The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy at Queen’s University invites applications from suitably qualified candidates interested in teaching one or more courses during the academic year September 2022 - April 2023. There are several courses in need of instructors, and a suitably qualified candidate could be hired to instruct several courses and have the position extended for up to 3 years. A multi-year instructor could be asked to perform departmental service, and remunerated separately for this service, in order to make the position full time. Descriptions of the courses follow. Candidates should have a M.Sc. or Ph.D, and teaching experience at the University level in Physics, Engineering or a related discipline. The appointments are available for the Fall term, with appointments beginning August 2022 until end of December 2022 with classes in session from September 6, 2022 – December 5, 2022; and the Winter term with appointments beginning January 2023 until end of May 2023, with classes in session from January 9, 2023 – April 10, 2023.
Queen’s supports the continuing development of instructors and course materials, and provides support at the department, faculty and university levels for instructional techniques, tools and mentorship.
The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized/visible minority and Indigenous/Aboriginal people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.
The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodation during this process, please contact: (Melissa Balson at 4mjb5@queensu.ca).
The academic staff at Queen's University are governed by the Collective Agreement between the Queen's University Faculty Association (QUFA) and the University, which is posted at www.queensu.ca/facultyrelations/qufa/collective-agreements-lous-moas.
To comply with Federal laws, the University is obliged to gather statistical information about how many applicants for each job vacancy are Canadian citizens / permanent residents of Canada. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or citizenship, however, all applications must include one of the following statements: “I am a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”; OR, “I am not a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”. Applications that do not include this information will be deemed incomplete.
Applications should include a complete and current curriculum vitae, letters of reference from two (2) referees, and any other relevant materials the candidate wishes to submit for consideration such as a letter of intent, teaching dossier, etc. Please arrange to have applications and supporting letters sent directly to:
Dr. Robert Knobel, Head
Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy Queen’s University
Kingston Ontario Canada K7L 3N6
physhead@queensu.ca
Review of applications will begin on July 27, however applications will continue to be accepted until all positions are filled. Additional information about the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy can be found at www.queensu.ca/physics.
Course Descriptions:
PHYS 104/106 Fall/Winter - Fundamental Physics
This is the calculus-based introductory course for Physics intended for students in physical sciences. It is both Fall and Winter terms and had an enrollment of 150 students in 2021-22. The course covers mechanics, fluids, electricity and magnetism, vibrations and waves and topics in modern physics. There are three 50-minute in- person lectures per week for 24 weeks, and a 3-hour laboratory/tutorial section. There is significant teaching assistant and administrative assistant support for this course, and a full custom textbook and flipped-classroom course structure has been created for the instructor to use.
APSC 102 Fall – Experimentation
This is coordination of the undergraduate laboratory course for first year Engineering students. The course has several sections run by teaching assistants and technicians, and it is the role of the instructor to coordinate the students and provide introductory lectures for laboratories. The course is well-organized with equipment and materials, teaching the basics of experimentation in physics, chemistry, and chemical engineering to the beginning engineering student. Students learn about data management, graphing, experiment design and experimental uncertainty.
PHYS 115 Fall – Introduction to Physics I
This is one section of the algebra-based introductory course for Physics intended for students in life sciences, biology and geology. It is a Fall term course, and the section being offered has up to 240 students. The course is being co-taught with an experienced instructor who will teach another section. The course covers mechanics, fluids, and basic thermodynamics. There are three 50-minute in-person lectures per week for 12 weeks, and a 3- hour laboratory section every other week (coordinated by teaching assistants and staff). There is significant teaching assistant and administrative assistant support for this course.
PHYS 432 Fall – Electromagnetic Theory
This is an advanced undergraduate course in electromagnetism. Topics include Maxwell’s equations, gauge theory, relativistic transformations, dielectrics and radiation. It is a Fall term course, and had 29 students enrolled in 2021. There are three 50-minute in-person lectures per week and one 50-minute tutorial per week for 12 weeks. There is assistance in grading by teaching assistants for this course.
ENPH 213 Winter – Computational Engineering Physics
This is an introductory course in computational techniques in engineering and physics to second-year students, using Python. Possible topics to be covered include numerical differentiation and integration, root finding and optimization problems, solution of linear systems of equations, finite-element modelling, fast Fourier transforms and Monte Carlo simulations. The course is delivered through two hours of lectures, 2 hours of computer lab and one tutorial per week, and expected enrollment is 60 students. There is significant assistance from teaching assistants and material from previous instructors is available. Preference, and salary bonus, will be given to instructors holding a professional engineering degree.
ENPH 225 Winter – Mechanics
This is a second course in mechanics with engineering applications. Topics include plane dynamics, relative motion and forces in moving and accelerated reference frames. Introduction to general three-dimensional motion of a rigid body, inertia tensor and steady-state precession. The laws of conservation of mass, momentum and energy. The course consists of 3 50-minute lectures per week and one 50-minute tutorial per week, and expected enrollment is 60 students. There is significant assistance from teaching assistants and material from previous instructors is available. Preference, and salary bonus, will be given to instructors holding a professional engineering degree.
PHYS/ENPH 317 Winter – Mathematical Physics II
This is a course for 3rd year undergraduate physics and engineering physics students, with 65 students enrolled in 2022. This is the second course in mathematical physics at an advanced undergraduate level. The course is structured with 3 hours of lectures and 1 hour tutorial per week for 12 weeks. There are significant resources available from the previous instructor including videos used for remote teaching. The course content includes Legendre polynomials, Sturm-Liouville theory, Eigenvalue problems, partial differential equations, Green's functions, and complex analysis.
PHYS 414/823 ENPH 414 Winter – General Relativity
This is an advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate course in Einstein's theory of gravity, developed from fundamental principles to a level which enables the student to read some of the current literature. It is a Winter term course, and had 17 students enrolled in 2021/2022. There are three 50-minute in-person lectures per week for 12 weeks. There is assistance in grading by teaching assistants for this course.
PHYS/ENPH 460 Winter – Laser Physics
This is an advanced undergraduate elective course for students in physics and engineering physics, with 39 students enrolled in 2022. The course covers laser optics, gaussian beams, optical resonators, semiclassical light and applications. There are three 50-minute lectures and one 50-minute tutorial per week for 12 weeks. There are significant resources available from the previous instructor.