Assistant Professor - African American/Black Psychology (25/26)

PSYCHOLOGY & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

The Psychology and Child Development Department in the College of Liberal Arts at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, seeks applications for a full-time, academic-year, tenure-track Assistant Professor in African American or Black Psychology, to begin September 11, 2025.

We are seeking a professor with teaching and/or research expertise in African American or Black Psychology. The ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to teaching excellence, university-level teaching experience, and evidence of professional activity that keeps them abreast of knowledge and developments within their discipline. Preference will be given to candidates with research specialization in marginalized and underserved populations.

The successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses in African American Psychology and Multicultural Psychology. The candidate may also teach additional courses in their sub-field, Research Methods, and/or upper-division courses on select topics. New courses within the candidate’s area of specialization may also be proposed. 

 Cal Poly strongly values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), in the classroom, in scholarship, and in service experience. This position is part of a university-wide cluster of searches designed to increase curricular coverage of areas related to DEI, as well as to promote inclusive and equity-minded teaching strategies across the university. Successful candidates will be expected to contribute to the university’s goals in these areas. Candidates selected through this DEI cluster hire will be given start-up funds to support their work in DEI and a dedicated mentor will be given upon appointment. Once hired, candidates will collaborate with their dean and others to develop a plan for utilizing these funds for supplemental compensation, assigned time, or professional development activities.  

For more information about Cal Poly’s DEI-Focused Cluster Hires, please visit: https://academic-personnel.calpoly.edu/clusterhire

The other searches are for positions in the following disciplines across campus:

• African American Politics and/or Policy (Political Science)
• African American Psychology (Psychology & Child Development)
• DEI-focused University Archivist (Special Collections and Archives, Library)
• Director of General Engineering (Dept. dependent on specialty)
• Environmental Health in Latinx/e Populations (Kinesiology and Public Health)
• Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development, focus on Latinx/e or Black populations (Natural Resources and Environmental Science)
• Environmental Social Justice, Latinx/e focus (Social Sciences)
• Metadata and Cataloguing Librarian (Collection Strategies and Discovery, Library)
• Spanish Language Journalism (Journalism)

Salary:  Anticipated Hiring Range: $90,276 - $98,244/year, $7,523 - $8,187/month 
(Note that hiring level will be commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate.)

Although Cal Poly is primarily a teaching university, our faculty are expected to balance teaching with an active program of research/professional development (including publication), student supervision and advising, and participation in service activities at the department and college/university level.  The typical teaching load is three 4-unit courses per quarter, with a reduction in course load in each of the first two years to help new faculty establish an active program of research and professional development. Cal Poly strongly values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), especially in the classroom and among its areas of study.

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) sees diversity as central to its mission and is committed to fostering an equitable and inclusive environment within the college and university. We value our diversity of complex and intersecting identities, while striving to maintain an environment that is socially just, equitable, respectful, and inclusive. The successful applicant should be able to clearly demonstrate how they have infused these values and student learning objectives into their work. They should be prepared to present clear examples of how they would infuse these areas into their work as a faculty member. 

At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, we believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity is fundamental to the success of our students, our employees, and our community. Bringing people together from different backgrounds and experiences fosters the innovative and creative thinking that exemplifies Cal Poly’s values of free inquiry and reflection on impacts of cultural context, mutual respect, civic engagement, and social