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Assistant Professor- (School for the Environment)

Employer
University of Massachusetts Boston
Location
UMass Boston
View more categoriesView less categories
Faculty Jobs
Professional Fields, Architecture & Urban Planning
Position Type
Tenured & Tenure-Track
Employment Type
Full Time
Institution Type
Four-Year Institution

Job Details

Job no: 525573
Position Type: Staff Full Time
Campus: UMass Boston
Department: UrbanPlanning&CommunityDevel
Pay Grade: 03
Date opened: 13 Nov 2024 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close:

Job Description

The Department of Urban Planning and Community Development (UPCD) in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) seeks candidates for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin September 1, 2025. We invite scholars specializing in workforce development who use environmental sustainability, equity, and community engagement frameworks in their scholarship, teaching, and service. We are especially interested in candidates whose planning scholarship and practice focuses on (but not limited to) the following areas:

    Transformations in urban and regional labor markets to expand workforce development, especially in the green and blue economic sectors, by tapping into underserved and economically distressed communities.Resident-led and community-based economic development planning initiatives include small business incubators, cooperative businesses, micro-lending, and credit unions/community development finance institutions.Community/university development partnerships advancing applied scholarship in workforce and community development to expand job and economic development opportunities for distressed communities.
SFE’s mission is to examine and explore diverse challenges in the natural, built, and social environments and their intersections. Using transdisciplinary and equity-informed approaches to research, teaching, and action, we expand environmental knowledge and understanding and create cutting-edge transdisciplinary solutions to environmental and social problems in Boston and beyond. SFE pursues its environmental health and justice research, teaching, and outreach agenda through a transdisciplinary approach designed to enhance the problem-solving capacity of local communities and institutions. Therefore, the preferred candidate should be able to work within and complement the activities and interests of the core and affiliate faculty. We particularly welcome community-based participatory research approaches as well as candidates that use methodologies for transdisciplinary problem-solving approaches. SFE faculty support undergraduate (environmental science, environmental studies), master’s, and PhD programs (environmental science, marine science, and technology). We expect the successful candidate to interact strongly with SFE faculty and students.

Candidates must have a doctorate in urban planning (ABD will be considered), a publication record in planning journals, evidence of procurement and/or external funding activity, and a clear pedagogical philosophy. The ideal candidate should be able to and/or interested in collaborating in transdisciplinary teams, engaging with diverse stakeholders, and integrating multiple disciplines to study complex urban planning, community development, and environmental issues. This collaborative approach is integral to our mission, and we value each team member's unique perspectives and expertise.

The ideal candidate should be capable of instructing core and specialized courses for our Bachelor of Arts program in Community Development and our Master of Science program in Urban Planning and Community Development. They will be expected to establish an active, collaborative, and influential research program and seek external funding to implement an agenda to increase job opportunities for residents of underserved communities in the Boston area and beyond. Ideally, the candidate will have experience collaborating with various organizations and agencies to advance innovative forms of workforce development. They will be expected to build partnerships with local businesses and organizations to create programs that expand employment opportunities for residents of distressed communities while providing internship and career pathways for students.

UMB is an urban public research university with a teaching soul that has an impact both locally and globally. We are the third most diverse university in the country - more than 60% of our undergraduate students come from minoritized communities and groups, and more than half of our students are the first in their families to attend a college or university. Thus, our students come to us from richly diverse life experiences and backgrounds; they bring to our classrooms and research settings the robust range of perspectives growing out of the socio-cultural, economic, and historical contexts in which they have lived, along with the challenges they encounter, engage, and strive to overcome. We invite applications from candidates who engage the diverse life experiences of our student body, who appreciate that students bring their holistic selves into the academic setting, and who recognize and articulate how their own life experiences and backgrounds have shaped their journeys, practices, and commitments as researchers, scholars, and educators.

Application instructions:

Interested individuals can initiate the application process by visiting the UMB’s Career Portal at https://employmentopportunities.umb.edu/boston/en-us/listing/. After completing the University’s basic employment application, candidates can upload the following documents:

  • Cover letter (2 page maximum)
  • Research and Teaching Statement
  • CV
  • Complete contact information of three academic references
  • Application DeadlineMaterials should be submitted via the UMB Employment Portal beginning on December 15, 2024, for maximum consideration by the UPCD Search Committee.

    For More Informatikon:

    Contact Lorena M. Estrada-Martínez, Search Committee Chair, Department of Urban Planning and Community Development, School for the Environment, The University of Massachusetts Boston, at lorena.estrada@umb.edu.

    UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HRDirect@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.

    Applications close:

    Organization

    Working at University of Massachusetts Boston

    The University of Massachusetts Boston is nationally recognized as a model of excellence for urban public universities. The scenic waterfront campus is located next to the John F. Kennedy Library, with easy access to downtown Boston. 

    The second-largest campus in the UMass system, UMass Boston combines a small-college experience with the vast resources of a major research university. With a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio, students easily interact with professors because most teaching occurs in small class sizes. Ninety-three percent of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their fields.

    UMass Boston’s academic excellence is reflected by a growing student body of nearly 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The university’s eight colleges offer more than 100 undergraduate programs and 50 graduate programs. The University Honors Program serves 300 students who thrive on intellectual challenge. Enriched courses probe more deeply into theory or venture further into application.

    UMass Boston’s diverse student body provides a global context for student learning, and its location in a major U.S. city provides connections to employers in industries such as finance, health care, technology, service, and education, offering students opportunities to gain valuable in-school experience via internships, clinicals, and other career-related placements.

    More than 100 student organizations — including clubs, literary magazines, newspaperradio stationart gallery, and 16 NCAA Division III sports teams — offer a rich campus life. Students live throughout Greater Boston and in apartment communities just steps from the campus, and enjoy the rich amenities, cultural attractions, and educational opportunities that make the city the biggest and best college town in the nation.

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