Urban Child Institute Endowed Professorship in Child Health and Well--Social Work-Fall ; Associate

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville:
Knoxville Academic Units:
Social Work Location

Nashville, TN

Aug 28, 2026

Jan 15, 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

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, 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 have the ability to promote an atmosphere where all members of the university community feel welcome and can thrive. They also will meet the requirements for 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 to be hired as Associate or Professor. This 9-month position will be located on the Nashville campus. Start date will be August 1, 2027.

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.” (https://chancellor.utk.edu/vision/). The university is in the midst of unprecedented growth, with current enrollment of approximately 37,000 students. The University is one of 38 land-grant universities with Carnegie Foundation classification as both a Research 1:
Very High Spending and Doctorate Production, and the elective Classification for Community Engagement. Forbes Magazine recently ranked UTK as one of the best places to work in the US, including ranking it ninth among public higher education institutions in the United States. UTK offers a competitive benefits package, and 9-month tenure-track faculty are eligible for additional summer salary.

The University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work (UTCSW) has almost 1,000 students enrolled in undergraduate, MSSW, DSW, and PhD programs in Knoxville, Nashville, and…