Assistant or Associate Professors

The University of Chicago Crown School of Social Work, Policy and Practice (Crown Family School) invites applications for up to three tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor positions, one in the area of direct practice, focusing on mental health, substance use, or other areas of behavioral health, and up to two in the areas of policy analysis and/or implementation that aims to improve the well-being of low-income individuals and families.

1. Mental health, substance use, or other areas of behavioral health practice: Candidates for this position will have innovative research agendas in prevention and intervention, service delivery, clinical processes, and/or implementation science, and the integration of that expertise with a program of research and training of students that shapes the field of social work practice. We are particularly interested in candidates whose scholarship advances knowledge on addressing inequities among groups that have experienced stigma, discrimination, and exclusion.

Successful candidates will engage in scholarship that is theoretically and empirically driven, innovative, methodologically rigorous, and has clear implications for social work practice. We encourage applications from scholars who utilize a critical approach in their research, recognizing the influence of larger structures of oppression and inequality on social problems and services in the areas of mental health, substance use and behavioral health. Grant funding should be commensurate with level of experience and resources required for successful completion of the candidate’s research agenda. Applicants must possess a doctorate (or have a doctorate by the date of appointment) in social work or a related field that specializes in clinical/helping processes. Successful candidates will have an interest and ability to teach direct practice courses.

2. Policy analysis: Candidates for this position will have expertise in assessing policy outcomes in areas that aim to improve the well-being of low-income individuals and families. These may include—but are not limited to—poverty and income assistance, employment and work, child, family, and caregiving, housing, social determinants of health, or neighborhood and urban policies. Successful candidates will have advanced quantitative skills and experience working with large data sets, including surveys, administrative records, and/or other types of secondary data. We also welcome applicants who specialize in research using mixed methods, simulation, longitudinal, and multi-level designs.

3. Policy implementation, frontline practice, and/or community-oriented approaches to addressing poverty: Candidates for this position might investigate issues such as how policies are experienced by participants and/or delivered by workers; policy and program innovation at the state, local, or community level; or mutual aid and grassroots approaches. Examples of areas of interest may include—but are not limited to—studies of street level bureaucracy, governance, administrative burdens, racialization in the policy process, or community-led alternatives. This position is open to diverse methodological approaches.

Successful candidates for both policy positions will engage in scholarship that is theoretically and empirically driven, innovative, and has clear implications for policy or practice.  We encourage applications from scholars who think critically about the policies and programs they study, recognizing the larger structures of oppression within which they are embedded. Applicants must possess a doctorate (or have a doctorate by the date of appointment) in social work, public policy/administration, sociology, public health, political science, economics, or a related field.

For all three positions teaching and mentoring is expected at all levels but primarily at the graduate level. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2023, or after.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a Curriculum Vita, a statement that outlines research and teaching interests, and two writing samples that best represent the applicant’s approach (applicants at the dissertation stage should include part or all of their dissertation for one of these). Contact information for at least three references should also be included; references will be contacted after an initial review of submitted materials and candidates will be notified prior to contact. Consideration of applications will begin on September 6, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled or the search is closed; early submission is encouraged.

Please apply online at the Academic Recruitment web page at the University of Chicago website. Please use the following links to apply.

Mental and behavioral health position: http://apply.interfolio.com/110674

Policy analysis position:  http://apply.interfolio.com/110676

Policy implementation position: http://apply.interfolio.com/110677

The Crown Family School builds upon a legacy of more than a century of scholarship, education and leadership in social work and social welfare, blending a distinctive interdisciplinary tradition with applied problem solving to foster innovative solutions to some of society’s most pressing social problems. For more information about the Crown School, please visit our website at: https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. The University’s Statements on Diversity are at https://provost.uchicago.edu/statements-diversity.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-1032 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu  with their request.