Sustainability

Job Posting: Assistant/Associate Professor of Urban Climate Resilience and Adaptation Disparities

Job Posting: Assistant/Associate Professor of Urban Climate Resilience and Adaptation Disparities

Deadline to Apply: Review of applications will begin on September 15, 2022 and continue until the position is filled.

Department:

Engineering | Civil Environmental and Geodetic Engineering

The Ohio State University invites applications for a cluster hire of three tenure-track faculty in the area of Climate, Race and Place under the university-wide Race, Inclusion and Social Equity (RAISE) initiative. The University seeks to elevate its globally recognized expertise in the science of climate change and adaptation to a new level through a cluster hire of faculty who can holistically investigate, using climate data analytics, the racial disparities and social inequities of climate impacts and help shape adaptations sensitive to these disparities across various geographic scales. This cluster hire creates an opportunity to disrupt traditional knowledge structures and to transcend disciplinary barriers by re-centering climate science in the broadest sense.  Participating academic units are the Department of Geography, the School of the Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of Civil, Environment and Geodetic Engineering, jointly with the City and Regional Planning Section, to bring much needed depth of understanding of racial disparities and climate justice.  As participating departments, we seek innovative and creative faculty who bring diverse research approaches and life experiences to advance understanding of how people and places are differentially impacted by climate change through a commitment to interdisciplinary collaborations.  Partnering institutes provide a university-wide infrastructure to support the success of the faculty hires, including: the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (working in the area of race and equity across space and places); the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and the Global Water Institute (working to expand water access through the Alliance for Navajo Sustainability) as well as the Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration (working in the area of climate science and adaptation); and the Sustainability Institute and the Translational Data Analytics Institute (to facilitate significant interdisciplinary collaborations).

Additional Information:

This position is one of three faculty appointments in the Climate, Race and Place cluster hire to advance climate justice at The Ohio State University (OSU), and is part of a broader Race, Inclusion and Social Equity (RAISE) initiative focused on narrowing a range of disparities.

This Assistant Professor position is available with the option to be hired into the Provost’s Tenure-Track Fellow to Faculty Program with an appointment to a mentored position as an instructor in the tenure track for up to two-years before transitioning to the Assistant Professor position.  

The successful candidate will be expected to develop a nationally-recognized research program focused on racial and ethnic population disparities of resilience and adaptation to climate change events in cities. This position builds upon departmental strengths in natural hazard resilience of infrastructure systems and access to urban services to strengthen the equity framework through which observations are made, research questions framed and solutions advanced. Candidate research areas must align with the broad thematic area of this position announcement at the nexus of race/ethnicity studies, climate change science and urban infrastructure design. Topic areas broadly include, and are not limited to, community vulnerability and response to extreme weather events, community adaptation via a just transition to low-carbon transportation and household energy future, community public health and climate impacts on air and water quality.  Applicants may choose which of the two partnering academic units, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering or City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture, is their primary partial appointment (70%) for purposes of promotion review.  The other academic unit will constitute their minority appointment (30%) for teaching and research contributions. 

Expectations for the position include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in civil and environmental engineering or city and regional planning; establishing and sustaining an active, externally-funded research program toward national and international recognition in the field; advising graduate and undergraduate students; and engaging in outreach and service activities with communities, professional organizations and the university. The successful candidate should be prepared to collaborate across disciplines and work with diverse communities and faculty. The faculty position is full time (9-month) and starts no earlier than January 2023.  

Required Qualifications: 

  • A doctoral degree in civil/environmental engineering, city and regional planning, or a closely related field prior to the start date of the appointment 
  • An established record of research commensurate with prior training and specialization 
  • Evidence of potential for developing a nationally recognized research program
  • Interest and ability to engage in research collaborations with faculty in Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering and The Knowlton School 
  • Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching, and an ability to communicate effectively with faculty and students 

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Professional experience such as post-doctoral and other research positions in academia, national labs, and industry in related fields 
  • Demonstrated experience collaborating on interdisciplinary initiatives 
  • Experience working with diverse populations and commitment to diversity/inclusivity 
  • Professional engineering or planning licensure or the ability to obtain registration 

Provost Fellow to Faculty Program: 

Applicants applying for appointment as an Assistant Professor position will be considered for the Provost’s Tenure-Track Fellow to Faculty Program—a two-year program that assists early career scholars as they transition to the tenure track. Provost Fellows will receive research funding and participate in career development programs to support their transition to assistant professor and their long-term career success. In addition, Provost Fellows will focus time on research for up to two years allowing for an in-depth start on scholarship, with limited teaching requirements (although Fellows may teach one course per year if they choose), participate in the activities within the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering or City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture, and have a designated faculty mentor. Following the fellowship period, which is an instructor rank appointment, Provost Fellows will then transfer to the rank of Assistant Professor within either the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering or the City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture and the tenure clock will begin. 

RAISE Initiative:

Through the Race, Inclusion and Social Equity (RAISE) initiative, Ohio State is enhancing our world-class research program on race, inclusion, and social equity. Over the next decade, the university will add at least 50 tenure-track faculty members to existing scholars whose research can help to narrow social disparities in educational attainment, health outcomes, rates of incarceration, political representation, environmental impacts, and economic well-being.  Adding scholars in focused areas will enhance the University’s outstanding faculty and inform solutions to intractable issues.  RAISE is part of Ohio State’s larger initiative to expand the size and impact of Ohio State’s faculty over the coming decade, while also enhancing academic and personal resources to support Ohio State scholars, educators, and practitioners through all phases of their careers. 

Dual Careers

The Ohio State University is committed to enhancing academic excellence. Recruiting, supporting, and retaining faculty of the highest caliber is a core component of this commitment. In support of this, The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) has created the Office of Dual Careers and Faculty Relocation (DCFR) to focus on supporting new and prospective faculty. This support includes dual careers services, consultation and resources related to relocation, as well as identifying opportunities to engage on campus and the surrounding community. While employment opportunities are not guaranteed, resources and consultation are available to support the partners of new and prospective faculty as they are considering The Ohio State University and throughout their transition.