Assistant Professor, Developmental Psychology CAHSS

As the University’s largest and most varied academic unit, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) is comprised of artists, learners, performers, scholars, scientists, and teachers across 21+ departments, programs, schools, and centers and acts as a central hub where many of the University's disciplines intersect. Nearly all 6,000 undergraduates at the University take liberal arts courses with us, and about one-third of these students declare a first major in a CAHSS program. Most of our departments, programs and schools offer masters or doctoral programs. CAHSS scholars, artists, instructors, staff, and students collaborate in a shared quest for knowledge about the human condition and the development of skills to improve our local and global communities. The broad scope of CAHSS allows our students to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed at nearly any career in today’s global society.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Denver (DU) is a research-oriented unit, valuing a collaborative and integrative approach to psychological science that fosters intellectual curiosity and innovation and invests in people in a supportive and inclusive environment. Our mission is to advance psychological science by generating and sharing new knowledge through collaborative scholarship, educating and mentoring student scholars, and contributing to the public good. We are a highly collaborative, research-oriented department that values interdisciplinary perspectives and connections across traditional department areas (see www.du.edu/psychology for more information).

Our department’s vision is to be an inclusive intellectual community that fosters discovery and innovation. Students and faculty in the Psychology Department actively engage in best practices in inclusive teaching, research, and service. Our department is home to two research institutes - the Stress, Early Experience, and Development (SEED) Research Institute ( https://liberalarts.du.edu/psychology/seed) and the Relationship Science Institute. The departments PhD program is currently ranked 62 in the nation.

Our Developmental Psychology Area has a broad research and training program that encompasses prenatal through adult development, addresses important psychological, social, and health outcomes, and integrates research across the developmental, clinical, neuroscience, stress physiology, and artificial intelligence (AI) areas of study. This area is also a core part of the SEED Research Institute, which fosters rigorous interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research with collaborative community partners to promote intergenerational health, well-being and resilience.

Position Summary

We seek candidates for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position beginning September 1st, 2026, in the Developmental Psychology area of the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. We are particularly interested in individuals doing work on cognitive development, focusing on its intersection with social and emotional development. For example, this work could include topics such as (a) the effects of positive and/or adverse early experiences on cognitive developmental outcomes, (b) the social and emotional correlates of executive function, and (c) the effects of social and cultural contexts on social-cognitive outcomes. We anticipate that a wide range of research programs beyond these specific examples would match the position, and we encourage applications on diverse cognitive, social, and emotional topics in developmental psychology.

Our department values a developmental approach with many of our faculty across areas having interests in human development, especially during the prenatal period, infancy and early childhood, middle childhood/school-age, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Many faculty members share an interest in understanding stress, early experiences, and development and are members of the Stress, Early Experience, and Development (SEED) Research Institute. We welcome possibilities for candidates to connect with our department’s current research at many methodological levels.

Successful applicants will have an outstanding record of research achievement and a strong commitment to both undergraduate and graduate education, including classroom teaching and mentoring. Candidates should describe how their research connects to and complements the existing research strengths of our developmental faculty and other departmental faculty. Candidates should also be committed to working with all student and community populations, and have demonstrated skills and knowledge in inclusive research and teaching practices.

We welcome your questions directed to our department chair, Professor Kateri McRae, at Kateri.McRae@d