Assistant/Associate Professor Faculty Position in Urban Environmental Planning

University of Southern California

Sol Price School of Public Policy

Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis

Assistant/Associate Professor Faculty Position in Urban Environmental Planning

Position Description and Qualifications:

The University of Southern California’s Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis in the Sol Price School of Public Policy invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in urban planning at the Assistant or Associate Professor level, focusing on environmental policy and planning.

Applicants should hold an advanced degree in urban planning or a related field and demonstrate excellent research and teaching records appropriate to rank. We seek candidates whose research examines the environment, resilience and sustainability. We are particularly interested in candidates on the methodological cutting-edge in the collection, management, and analysis of data from diverse sources, and who incorporate questions of justice into their research. Scholars working on environmental security, climate adaptation, urban resilience, and urban sustainability will be especially competitive.

Preference as well will be given to those who have research and teaching interests that support the Department’s two complementary and cross-cutting themes. 1) Data and the built environment: navigation of new data, visualization, and analytic landscapes in service of the field’s core function at the nexus of human behavior, policy, and the built environment. 2) Social justice: articulation of a concrete vision of a more just and inclusive society and actively exploring effective strategies to attain that.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to our university’s commitment to excellence in research, engagement, and education. We encourage applications from candidates that identify with groups that are historically underrepresented in urban planning.

The Price School of Public Policy has a long tradition of research in the environmental area, and has several faculty members in this area with whom to engage. USC offers many opportunities related to this position in relation to research centers and programs, including the University's new Sustainability Initiative, Schwarzenegger Institute, Wrigley Institute, Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, USC Center for Sustainability Solutions, and several interdisciplinary research centers devoted to natural and man-made hazards.

Related degree programs offered by the Price School include an undergraduate major in Urban Studies and Planning, a master’s degree in Urban Planning, an Executive Master of Urban Planning, and a PhD degree in Urban Planning and Development. Our new colleague will contribute to teaching in our planning programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.   

Applicants are encouraged from a broad range of disciplines (e.g., urban planning, public policy, civil engineering, geography, economics, architecture) with a demonstrated capacity to integrate methods and insights across disciplinary boundaries. Research projects sited domestically and globally are both welcome.

We encourage applicants as a component of their teaching and research statement, to discuss their experience or commitment to engaging with diversity through activities such as fostering an inclusive environment, working with students from diverse backgrounds, or incorporating diverse perspectives

About the Sol Price School of Public Policy:

The mission of the Sol Price School of Public Policy is to improve the quality of life for people and their communities, here and abroad.  We achieve this mission through education and research that promote innovative solutions to the most critical issues facing society, with a particular focus on governance, urban development, and social policy. The Price School offers Ph.D. programs in Public Policy and Management and in Urban Planning and Development; masters’ degrees in Public Administration, Public Policy, Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Urban Planning, Health Administration, and Real Estate Development; executive masters’ degrees; and undergraduate degrees. 

Our mission statement drives all of the work of the Price School and underscores our efforts to increase the diversity of our faculty.  The people and communities we serve locally and abroad require that we respond to the broader social and demographic shifts we see with a faculty that is representative of these shifts.

USC is one of the world’s premiere research universities. The Price School is a major contributor to the university’s reputation.  Our school supports an array of thematic research centers with $80 million in active sponsored research, ranking third overall in funded research at USC on a per faculty basis. Much of the school’s research is conducted through its centers, institutes, and research groups. Among them are the Bedrosian Center on Governance, Center for Economic Development, Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), Center for Sustainable Cities, Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy, Lusk Center for Real Estate, METRANS Transportation Center, Price Center for Social Innovation, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, and the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy

For additional information, see our website: www.usc.edu/schools/price/

Compensation and Benefits:

The University of Southern California offers a competitive salary within an academic environment based on the candidate’s experience and accomplishments. The university also offers excellent benefits to employees, which include: health, dental and life insurance; tuition assistance; disability and retirement plans; credit union membership; and participation in cultural and social events, as well as access to athletic and recreational facilities.

An Equal Opportunity Employer:

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

Apply for this Position:

Applicants should submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae and three letters of reference. Applicants should also include a succinct statement on fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion. For priority consideration, applicants should apply by January 31, 2020.