JOB DESCRIPTION

The Department of Human and Organizational Development (HOD) at Vanderbilt University invites applications for a tenured professor position at the associate or full professor level in Human and Organizational Development.

HOD is an interdisciplinary department that focuses on exploring human and organizational development in context. With an existing core faculty from anthropology, communications, psychology, geography, sociology and public health, we welcome applications from social scientists in any discipline who bring a community-engaged research perspective to persistent social problems.

Candidates who bring a social science lens to one of our existing departmental strengths — community development and organizing, organizational and systems change, affordable housing and homelessness, urban development and gentrification, community and youth violence, gender-based violence, community and global health, and environmental justice — are encouraged to apply. New areas of expertise are also welcome, especially scholars examining the intersections of technology and community, particularly those engaged in participatory methods, to examine, for example, the application of technology to advance community well-being and the intended and unintended effects of technology on communities (e.g., the consequences of bias in algorithm-driven resource allocation and decision-making; environmental impacts of AI data centers on surrounding communities). We value qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods community-engaged research that address complex social problems across multiple levels.

Candidates should have a well-established program of research reflected in publications and a track record of external funding to support research endeavors. Successful candidates will also have excellent teaching credentials and the demonstrated capacity to provide leadership and mentorship at the graduate and undergraduate level.

The successful candidate will teach and mentor students in Vanderbilt's undergraduate program in Human and Organizational Development, the doctoral program in Community Research and Action, and, depending on area of research, our master's programs in Community Development and Action, Human Development Studies, and/or Human Development Counseling.

This faculty position provides a unique opportunity to join a highly productive, diverse, and interdisciplinary faculty at a research-intensive university. The application review process will begin January 15, 2026, and continue until the position is filled.