Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Job Location: Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham NC 

The Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy at Duke University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in Environmental Justice.  We seek a broadly-trained social scientist whose scholarship is empirically grounded and theoretically informed. We are especially interested in scholars who focus on: the structural, institutional and historical roots of environmental injustices; the processes and mechanisms through which environmental injustices are perpetuated; or policy interventions and other solutions that promote environmental justice. Competitive applicants will have training and expertise in a relevant social science discipline or interdisciplinary field (including but not limited to: sociology, demography, geography, anthropology, political science, economics, environmental studies, Black studies, LatinX studies, Queer studies, decolonial studies, political ecology, or Indigenous studies), and they will have a demonstrated record of scholarship that engages with and applies theories and dimensions of environmental justice. The successful applicant will be expected to establish an externally funded research program that is widely recognized for both intellectual rigor and societal impacts, including but not limited to community-engaged or policy-engaged scholarship. 

The position will be based on Duke University’s main campus in Durham, North Carolina with opportunities to collaborate closely with the School’s Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. The position will provide abundant opportunities to engage with environmental justice scholars and practitioners within the Nicholas School of the Environment and across Duke University (e.g., Superfund Research Center, Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, Divinity School, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Global Health Institute, Center for International and Global Studies, Human Rights Center, Kenan Institute for Ethics). Moreover, Duke’s home, North Carolina, has deep ties to environmental justice social movements that are active locally, nationally, and globally. The position complements Duke’s university-wide Climate Commitment, which has environmental justice as a priority, and recent faculty searches by the Nicholas School in climate policy, spatial ecology, and marine/coastal climate change. 

The successful applicant will contribute enthusiastically to teaching and advising and to appropriate service activities in the University and the applicant’s professional field. Teaching will consist of 2.5 courses per year, to be assigned by the Division chair, and will serve the Nicholas School’s professional Master of Environmental Management (MEM) and Master of Forestry (MF) degree programs as well as Ph.D. and undergraduate programs. Teaching and mentoring will contribute especially to the School’s new MEM concentration in Community Engagement and Environmental Justice. Participation in doctoral student training will be through the Division’s Environment Program and the Duke University Program in Environmental Policy. 

The Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy is home to faculty in both the natural and social sciences. Division faculty are at the forefront of generating new disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge on scientific, management, and policy aspects of a range of environmental topics, and using this knowledge to inform local, state, national, and international policy. We value engagement with governments, private companies, nonprofit civil society organizations, and local communities to promote more sustainable relationships between humans and the environment. We also value diverse ways of knowing, understanding, and learning. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, staff, and students who share our commitment to these values. The Nicholas School is committed to supporting the ‘whole person’, whether faculty, staff, or student. This includes addressing the broader needs of faculty, including dual career couples and primary care givers. Qualified individuals who have had non-traditional career paths, taken time off for family reasons, or achieved excellence in careers outside academia are encouraged to apply. Financial and in-kind resources are available from the University, the Nicholas School and the Division to pursue activities that help accelerate our efforts to achieve our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Examples of ongoing programming may be found at DEI at the Nicholas School. 

Basic qualification: Ph.D. or equivalent degree, received no later than June 2024. Preferred qualifications: Applications should demonstrate exceptional research performance and plans for developing innovative and ambitious externally funded research programs that will advance knowledge on environmental justice. Applicants should show potential to become outstanding teachers and advisors and to integrate elements of diversity, equity, and inclusion into their academic portfolio. 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENT 

1. A one-page cover letter that highlights the applicant’s primary reasons for interest in the position and principal qualifications for it. 2. A current curriculum vitae. 3. A two-page statement of research accomplishments and interests within the context of knowledge frontiers in the applicant’s discipline, including information about existing or planned research funding. 4. A two-page statement on teaching and mentoring philosophy that includes concrete examples of how the applicant has put their philosophy into practice. 5. A one-page statement describing contributions to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), including information about understanding of DEI topics, record of activities to date, and ideas for advancing DEI as a faculty member at Duke. 6. Up to three representative publications. 7. Names and contact information for a minimum of three references. 

Applications should be directed to AcademicJobsOnline. Candidates submitting applications by October 25, 2023 will receive full consideration. 

Questions regarding this position can be addressed to the Search Committee Chair: Dr. Ryan Emanuel, Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University; ryan.emanuel@duke.edu. 

Duke is one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, it is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the United States to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. 

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values. 

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. For the complete Duke University nondiscrimination and affirmative action policies see: https://oie.duke.edu/introduction-policies.