Boone and Crockett Endowed Chair of Wildlife Conservation

The University of Montana is seeking candidates for the Boone and Crockett Endowed Chair of Wildlife Conservation, a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant to full professor level. The role involves developing a research program in wildlife management, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses, and participating in conservation efforts. This full-time, 10-month position begins in fall 2025 and is based in Missoula, MT.
The University of Montana (UM) is pleased to announce a search to fill the Boone and Crockett Endowed Chair of Wildlife Conservation at the assistant to full professor level. We encourage candidates with demonstrated excellence in the fields of wildlife conservation, management or ecology, or at the interface of wildlife and human dimensions or policy to apply. This 10-month appointment will be within the Wildlife Biology Program and have its departmental home within the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. The Wildlife Biology Program is an interdisciplinary group of faculty from the Division of Biological Sciences, the Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, and the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. The Wildlife Biology Program is an internationally recognized program comprised of interactive faculty with outstanding records of scholarship and teaching. The Wildlife Biology Program ranks as one of the top wildlife conservation programs in the US.

The University of Montana is interested in receiving applications from people who would assist the University in demonstrating its five priorities for action: Place student success at the center of all we do; drive excellence and innovation in teaching, learning, and research; embody the principle of “mission first, people always"; partner with place; and proudly tell the UM story.

Position Details:

Tenure Track Faculty: W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation

Title: Boone and Crockett Endowed Chair of Wildlife Conservation, Open Rank
Schedule: Full time academic year (10- month) position beginning fall semester 2025

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Benefits: Medical Insurance/Mandatory Retirement Contribution/Professional Development/Partial Tuition Waiver/Wellness

Responsibilities:
• Develop and implement a vigorous externally-funded research program focused on the management and conservation of wildlife, with an emphasis on harvested wildlife.
• Excel at graduate research and training with Master’s and Doctoral students.
• Teach 2 courses (i.e., 1 undergraduate, 1 graduate) in her/his area of expertise.
• Represent the University of Montana and the Boone and Crockett Club as a leader in local, regional, and national wildlife conservation issues.
• Participate in the conservation research and education program at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch (TRMR).
• Collaborate with faculty and students from other Boone and Crockett Club sponsored university programs.

The Boone and Crockett Club: The Club is North America’s oldest wildlife conservation organization. The Club established a Chair at The University of Montana in the early 1990s and purchased the 6,000 acre TRMR on the Eastern Front of the Rocky Mountains in Montana. The TRMR provides habitat for abundant wildlife, adjoins millions of acres of public land, the Blackfeet Reservation and several state wildlife management areas. The TRMR is managed to be the center of an ambitious program of research and education in the conservation and management of wildlife and other natural resources focusing on public/private conservation partnerships. Endowed research funding is available to help support a research program, but the Chair will be responsible for leveraging this base funding to develop a broader research program.

The University of Montana: Located in Missoula, The University of Montana is the flagship liberal arts institution in the state. It has approximately 12,000 students, including an active and growing graduate school. The University’s strategic goals include expanding total research productivity and growing its doctoral programs. Missoula is a city of approximately 80,000 people that offers a high quality of life and many social and cultural amenities. The area includes abundant national and state forests, parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas that provide diverse research and recreational and opportunities.
• Ph.D
• Demonstrate a distinguished, recognized record of research achievement and grant funding.
• Demonstrate potential for or a record of teaching excellence.
• Ability to communicate effectively with conservation stakeholders and the general public.
• Demonstrate contributions to enhancing the wildlife profession.