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. 

The Clinical Professor will be a leader in integrating new technologies, artificial intelligence, and innovation into conservation teaching, research, and extension. We seek candidates that will position the school at the vanguard of innovation in applying these innovations, tools, and technologies to the conservation sector in an equitable and catalytic way. We seek candidates with practical experience and capabilities in the application of artificial intelligence, including both software and hardware.  Preferred experience would include computer vision and acoustics, large landscape and language foundation models and systems for habitat & restoration mapping, predictive environmental degradation, involuntary transparency of supply chains, detection & calculation of species presence and abundance, and development of AI-co-scientists for development of new methodologies and analysis of data including decision-support and/or optimization tools for conservation planning and monitoring.  We also welcome backgrounds in developing sensors, communication systems, and aerial platforms including drones and nanosatellites, edge computing, and embedded systems.  The Clinical Professor should combine technical fluency with expertise in applied methods—open-source toolchains, reproducible workflows, explainable AI, uncertainty quantification, and causal inference—to translate models into operational systems that inform conservation policy, management, and finance. 

Equally important are skills in ethical, equitable technology design and governance: participatory and co-design methods, community and Indigenous knowledge integration, data sovereignty and privacy, inclusive design for the last mile, bias mitigation including due to data gaps and quality, identification of inadvertent effects, and equitable capacity building to ensure tech benefits are catalytic and inclusive. Finally, they should have a proven track record of cross-sector partnerships (industry, startups, NGOs, agencies), translating innovations into pilots and scalable deployments, securing interdisciplinary funding, and training students and practitioners to deploy responsible, impact-oriented technological solutions for global conservation challenges

Candidates need not have a traditional academic background; those with experience working on conservation initiatives, technology solutions and related fields from a broad array of professional contexts are encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will bring a trans-disciplinary, applied, and solution-oriented perspective to issues related to responsible use of emerging technologies in conservation, the invention and adoption of innovative solutions to conservation problems, and the ethical application in advancing the field. 

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 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 Rob Walton College of Global Futures, the Julie Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, and ASU broadly. Successful candidates will demonstrate a strong commitment to catalyzing interdisciplinary, solution-oriented research 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: Innovation, AI, and Technology in Conservation.
• Excellence in research or scholarly work. This includes evidence of the potential to create impactful scholarly or applied knowledge products related to conservation innovation, technology, or enterprise, including, but not limited to publications in leading academic journals, technology or tool development, decision-support tools, or other scholarly or technical knowledge products or outputs that support the design and implementation of innovative solutions that inform conservation action, policy and practice.
• 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 working with conservation organizations, technology developers and other private-sector partners, philanthropic institutions, startups, or impact investment organizations engaged in advancing conservation innovation, technology, and AI 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 technology, innovation and 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/185459. 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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