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Planning and the Environment

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Position description

UCLA’s Department of Urban Planning invites applicants for a tenure-track faculty position in Planning and the Environment. As we confront the immediate and long-range challenges of large-scale environmental change, particularly the impacts of climate change, the ability to understand and integrate complex knowledge systems and approach planning for uncertain futures becomes increasingly critical. We welcome a broad range of research interests around the central concerns of planning for the environment. Specific research topics might include structures of environmental governance, rethinking the politics of environmental services, planning for climate change mitigation and adaptation, resilience, urban ecologies and urban sustainability, ecological economics, environmental economics, environmental modeling, critical environmental assessments, energy transitions, political ecology, and planning topics related to science and technology studies.

Our focus is on scholars with core expertise in U.S. domestic environmental analytics, but we welcome those with global and related perspectives. We also welcome scholars from a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches, and from multidisciplinary backgrounds, including but not limited to planning, public policy, environmental science, ecology, geography, science and technology studies, environmental ethnography, and political science. We expect the new colleague to take the lead in advancing collaborative and interdisciplinary research on the natural and built environments of cities and regions at UCLA, including with colleagues at the Fielding School of Public Health, the Institute of Environment and Sustainability, the Anderson School of Management, Environmental Engineering, Geography, Anthropology, and the Law School.

The Department of Urban Planning, in the Luskin School of Public Affairs, currently hosts 16 tenured/tenure-track planning faculty, seven affiliated tenured/tenure-track faculty, four visiting practice faculty, five active professors emeriti, 38 Ph.D. students, 148 master’s students, and 60 undergraduate minors across its large, diverse, and highly selective Ph.D., master’s, and undergraduate programs. We have a tradition of intellectual leadership in urban and regional studies and design, and our faculty, students, and alumni have long been known for their passionate commitment to social justice and progressive planning ideals.

Los Angeles is a global city renowned for its dynamism, robust economy, rich cultural diversity, and spectacular climate. The Department of Urban Planning has the unique advantage of being situated in an interdisciplinary school of public affairs along with highly ranked departments of Social Welfare and Public Policy. All faculty in the Luskin School of Public Affairs (including the departments of Social Welfare, Urban Planning, and Public Policy) have opportunities to participate in current initiatives in global affairs, digital technologies, the environment, democracy and inequality, and social justice, equity, and opportunity.

UCLA offers competitive salary and attractive benefits packages, including a housing assistance program for new faculty members. The University of California seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning. The Department of Urban Planning in particular is committed to diversity and excellence in our faculty, students, and scholarship, and we especially encourage candidates who share and can contribute to this commitment. A separate statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion should also be included in the application materials.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age or protected veteran status (see the UC Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Policy for details).

While we expect to appoint at the rank of Assistant Professor, applicants and appointments at all levels will be considered. The successful candidate is expected to hold a Ph.D. in urban planning or a related discipline. The expected start date is July 1, 2018. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. All materials must be submitted via UCLA Academic Recruit by Monday, November 13, 2017, to be guaranteed full consideration.

Please visit http://luskin.ucla.edu/open-positions/ for other related academic opportunities. You are welcome to apply for multiple positions, but you must submit your applications separately for each position of interest.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Please attach your C.V. Be sure to clearly identify all publications, the author order, and whether the publication was refereed. Note as well all courses taught, co-taught, and (if applicable) in which you served as a Teaching Assistant.

  • Cover Letter - In a statement of around 250 words, please describe your interest in the position.

  • Statement of Research - In a statement of around 750 words, please describe your approach to research, the principal questions that motivate your work, your past research accomplishments, and your plans for the future.

  • Statement of Teaching - In a statement of around 500 words, describe your approach to teaching and mentoring. List all current UCLA courses you would be willing and able to teach, as well as new courses that you would like to develop and teach.

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - In a statement of around 500 words, please describe your personal and professional contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion through research, teaching, and/or service.

  • Misc / Additional - Please attach up to two pieces of written work that best reflect your scholarship.

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 letters of reference required

Job location

Los Angeles, CA