Assistant Professor, Anthropology

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.

If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or jobs@unr.edu.

The Department of Anthropology within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in biological anthropology. The successful candidate will have an active research program on humans or human ancestors grounded in biocultural perspectives that bridge evolutionary anthropology and human biology. Some areas of particular interest include developmental influences on adult biology and health, non-genetic forms of biological inheritance, climate adaptations, functional morphology, or physiological and nutritional responses to environmental stress and disease. Work informed by theoretical frameworks such as—but not limited—life history theory, various social theories, developmental plasticity, or evolutionary quantitative genetics is also encouraged. We seek candidates who demonstrate the potential to pursue impactful, forward-looking scholarship and employ innovative methods, including computational and quantitative approaches as well as lab-based methods. The ability to foster interdisciplinary collaborations within anthropology and across related fields is highly desirable.

The successful candidate will be expected to maintain an active program of research and contribute to the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs in biological anthropology and develop courses in their area of specialization. The standard teaching load is 2-2, with substantial involvement in graduate education, including graduate-level teaching, student mentoring and advising, and service as chair or member of graduate M.A. and Ph.D. committees. Our department has well-established M.A. and Ph.D. graduate programs through which the successful candidate will sponsor students. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and collegial 4-field anthropology department at the flagship, public, land-grant, institution of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). More information about the department can be found here: https://www.unr.edu/anthropology

• Ph.D. in anthropology or a related field in hand by July 1, 2027.
• A developing or established research agenda in biological anthropology.

• A record of, or potential for, publishing in top-tier outlets in relevant fields.
• Demonstrated excellence, or clear evidence of potential for excellence in teaching in the field of biological anthropology.

The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner.  Faculty Grant-in-Aid

The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada. Dual Career Assistance Program

The Department of Anthropology is a vibrant and growing 4-field department with 15 full-time faculty, 50+ graduate students, and 100+ undergraduate majors. Faculty and students have active research agendas on every continent except Antarctica and routinely work across subdisciplines, with other University departments and institutions, and various community stakeholders. Our department is also home to the University’s Museum Studies, Historic Preservation, and Religious Studies minors. It collaborates closely with the Criminal Justice Department, which is home to Forensic Science minor and soon-to-be major, as well as the College of Science (COS) and College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources (CABNR).

Additional information about the department can be found at https://www.unr.edu/anthropology.

As Nevada’s flagship institution, the University of Nevada, Reno is a public Research 1 land-grant institution of the Nevada System of Higher Education with a student population of approximately 21,000, including over 3,000 graduate students with a campus also at Lake Tahoe. We are a comprehensive, doctoral university that has been designated as a Carnegie R1 institution with very high research activity and a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Nearly half of our students are students of color, and we are considered a Hispanic Serving Institution. In accordance with the University's land grant tier-one research institution mission, our faculty are expected to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service in a pluralistic environment.

Search Chair: Geoffrey M. Smith, Professor of Anthropology, geoffreys@unr.edu

Search Coordinator: Jeannie Harrison, Administrative Assistant, bharrison@unr.edu

Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resumé/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at jobs@unr.edu.

1) A complete curriculum vita

2) A 2–3-page cover letter outlining qualifications, experience, research agenda, teaching and/or mentorship experience, and how you would contribute toward the college’s mission

3) The names and contact information for three professional references

Applications must be received by 11:59pm on December 4, 2026. This posting will no longer be available to apply to after 12:00am on December 5, 2027. 

Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. First review of applications will begin on Monday, December 7th.

A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member’s first day of employment.

References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.

Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes). 

The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries.

Classified by the Carnegie® Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (“Very High Research”) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegie® Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the “Best National Universities” and “Best National Public Universities.” It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Times’ “Top Colleges for Economic Diversity.”

Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevada’s first medical school – the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original land-grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics.

The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Found where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290-acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The University’s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as “University Village,” to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty.

Collaborating with world-renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Google’s TechWise initiate is an 18-month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entry-level software engineers by graduation.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada – led by the University of Nevada, Reno – was named one of the inaugural 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (TechHubs). Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories. Nevada’s Tech Hub will strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.

Through its commitment to high-impact education, world-improving research and creative activity, and outreach that’s transforming Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150-year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world.

The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.

Today, the University delivers on its original land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic achievement – all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education.

For more information, please visit the University’s website.