Job Description

Position Summary
The Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse invites applications for an Instructional Academic Staff position in biological anthropology with a forensic focus at the level of Assistant Teaching Professor to begin in August 2025. We seek candidates excited to join a collegial department of teacher-scholars dedicated to undergraduate education.

We seek a broadly trained biological anthropologist dedicated to teaching excellence at the undergraduate level. We are especially interested in candidates who are committed to a four-field approach to anthropology and enhancing the quality of undergraduate education for all students in our departmental academic programs as well as the General Education program at UWL. We encourage applicants whose experience and teaching examine anthropology from diverse, nuanced perspectives. The successful candidate will present evidence for the ability to engage students in high impact experiences which are highly valued by the department and university.

We are particularly interested in candidates who can offer some focused coursework in forensic anthropology. Desirable elective course offerings include forensics, human skeletal biology, and paleoanthropology/human evolution. The ability to offer lab-based courses (e.g., Human Osteology, Paleoanthropology/Human Evolution) and courses with cross-over appeal to cultural anthropology and archaeology students (e.g., Evolution, Sex, and Gender, etc.) is preferred. The ability to offer courses relevant to interdisciplinary programs across campus (such as Criminal Justice, Neuroscience, Environmental Studies, Public Health & Community Health Education, Nutrition, etc.) is highly desired.

The standard teaching load at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for Instructional Academic Staff is 15 credits per semester. For 3 credit classes, this amounts to a 4/4 (3 preps per semester) load per semester, with a 3-credit equivalency for service. A portion of this load may include directing multiple internships and supervising weekly Open Lab sessions.
Position Type Faculty/Instructional
Pay Basis Annual
FLSA Exempt
Is this position eligible for employment sponsorship, (H1B or PERM)? No
Required Qualifications
Master’s degree in Anthropology or related field with extensive focus in Biological Anthropology
Strong oral and written communication skills
Demonstrated excellence in teaching
Preferred Qualifications
Ph.D. in Anthropology with concentration or emphasis in Biological Anthropology
Demonstrated broad expertise in biological anthropology with the ability to offer a range of topical courses in biological anthropology
The ability to offer lab-based courses
Ability to offer courses with cross-over appeal to a four-field Anthropology approach as well as interdisciplinary programs across campus
Physical Demands
Reasonable Accommodations
UWL provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual with a disability. If you need assistance or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact [email protected] or 608.785.8013. This job announcement and other material on this site will be made available in alternate formats upon request to an individual with a disability.
All position descriptions are required to provide physical demands and working condition/environment and may not be published in the job announcement. For information on the physical demands and/or working conditions/environment for this position, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] or 608.785.8013 .
Working conditions and environment
Classroom / office setting
Miscellaneous Information
Information about your Benefits
Your benefits add an additional 40%+ to the overall financial package from the university.
Highlights include:
paid vacation for 12-month positions.
excellent flexible health insurance with low co-pays and good coverage.
paid holidays and sick days.
after 5 years of employment, you become vested in our retirement system which ensures income post-career.
benefits at UWL are highly competitive with local industry and some of the strongest in state and nation.
Benefit eligibility is determined at point of hire. This information is provided for illustrative purposes only. Benefits are also pro-rated based on the appointment percentage.

Information about UWL and the Surrounding Region
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW–La Crosse) provides a challenging, dynamic, and diverse learning environment in which the entire university community is fully engaged in supporting student success. Grounded in the liberal arts, UW-La Crosse fosters curiosity and life-long learning through collaboration, innovation, and the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. Acknowledging and respecting the contributions of all, UW-La Crosse is a regional academic and cultural center that prepares students to take their place in a constantly changing world community.
For more than a decade UW-La Crosse has been named one of Kiplinger’s 100 Best Values in Public Universities and has appeared prominently on the U.S. News & World Report list of “America’s Best Colleges” for more than 15 years, and is ranked #4 on its list of the Best Regional Public Universities in the Midwest. UW-La Crosse ranks 6th nationally among the Top LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges for 2018-19 by AffordableCollegesOnline.org (ACO).
With a student population of roughly 10,500, the university offers 91 undergraduate programs, 21 graduate programs, and 2 doctoral programs through the following three colleges, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Science and Health, as well as the School of Education. There are over 600 full-time faculty and instructional academic staff, 75 percent of whom hold terminal degrees. UW-La Crosse boasts a retention rate (freshmen returning as sophomores) of 84 percent, graduation rate (degree within six years) of 70 percent, and is among only 12 institutions cited nationally by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities for its success in linking campus culture and university leadership to outstanding graduation rates.
UW-La Crosse’s strategic plan Sustaining Excellence continues to move our community forward through its four pillars: increasing community engagement, achieving excellence through equity and diversity, investing in our people, and advancing transformational education. More information about the ongoing work of Sustaining Excellence is available at www.uwlax.edu/info/strategic-plan.
The UW-La Crosse campus is in southwestern Wisconsin, nestled in a residential area of the City of La Crosse and positioned as part of a larger metro area with a population close to 140,000. The area, known as the 7 Rivers Region, is famous for its exceptional natural beauty which includes the Mississippi River on one side, majestic bluffs on the other, and views of rolling farmland and forested valleys in between. Abundant water, woodlands and varying terrain provide ample opportunities for year-round outdoor recreation. Only a couple of hours from Minneapolis or Madison, La Crosse enjoys the affordability and charm of small town living with larger city benefits. Three colleges, two world-class medical institutions, the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, a restored nineteenth century downtown business district, and a number of galleries and art centers have made La Crosse a regional center for culture, entertainment, medical care, shopping, sports and recreation. More information about the La Crosse metro area can be found here: Choose La Crosse. Learn more about UW-La Crosse here: https://www.uwlax.edu/human-resources/services/talent-acquisition-and-employment/finalist-welcome/
AA/EO Statement
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. We strongly encourage women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans to apply. UWL, in compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or protected veteran status.
COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE
Inclusive Excellence is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the Universities of Wisconsin community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship, creative activity, community service, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin La Crosse fulfills this by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who serve the State of Wisconsin and the public good.