Description

The Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures (SCF) in the Rob Walton College of Global Futures (CGF) at Arizona State University invites applications for one full-time benefits eligible, academic year (9-month) clinical professor position with an anticipated start in Fall 2026.  

This appointment is non-tenure track and will be made at the rank of Clinical Assistant, Clinical Associate or Clinical Full Professor, commensurate with the candidate’s experience and accomplishments. This appointment is for one academic year, and subsequent academic year renewals are contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of resources, and the needs of the school.

The Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures is a first-of-a-kind transdisciplinary school at the vanguard of redefining conservation as a field. It is part of the Rob Walton College of Global Futures (CGF), the academic cornerstone of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory (GFL) at ASU. The School of Conservation Futures will transform teaching and learning systems in conservation science to protect and restore the richness of life on our complex and rapidly changing planet. The school will value, uplift, and apply a wide array of worldviews, knowledge systems, and conservation practices to build and advance a global conservation community and workforce that reflects the local and global communities it serves. In partnership with a variety of organizations across the conservation sector, the school will serve a range of learners, including conservation organization employees, executives at multinational corporations, youth leaders, policymakers, and undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty will build an engaging and innovative curriculum that includes real-world skills, digital, hybrid, experiential, and place-based learning, as well as new technologies that build upon the application and theory of conservation science.

The school seeks innovative faculty leaders that will support the long-term vision of the school and its impact, to join the faculty in support of building the school’s curriculum and professional preparation programs, to develop a world-class research and knowledge-to-action enterprise and develop the school’s engagement strategy to support conservation impact with practitioners worldwide. The school’s leadership seeks unique leaders that will contribute to the school’s vision and purpose, working in a highly collaborative way to support the establishment of the school as a world-class institution. Prospective faculty members should articulate how their expertise, experience, and leadership abilities will contribute to the school. Preference will be given to applicants who have practical experience working in real-world conservation contexts, and with demonstrated strengths in both teaching and applied conservation practice. Applicants should espouse the values reflected in the ASU Charter. 

Clinical professors are fixed-term faculty members who are qualified by training, experience, or education to support key university functions. In the context of the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures, this includes teaching and professional development through curriculum, field experiences and other educational initiatives, development of translational and applied research to support conservation solutions in practice, and conservation extension activities (outreach, service, partnerships, etc.) to support conservation practitioners and organizations on the frontlines. 

This position is part of the new School’s commitment to training students to navigate the complex policy, governance and legal dimensions of conservation. The successful candidate will bring a trans-disciplinary and applied perspective to issues related to conservation policy, governance of conservation initiatives, and the legal frameworks which guide conservation initiatives across local, national and/or international scales.

The candidate should have practical experience in how legal frameworks, policy instruments and dialogues, and governance systems and institutions shape biodiversity conservation and natural resource stewardship. Areas of expertise may include conservation policy, environmental law, governance of social-ecological systems, collaborative and community-based governance, and the role of public institutions and decision-making processes in shaping conservation outcomes. Ideal candidates will have demonstrated experience working in policy and governance contexts.

We especially welcome candidates whose work, expertise, or experience in policy, law, or governance engages Indigenous peoples and local communities’ systems for land and water stewardship, guardianship of nature, tenure rights, co-management and other approaches that support and strengthen conservation and community outcomes.

Essential Functions/Duties

Curriculum Development and Professional Preparation

We seek faculty members who will take a leading role in designing and delivering a world-class curriculum for the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures at ASU’s Rob Walton College of Global Futures. Successful candidates will demonstrate excellence in developing innovative, competency-based courses and experiential learning opportunities that prepare future conservation practitioners for real-world career paths, including field training, project-based instruction, internships, and partnerships with government, NGOs, and industry. Candidates should be committed to inclusive teaching practices, mentoring an inclusive student body, integrating interdisciplinary perspectives and applied tools (e.g., policy, management, restoration, monitoring, and emerging technologies), and contributing to ongoing curriculum assessment and continuous improvement to ensure graduates are job-ready and impactful in conservation practice. Faculty members will be expected to deliver both immersion (in-person) and online format of undergraduate and graduate level classes and non-degree offerings, averaging 2 courses a semester. 

Research Enterprise for the School of Conservation Futures 

We seek faculty who will play a leading role in building a world-class research enterprise within the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures at ASU, working to leverage the assets and resources of the College of Global Futures, the Julie Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, and ASU more broadly. Successful candidates will demonstrate a strong commitment to catalyzing transdisciplinary, solution-oriented research or scholarly work that advances protection, sustainable management, and restoration of natural and biocultural systems; mentor and attract multi-disciplinary teams of scholars and trainees; secure and leverage external funding and partnerships across academia, government, industry, and communities; and contribute to strategic program development, infrastructure growth, and translational pathways that move science into effective conservation policy and practice. 

Supporting Conservation in Practice (Conservation Extension/Field Catalyst) 

We seek faculty who will join the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures as active partners in conservation practice, engaging deeply with frontline organizations, governments, industry, NGOs, Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders to co-design, implement, and scale real-world conservation solutions. Successful candidates will demonstrate a track record and commitment to sustained, reciprocal partnerships that move beyond conventional service—including joint project leadership, shared decision-making, capacity building, policy translation, and long-term evaluation of outcomes—and who can embed students and trainees in partner-engaged practice settings to accelerate impact. Candidates should value ethical, equitable collaboration, leverage institutional resources to support partner priorities, and help establish the School as a trusted convenor and applied research partner that delivers measurable, co-developed conservation results. Candidates are expected to participate in school, university, and professional services as well as externally facing programs such as ASU’s Learning Enterprise and Global Education Office.

Required Qualifications 

• Master’s degree required in an appropriate field by the time of appointment.
• Experience in teaching and mentoring commensurate with the rank of appointment.  Capability in teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels related to conservation policy, law, and governance, including topics such as environmental law and regulatory frameworks, institutional governance of conservation initiatives, policy analysis, and the role of governance systems in shaping biodiversity conservation outcomes: Conservation Policy, Law, and Governance; Project Design and Management in Conservation; Conservation and Environmental Management.
• Excellence in research or scholarly work. This includes evidence of the potential to create impactful scholarly and applied knowledge products that advance conservation science and practice, including, but not limited to peer-reviewed publication, in leading academic journals, practitioner outputs such as policy reports, decision-support tools, policy briefings, and other outputs that inform conservation action, policy and practice.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with conservation policy or governance in practice, such as contributing to the development, analysis, implementation, or evaluation of environmental laws, regulations, governance frameworks, or policy initiatives related to biodiversity conservation or natural resource stewardship and management.
• Candidates should demonstrate that their prior work promotes the values of ASU as reflected in the ASU Charter. 

Desired Qualifications (all ranks) 

• Ph.D. or other terminal degree (e.g., JD, MBA) in an appropriate field at the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in conservation policy and legal frameworks, governance systems, and regulatory processes, in real-world conservation programs or management actions.
• Professional experience working in conservation practice, including applied work with conservation organizations, government agencies, NGOs, Tribal Nations, or community-based initiatives, and the ability to translate field-based experience into student learning and applied conservation solutions related to policy and governance is highly desirable. 
• Evidence of strong commitment to teaching excellence and student success, including experience or interest in mentoring students, early-career professionals, or practitioners in conservation law, policy and governance, or highly related fields. Demonstrated interest in, or direct experience, in developing and delivering teaching in immersion (in-person) and online format using learning management systems and instructional technologies including asynchronous online teaching, lectures, effective assessments, and other classroom activities.

Application Instructions

Applications should be submitted at https://apply.interfolio.com/185470. Review of applications will begin June 12, 2026, and continue every two weeks thereafter until the search is closed. Official transcripts are required for employment.  

Applications must contain:   

1. A cover letter that describes the applicant's match for the position. 

2. A teaching experience and philosophy statement, (no longer than 1 page in length), including an explanation of how the goals of the ASU Charter are reflected in your teaching and mentoring. 

3. A research statement (no longer than 2 pages in length) describing the candidate's research experience, interests, and fit with the School of Conservation Futures.

4. Curriculum vitae. 

5. Contact information for three professional references (including name, title, affiliation, e-mail address, and phone number). 

A background check is required for employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. (See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/) 

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