About UMass Amherst
The flagship of the Commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land-grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450-acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued—and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, and 100 undergraduate majors. We believe every member of our university community can contribute to our ongoing success by striving for the highest level of excellence as we seek breakthrough solutions to mounting environmental, social, economic, and technological challenges in our world.
Job Description
The Department of Kinesiology is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of muscle physiology. We are searching for an individual whose research is focused on striated muscle physiology in health and diseased states. The individual will be expected to augment and compliment the expertise in muscle physiology within the department. The successful applicant will demonstrate the capacity to develop an independent and externally funded research program in the area of muscle physiology. They will also have the knowledge and expertise to take advantage of and contribute to the vibrant translational research environment on campus that includes joining and maintaining active membership in the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS). They will be expected to contribute to the undergraduate and graduate teaching goals of the Kinesiology Department, including teaching a senior level undergraduate course in exercise physiology and a graduate course in advanced exercise physiology. This is a full-time, tenure track, 9-month appointment with excellent benefits, offering a competitive start-up package and a salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Expected Start Date: September 1, 2026
Requirements
Applicants must hold a PhD in kinesiology or a related field at the time of appointment. The successful candidate will have an active research program in skeletal and/or cardiac muscle physiology and demonstrate strong potential to establish a nationally recognized and independent research program. Preference will be given to candidates with the greatest potential to publish in high impact journals and secure external funding to support their research. We are seeking individuals working at any level of muscle research from the single molecule to whole body level using state-of-the-art techniques. However, preference will be given to individuals with strong expertise in experiments utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging on human muscle, in particular individuals who can utilize the Human Magnetic Resonance Center within IALS.
Additional Information
Kinesiology Department: The University of Massachusetts Amherst Kinesiology Department (https://www.umass.edu/public-health- sciences/academics/kinesiology) is one of six departments in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS; https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences). The department has 14 tenured/tenure-track faculty, 7 full-time lecturers, 2 research faculty, 3 administrative staff, 2 full-time undergraduate advisors, approximately 700 undergraduate majors, ~40 graduate students, and several postdoctoral fellows. Its research and teaching activities are organized into the areas of Biomechanics, Movement Neuroscience, Physical Activity & Health and Physiology. The Department of Kinesiology has a long history of supporting outstanding research and graduate training. We aim to promote inclusive excellence within all aspects of our program, establishing the UMass Amherst Kinesiology Department as a community of choice for students, staff and faculty from all backgrounds. Faculty are established and emerging leaders in their research fields, which range from the molecular basis of movement to community-based physical activity interventions. Current research funding comes from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control and a variety of foundations and industry collaborators.
Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS; http://www.umass.edu/ials): IALS is home to three intellectual Centers comprising faculty and their academic and industry collaborators from across the life science disciplines. IALS is also home to 32 Core Facilities (http://www.umass.edu/ials/core-facilities) that provide the equipment, methodologies and staff to facilitate world-class research by investigators from both on- and off-campus. The Human Magnetic Resonance Center (hMRC; http://www.umass.edu/ials/hmrc) houses a state-of-the-art 3 Tesla, 70-cm bore Siemens MR system that has the sequences and ancillary equipment needed for exceptional-quality multi-nuclear spectroscopy and imaging (1H, 31P, 13C) of body tissues. The Center for Human Health & Performance (CH2P; http://www.umass.edu/ials/ch2p) houses a wide variety of equipment for measuring exercise interventions and outcomes, kinetic and kinematic aspects of human motion, 24-hour energy expenditure, and home-based daily activity in an apartment-style setting. Kinesiology faculty are leaders in this campus-wide enterprise and have established clinical collaborations with investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Additional core facilities available in IALS include mHealth, High Performance Computing, Light Microscopy, Mass Spectrometry, Histology and Advanced Digital Design and Fabrication, among others.
Application Instructions
Applicants should submit a cover letter; curriculum vitae; statement of research expertise including accomplishments and current and future research goals; statement of teaching philosophy; statement of how their work will fit with and support the UMass strategic plan, For the Common Good <https://www.umass.edu/strategicplan/>; and contact information for three (3) professional references. Review of applications will begin September 15, 2025 and continue until the position is filled.
All materials must be submitted to: https://careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-us/job/xxxx/assistant-professor-kinesiology-ials
For questions about the application process, contact Amy Johnson, Kinesiology Department Administrator, (amyjohnson@umass.edu). For more information about any other aspect of this announcement, please contact Ned Debold, PhD, Search Committee Chair (edebold@umass.edu) or Richard van Emmerik, PhD, Kinesiology Department Chair (rvanemmerik@kin.umass.edu).
The University of Massachusetts Amherst welcomes all qualified applicants and complies with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws.