Associate​/Full Professor School Environment

Job Description

The School for the Environment (SFE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston invites applications for the position of Chair of a new academic department focusing on environmental sciences and sustainability to begin September 1, 2026.

The Chair will provide visionary leadership, establishing the department’s mission and vision and fostering transdisciplinary collaboration, transparency, and excellence. The role requires a leader with experience as a department chair or other relevant academic/organizational leadership positions, capable of building a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration that aligns with the School’s broader goals.

Our new department will build on the success of SFE. Together with faculty, the Chair will maintain the core strengths of SFE—transdisciplinary culture, high‑quality research, complex systems thinking, and a problem‑solving approach—while leveraging new opportunities as a separate department. The department will comprise seventeen tenured and tenure‑track faculty, sixteen affiliated faculty, and offer undergraduate (B.S., B.A.) and graduate (M.S., Ph.D.) programs serving approximately 300 students.

The programs prepare the next generation of environmental scientists and professionals for science‑informed solutions in diverse communities and ecosystems.

The successful candidate will sustain a research agenda relevant to environmental science and/or sustainability, with a particular emphasis on climate change, environmental pollution, and health impacts on under-invested communities. Scholarship that integrates science, regulation, and policy to support equitable and sustainable outcomes is preferred.

The preferred candidate should work effectively with core and affiliate faculty, employing transdisciplinary, equity‑informed methodologies, including community‑based participatory approaches. Strong interaction with the Urban Planning and Community Development Department and other School collaborators—such as Living on Earth, Mass Bays National Estuary Partnership, and the UMass Boston CANALA Institutes—is expected.

• Visionary Leadership: Provide forward‑thinking leadership and collaborate with the Dean’s leadership team to advance the department’s strategic direction, champion transdisciplinary research, education, and innovation, and act as a steward of departmental resources.
• Program Development: Facilitate the growth of academic programs, research initiatives, and strategic partnerships, guiding the expansion of offerings and experiential learning opportunities aligned with emerging global challenges.
• Teaching and Research: Maintain an active research agenda that complements existing faculty research programs; teach undergraduate and graduate courses; advise students; and contribute to a dynamic, transdisciplinary learning environment.
• Mentorship and Faculty Development: Support faculty at all career stages, fostering scholarly productivity, creativity, and professional growth within a transdisciplinary culture.
• Collaboration and Outreach: Engage deeply with the university community and cultivate productive relationships with research centers, industry partners, community organizations, and governmental agencies.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice across the department’s programs and initiatives, supporting a diverse student community in line with UMass Boston’s commitment to inclusive excellence.

• Earned doctorate in a natural or social science.
• Distinguished scholarship, teaching, funding, and leadership record with tenure at a previous institution, demonstrating sustained academic excellence.
• Demonstrated leadership and organizational experience in department management or comparable roles.

• Salary range: $112,500 to $173,000, determined by the University at the time of an offer.
• Open to individuals with disabilities to receive reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. Contact HR for accommodations.

UMass Boston is the third most diverse university in the country, with more than 60% of undergraduate students from minoritized communities and groups. The institution values the diverse life experiences of its students and seeks candidates who appreciate and integrate these perspectives into their scholarship, teaching, and service.