Applied Developmental Science, Cluster Hire Focus on Health Equity

THE ELIOT-PEARSON DEPARTMENT OF CHILD STUDY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor position in Applied Developmental Science, with a focus on Health Equity to begin September 1, 2025.

We seek a colleague who shares our holistic, strengths-based, community-engaged perspective and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice (DEIJ). The department is well-known for applied research and learner-centered teaching that prepares undergraduate and graduate students for careers working in clinical, educational, community-based, and policy-oriented settings with children, youth, families, and communities. See http://as.tufts.edu/epcshd/ for more information about the department, its programs, and research centers.

We invite applicants whose scholarship represents the integration of research and practice, including the application of research to prevention and intervention programs, governmental and organizational policies, and community and civic engagement. Because this position will be part of a cluster hire with a focus on health equity, areas of scholarly interest may include (but are not limited to): early childhood/family mental and physical health; social disparities in well-being and the systemic issues serving as barriers (e.g., lack of access to resources) or supports to thriving; family centered (two-generation) programs addressing mental health and well-being; social policy and programs and their impact on health and well-being in marginalized communities with particular emphasis on health equity. Importantly, we are searching for a scholar who emphasizes strengths-based approaches to engaging with families and communities impacted by inequities (e.g., due to structural, institutional, and systemic racism, segregation, colonization) related to issues of health and wellbeing. It is imperative that the scholar's approach includes an asset-based lens that invites and engages partnerships by recognizing and leveraging the strengths present among people and communities that have been marginalized. For example, a participatory researcher working with minoritized communities might address the impact of disparities in communities' access to physical and mental health resources. Further, they might participate in co-developing with community members strengths-based, culturally sustaining prevention programs. A policy-focused scholar might have expertise in local, national, and/or global approaches to understanding the impacts (including health/mental health impacts) of years of systemic inequities in policies and programs on children and families. We are also interested in colleagues who embrace a multidisciplinary approach and a systems orientation, recognizing the interconnections of different levels of the human ecology.