to increasing the diversity of our participant pool and driven to see that same diversity reflected in our faculty.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. SSP values a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with all the qualifications, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other opportunities.