Urban Child Institute Endowed Professorship in Child Health and Well-Being-Social Work-Fall 2026

Description

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Social Work (UTCSW) is seeking a highly regarded scholar to fill the position of Urban Child Institute Endowed Professorship in Child Health and Well-Being on our Nashville campus. The successful candidate will also be the founding director of a new center broadly focusing on research, education, and engagement around topics related to child and family well-being. This position provides a unique opportunity for a visionary leader to help us shape the mission and vision of the center and provide leadership and oversight to the center activities.   

 

This endowed professorship offers an outstanding opportunity for an experienced researcher to pursue their program of research in child health and well-being. Topic areas around child health and wellbeing are open, though scholars with expertise in early childhood are especially welcome. Research programs founded within the social determinants of health framework along with intervention models to promote health and well-being with children and families will find significant potential for collaboration with creative colleagues and doctoral students.  The ideal candidate will bring an interprofessional lens to community-engaged research and education; a strong record of scholarly activity; experience as a mentor to graduate students, and/or post-docs and pre-tenure faculty; and the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the access and engagement goals of the University. They also will meet the requirements for appointment at the appropriate rank for the University of Tennessee. To this end, the candidate should have an established record of substantial extramural funding (for professor level) or intramural and some extramural funding and indication of future potential for a sustained record of extramural funding (for associate level).  

 

As an endowed professor, the candidate must commit to a collaborative partnership with the Urban Child Institute and to nurturing existing and building new collaborations with community and research agencies in Shelby County, TN and the surrounding area. The successful candidate will help the UTCSW move forward our mission.   

 

Candidates for this position must have earned their Ph.D. in social work or related field. Successful candidates would need to meet the qualifications in order to be eligible to pursue tenure upon initial appointment. The positions will be located on the Nashville campus. This is a 9-month position. 

 

The University and the College of Social Work 

 

The University of Tennessee Knoxville is a land-grant, flagship research institution, that imagines “a world enriched by our ideas, improved through action, and inspired by the Volunteer Spirit of service and leadership.” (