Senior Tenure/Tenure-Track Faculty and Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development

The mission of the School of Social Work is to advance equity, transform systems, and improve lives. The School's curriculum supports the mission and recognizes the uniqueness of the region served, including concerns for disadvantaged, vulnerable, and oppressed individuals, families, and communities. Classes provide rigorous and evidence-based content, and give students the opportunity to explore theory, learn intervention skills and engage in challenging dialogue with colleagues. The School works to become the leading school of social work for impact - generating knowledge with powerful and positive consequences.

The School of Social Work offers M.S.W. and Ph.D. degrees. Dual degrees are offered in Law, Public Health, Public Administration, and Divinity (with Duke University). The faculty members of the School of Social Work have strong collaborative relationships with many campus units such as the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Law, Government, Education, and the Department of City and Regional Planning as well as University Centers and Institutes such as the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, the Carolina Population Center, the Center for Developmental Sciences, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and the Institute on Aging. We also maintain dynamic relationships with community agencies, state and federal government, and research groups in the Research Triangle Park and across the U.S.

To learn more about the School of Social Work, please visit our website at https://ssw.unc.edu/.

The School of Social Work (SSW) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites applications for a senior level tenured/tenure-track faculty position (9-month), that also holds a secondary appointment (12-month) as the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development (ADR).

A national leader in research, UNC is the 11th top-ranked university in the U.S. for federal research, and SSW ranks 4th compared to other universities. The School received awards for $31.8 million in external funding during fiscal year 2024, which includes $10.2 million for research projects and $21.6 million for other sponsored activities.

The ADR is a member of the Dean's senior administrative team and oversees the overall research efforts and development of faculty at the School of Social Work. Through management of the Office of Strategic Research Priorities (OSRP) and consultation with faculty members, this position provides conceptualization, design, and budgetary assistance for grant proposals and ongoing grant-related research activities. Emphasis is placed on supporting individual faculty members, building teams of faculty members to respond to major research initiatives, advancing the research and analytical skills of faculty members, and strengthening the research culture of SSW.

The ADR provides leadership to promote extramurally funded research at the School by serving as the institutional focal point for public and private investments in research within SSW and in partnership with other UNC Schools, departments, and units, as well as other universities and agencies. The ADR is a member of the University research deans and center directors' leadership group. The ADR represents SSW to federal, state, and local governments, corporate and community contacts, and other entities external to the University. As a public research university, we embrace the translation of evidence in service to our state, the nation, and in international settings.

Reporting to the Dean, the ADR manages the OSRP; supervises staff associated with that Office; advises the Dean on strategies to improve the research profile of our faculty; provides an annual fiscal report on external funding within SSW; plans educational and training events and opportunities within SSW to maintain and reinforce a scholarly organizational climate and to support research excellence among faculty; and evaluates and plans for research space and other resource needs. Additionally, the ADR arranges and monitors the performance of mentoring committees for all tenure-track faculty, consults with faculty in assembling dossier materials for appointments, promotion, and tenure, promotes interdisciplinary research efforts across campus, and reviews potential conflict-of-interest situations for financial/personal considerations.

This position holds a primary tenure-track/tenured appointment as a faculty within SSW, and as such, candidates should have an exceptional record of externally funded research, publications, and teaching. Tenure-track and tenured faculty within SSW have a teaching courseload of 4 courses per academic year; given the administrative responsibilities, this position will be expected to teach 2 courses per year (with the ability to buy-out of one of these two courses). This position has a standard distribution of effort that includes 34% administration, 33% teaching and instruction, 16.5% research, and 16.5% service and community engagement. A distinguished professorship is available for suitable candidates. We welcome applications from individuals whose research advances knowledge relevant to social work practice and policy across a range of substantive areas. This range includes (but is not limited to) child, youth, and family well-being; economic security; health, mental health, and behavioral health; older adults and long-term care; and system- and service-level research.

Applicants must possess a doctorate in social work or a related field.

Degrees in Social Work are highly valued but not required. Candidates should demonstrate an exceptional record of externally funded research, publications, and teaching, all in relation to their career stage.

Not Applicable.