Research Assistant Jobs in Bellingham, WA (NOW HIRING)

Position Title Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Non-tenure Track Faculty Vacancy Pool About the University

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department

The College of Humanities & Social Sciences and the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies support Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

Students fulfill the major and minor through Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies core courses - Introduction to Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies; Introduction to Feminist Theory; Introduction to Queer & Sexuality Studies; Studies in Gender Theory; Feminist and Queer Methodologies; Topics in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and the Senior Capstone. The Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department provides academic space for interdisciplinary as well as community-based learning. The Department offers small, student-centered classes, innovative pedagogy, and close faculty-student interaction.

About the Position

The Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department maintains a vacancy pool of qualified persons interested in non-tenure-track teaching positions. In anticipation of possible openings throughout the academic year, applications are accepted continuously for temporary, part-time, non-tenure-track positions at the instructor level.  Although most non-tenure-track faculty receive their course assignments for the upcoming academic year by July 15, positions may become available at any time and are filled on a quarterly basis.

The department adheres to the University's value of excellent teaching and we expect you to be an exemplary teacher; to be current in your discipline; to engage students actively in their own learning, including discussion, writing, and analysis; and to maintain high standards regarding course content. We expect you to provide students with feedback on their course work and examinations, to be available to students through regularly-scheduled office hours in a Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies designated location, and to mentor Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies majors and minors. You will be expected to have your students evaluate your courses using the standard University evaluation forms and to make those evaluations available to the program director and advisory committee for annual review.

Required Qualifications

• MA or above in any field with a focus on feminist, queer, and intersectional thought and methodologies
• Demonstrated successful experience teaching at the college or university level
• Demonstrated interest in community-based learning
• Demonstrated skills in applying feminist and queer thought across diverse cultures and globally
• Demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivating learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities and backgrounds

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in any field with a focus on feminist, queer, and intersectional thought and methodologies

Conditions of Employment All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary

Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Benefits Information Benefits Overview for Faculty Positions

Bargaining Unit

 United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

A cover letter and curriculum vitae are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

You will be asked to provide contact information of three references.

To apply, please submit your application via WWU's PAGE UP system. Please include a cover letter, current curriculum vitae, evaluations of your teaching from students in college or university courses, a one-page statement describing your teaching philosophy and pedagogy, and a list of courses (name and number) that you have taught at the college or university level.  (If you are unable to submit teaching evaluations electronically, mailing hard copies as directed below is sufficient.)

Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre
Chair of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Professor of Communication Studies
Western Washington University
516 High Street - MS9162
Bellingham, WA  98225

raelynn.schwartz-dupre@wwu.edu

Required Supplemental Materials

• Cover letter 
• Curriculum vitae
• Course evaluations from college or university students
• Teaching philosophy statement
• List of courses taught

Closing Date Notes

Applications are accepted continuously for potential NTT faculty openings; please apply at your earliest convenience. Vacancy pool closes no later than November 30, 2026.

This vacancy pool is refreshed annually; please refer to applicable close date information. Applicants who continue to remain interested in being considered for on-going opportunities should re-submit updated materials to the new pool, once posted.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU's Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at student.life@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes a sexual misconduct background check.