The Department of Urban Planning and Community Development in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston invites candidates for a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin September 1, 2023. The ideal candidate will have a research, teaching, and outreach agenda focused on affordable housing policy making and planning; housing production, finance, and management; and urban real estate market analysis. Of particular interest are candidates committed to investigating innovative forms of socially integrated housing that address the escalating shelter costs and rising rates of residential segregation by race and class in multiple U.S. cities.

The UPCD Department seeks to advance the University’s urban mission through engaged scholarship and is committed to recruiting a highly skilled candidate interested in partnering with local organizations and stakeholders to achieve more just housing planning processes and outcomes. Priority will be given to candidates with an engaged scholarship agenda who is interested in innovative approaches by involving students in applied courses and collaborative planning studios undertaken with external partners.

A successful candidate for this position will be expected to develop and maintain an active research agenda supported by internal and external funding while teaching four high-quality graduate-level courses within the Department of Urban Planning and Community Development each year. Depending on the Department’s needs, candidates would also be expected to develop courses for UPCD’s undergraduate community development program. Furthermore, the successful candidate is expected to contribute to our core courses in urban planning and develop new courses in our Housing and Community Development Concentration. Established as a graduate program in 2015, the UPCD Department is currently in the final phase of its first Planning Accreditation Board review process. For this hire, priority will be given to individuals who can assist the Department in meeting the accreditation standards in their areas of expertise.

The successful candidate will be expected to supervise professional project reports in the graduate planning program and dissertations in SFE’s Environmental Science Ph.D. program. Additionally, the individual will be asked to serve on departmental, school, and university-level committees while connecting their research to the planning needs of non-profits and public agencies committed to addressing the mounting shelter crisis facing communities within the New England region.

An earned doctorate in urban and regional planning is required. Preference will be given to candidates with a professional planning degree and a record of accomplishment, in the field of affordable housing. Active participation in professional associations and national meetings of organizations committed to advancing innovative, affordable housing policy solutions, such as the American Planning Association, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Urban Affairs Association, Community Development Society, Urban Land Institute, and Smart Cities USA, is also desirable. In addition, successful candidates must demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through their scholarship, teaching, and service. As UMass Boston has the third most diverse student population in the country and holds anti-racism as a core value, interest in, successful approaches to, and demonstrated success in increasing diversity will be looked upon favorably.

Finally, a history of organizing and managing successful partnerships (e.g., community/university partnership planning projects, engaged studios, and community-based projects) in the housing area is highly desirable, including PhD-level experience in applied research. The search committee will consider all-but-dissertation (ABD) students who are in a position to complete their terminal degrees by no later than August of 2023.

Application instructions:

To apply, submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of research, teaching and community service values, a statement of diversity and values, along with names and contact information for three references.

Applicant review will begin Monday, November 21, 2022. For more information contact Professor Antonio Raciti at: antonio.raciti@umb.edu

UMass Boston requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to confirm proof of their vaccination status. Exemptions from the vaccine requirement will be permitted only for qualifying religious or medical reasons. Regardless of vaccination status, you must wear a face covering in public indoor spaces on campus.