Description

The Department of Psychology at the University of Utah invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Developmental Psychology faculty position starting July 1, 2024.  We are searching for someone whose scholarly work addresses developmental adaptation to change and challenging contexts. Our world is experiencing rapid social, ecological, and technological changes that affect every domain of human development: social media use, artificial intelligence, virtual schooling, cultural diversity, diaspora, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges intersect with children’s socioeconomic and cultural contexts to shape how children and adolescents develop. We are open to scholars from any area of developmental psychology addressing adaptation to change and challenging contexts.  We are especially interested in scholars working at the interface between early experience, basic developmental processes (for example cognitive control, attention, learning/memory, emotion and stress regulation, identity), and the multifaceted contexts and conditions of individuals’ lives.  

The Developmental faculty has a long-standing emphasis on development in context and a parallel focus on plasticity and adaptation.  Faculty examine how individuals across the life span adjust to life stress (including chronic illness), how contexts of development affect moral and identity development (including sexuality and sexual identity development), and how childhood experiences get “under the skin” to calibrate biological systems involved in physical and psychological development. We utilize a range of methodologies to address these issues, including advanced statistical techniques (especially dynamical systems perspectives) to capture complex change processes. Faculty collaborate extensively with one another, other areas in the department, as well as other departments across campus (e.g., gender studies, pediatrics) and interdisciplinary centers (e.g., Consortium for Families and Health Research, C-FAHR). We hope to attract candidates who can fill important gaps in our current training, such as social cognition or executive functioning, and whose work shares our area’s focus on developmental adaptations rather than deficits. 

Successful candidates will demonstrate programmatic research with the potential for generating extramural funding.  Candidates must also be able to contribute to core curriculum needs at the undergraduate and graduate level. 

The University of Utah is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, is a Tier 1 Research Institution by the Carnegie Foundation, and a member of the PAC-12. It has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research, strengthened by units such as NEXUS (a university-wide research institute for fostering interdisciplinary research) and extensive seed grant opportunities for collaborations across colleges especially health sciences.  The University is located in Salt Lake City at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountain range. Salt Lake City offers unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation, with ten world-class ski resorts, rock climbing and five national parks within hours of the city. Salt Lake City is the center of a metropolitan area with a population of approximately 1.25 million residents, has extensive arts and cultural activities, and has a diverse and thriving community.

The Department of Psychology is committed to removing barriers that traditionally have been encountered by individuals from underrepresented groups, strives to recruit faculty who will further enhance our diversity, and makes every attempt to support a faculty member’s academic, professional, and personal success. The Department has a history of mentoring Assistant Professors from underrepresented groups and providing a supportive environment for attaining their academic and professional goals and milestones.

The University of Utah recognizes that a diverse faculty benefits and enriches the educational experiences of the entire campus and greater community. Candidates are sought who have experience working in settings with students, staff, faculty and patients from diverse backgrounds and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education, employment opportunities, and quality healthcare for historically underrepresented groups. The University of Utah is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, national origin, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, status as a person with a disability, genetic information, or Protected Veteran status. Individuals from historically underrepresented groups, such as minorities, women, qualified persons with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply. Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities. To inquire about the University’s nondiscrimination or affirmative action policies or to request disability accommodation, please contact: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 201 S. Presidents Circle, Rm 135, (801) 581-8365.

Applications should include a one-page cover letter summarizing your fit with the position, a research statement describing research and future plans (3-page limit), a teaching statement addressing experiences, philosophies, and goals (2-page limit), and a statement describing how your work and other experiences contribute to the success of underrepresented students (1-page limit), your curriculum vitae, and up to three representative reprints or preprints of publications.  Also list three references who can be contacted for letters of recommendation. Review of applications will begin September 15, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.  Applications should be submitted at https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/150908 .  Questions about the position can be directed to Dr. Cindy Berg (cynthia.berg@psych.utah.edu) or Dr. Bruce Ellis (Bruce.Ellis@psych.utah.edu), co-chairs of the search committee.