Chair, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences

The Brown University School of Public Health is searching for a Professor (tenured) to serve as the next Chair of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences. The position will be available July 1, 2024, although the start date is negotiable.

The Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences brings together public health researchers from across disciplines to understand and improve the health behaviors and social contexts that most impact population health and well-being. The department is the largest in the School of Public Health, with over 60 primary faculty and over 30 postdoctoral fellows and doctoral students. The department offers a doctoral degree in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences; supports MPH concentrations in Health Behavior, Addictions, Global Health, and Mindfulness; and plays a central role in the undergraduate public health concentration.

With faculty trained in psychology, public health, human development and family studies, social work, sociology, anthropology, medicine, and nursing, the department brings together a diverse community of public health researchers to investigate, and work to improve, health behavior across a broad swath of disciplines, including, but not limited to, quantitative and qualitative methods, health equity, addiction/substance use, HIV, maternal child health, nutrition, physical activity promotion and global health.

The Chair will oversee research and education within the department and will also be a key member of the School’s leadership team. The Chair will represent the department in relationships with other academic units in the University and with outside programs. Brown University is highly supportive of collaborations across disciplines, which helps to create an environment where new ideas and paradigms are welcomed. Moreover, the leadership of the School of Public Health embraces innovative ideas for broadening scholarship and education to address public health challenges of the future.

Applications are encouraged from established scholars who wish to lead and grow a dynamic behavioral and social sciences department. The successful candidate will bring a record of outstanding achievement as a research scholar as demonstrated by high impact publications and external funding, graduate teaching and mentorship of early career faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students, and an established national and international reputation for excellence in both scholarship and real-world impact.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to the commitment of the School of Public Health and the University. The School of Public Health seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce to maintain the excellence of the University and to offer our students richly varied perspectives, viewpoints, and ways of knowing and learning. In your cover letter or in a separate statement, we ask that you address how your past and present work demonstrates accomplishments in and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity, and how you intend to show this commitment in your role as Chair. We value the different ways this might be demonstrated, including in scholarship, teaching, mentoring, service, and community engagement. Brown University is an equal opportunity employer, and we strongly encourage applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds. Candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in the academy are particularly encouraged to apply.

Review of applications will begin October 15, 2023. Full consideration will be given to all applications received by that date. Applications received after the priority deadline may be reviewed until the position is filled or the search is closed.

Interested applicants should apply through Interfolio at the following link: http://apply.interfolio.com/131699. Please indicate in your letter of application the search number (PH 319).

For further information, please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs in the School of Public Health at sphfa@brown.edu.

As an EEO/AA employer, Brown University provides equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a person’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law, and caste, which is protected by our University policies.