Search for the Next Head of the James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry at Purdue University
The College of Science at Purdue University invites nominations and applications for the Head of the James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry, beginning August 2026.
We seek a visionary leader with a distinguished record of scholarly achievement, effective administrative experience, success in securing external research funding, and a strong commitment to teaching excellence and to fostering an inclusive academic community. The successful candidate will hold the rank of Full Professor in Chemistry.
The successful candidate will have an exemplary record of scholarly achievement along with outstanding leadership potential. It is expected that candidates for this position will have an earned doctorate in chemistry or related field and a level of stature in the field sufficient at a minimum to merit appointment with tenure at the rank of Professor in one of the nation's leading chemistry programs.
About Purdue Chemistry
The James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry is internationally acclaimed for its excellence in chemical education and innovation, boasting two Nobel laureates in organic chemistry, the #1 ranked analytical chemistry program, and a highly successful drug discovery initiative that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties.
Faculty and students benefit from state-of-the-art facilities that include the Jonathan Amy Facility for Chemical Instrumentation, NMR and X-ray Crystallography Facilities, the Research Instrumentation Center, the AI Guided Drug Discovery and Automation Center, the High Throughput Experimentation Catalysis Center, the Center for Autonomous Materials Discovery, and the High Throughput DESI Facility.
Chemistry faculty play leading roles in university-wide initiatives such as Purdue’s Discovery Park, the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery, the Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, and the One Health Initiative. The Department is also actively involved in the Purdue Lilly 360 initiative, the largest academic- industry partnership in the US.
As of Fall 2025, the Department includes 57 faculty, 70 staff members, 7 lecturers, 62 postdoctoral researchers, 437 graduate students, and 485 undergraduate majors. The Department is a key contributor to the educational mission of Purdue University. In AY24-25, close to 16,500 undergraduate students and 1,750 graduate students were enrolled in CHM courses. Additional information is available at https://www.chem.purdue.edu/.
More information about application requirements can be found HERE. Review of applications will begin on January 16, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. The expected start date is August 2026.
Applications must be submitted through SuccessFactors and should include:
- a cover letter of one to two pages summarizing relevant research, teaching, and leadership experience,
- a vision statement of up to five pages addressing departmental leadership and plans to advance research, teaching, and professional development,
- a curriculum vitae, and
- names and contact information for three references. References will be contacted only for shortlisted candidates.
Nominations of outstanding candidates are welcome and should be sent to Prof. Julia Laskin, Chair of the Search Committee, at chem-faculty-search@purdue.edu.
A background check will be required for employment in this position.
Purdue's main campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, a rapidly-growing, welcoming, and diverse community with a wide variety of cultural activities, events, and industries. Purdue and the College of Science have a Concierge Program that provides dual career assistance and relocation services.
Purdue University is an EOE/AA employer.
About Purdue Chemistry
The James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry is internationally acclaimed for its excellence in chemical education and innovation, boasting two Nobel laureates in organic chemistry, the #1 ranked analytical chemistry program, and a highly successful drug discovery initiative that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties. Learn more about chem.purdue.edu.
About Purdue University's College of Science
The College of Science comprises the computing, physical, and life sciences at Purdue. It is the second-largest college at Purdue, with nearly 350 faculty and over 7200 students. Under new leadership and with multiple commitments of significant investment, the College is paving the way for Computer Science to lead across Purdue and connect not only with the sciences, but across top-ranked programs in Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Health, and a variety of other areas. For more information, see www.purdue.edu/science.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Search Committee
- Julia Laskin (Chair)
- Garth Simpson
- Michael Reppert
- Andrea Donnellan (outside member)
- Shelly Claridge
- Christina Li
- Betsy Parkinson
- Angeline Lyon
- Graham Cooks
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