"Students make up part of our search committee, and candidates will be brought to campus to meet with students, faculty, administrators, give a seminar and find out about Amherst over the next few months," said Professor of Chemistry Patricia O'Hara, who chairs the department, detailing the selection process for her department.
The chemistry department will hire the most new faculty in the upcoming year, as it seeks to fill four available positions. Two replacement positions for faculty teaching organic and physical chemistry will be offered to applicants seeking the possibility of tenure. In addition, a Dreyfus Foundation Fellow will work with O'Hara and teach biochemistry and general chemistry, while a research post-doctoral applicant will work with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sandra Burkett in her grant-funded research in hybrid inorganic/ biochemical scaffolds.
Also seeking to fill tenure-track assistant professorships are the biology, economics, fine arts, French, geology, history and music departments. In addition, the Spanish department will offer a fellowship funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
"The scholar will come and expand our curriculum in an unforeseen way of his or her interest, or conceivably offer a course at a time when some member of our department is off on sabbatical," said Professor of Spanish James Maraniss, who chairs the department.
The music department is looking for a candidate with experience in electro-acoustic music and knowledge of tonal and post-tonal music theory and performance, preferably an area of interest outside Western or popular music.
The fine arts department is seeking to re-staff the printmaking position necessary for a class in the medium, which has been popular in the past.
"We're looking for, first and foremost, a creative artist who brings their particular vision to their work, but he or she also needs to be really fantastic at teaching and communicating his or her ideas," said the Professor of Fine Arts Nicola Courtwright, who chairs the department. "Even if they've never taught before, anyone who can convey their artistic feelings and ideas eloquently can be a fantastic professor."
While none of the positions will become active until next year, the imminent departure of some professors, such as Professor of Biology William Zimmerman requires the immediate initiation of a search for a replacement.
"The new hire will teach evolution, as Professor Zimmerman has done, contribute to [Biology 18: "Adaptation and the Organism"] and also teach a course or more of his or her own choosing," said Professor of Biology David Ratner.
The French department's loss of their professor of 19th Century literature and civilization has also left it searching for a new faculty member.
"Although our [visiting professors] have done a good job for us, we found it preferable to be able to staff this essential component of our program with a permanent tenure-track faculty member," said Professor of French Paul Rockwell, who chairs the department.
The neuroscience/psychology department has been running at a decreased staffing level since then-Professor of Psychology Lisa Raskin became dean of the faculty.
Also, the economics department is looking for a professor with a working knowledge of econometrics, the application of statistics to economics.
The departments of geology and history will be accepting applications for professorships focusing on sedimentology and Latin American history, respectively.