Assistant Professor: Urban Geographer

Assistant Professor: Urban Geographer
Geography

Location: San Diego, CA
Open Date:
Sep 13, 2023

Description
The Department of Geography at San Diego State University (SDSU) is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in urban geography to begin in Fall 2024. We are specifically looking for candidates whose research addresses social and/or racial inequalities and their relationships to individual, community, or population wellbeing from a geographic perspective using qualitative methods.

Candidates must have a demonstrated primary research focus on urban geography and a commitment to working with diverse groups through research, teaching, mentoring, and service. We are especially interested in people with expertise in areas such as migration, race and racism, social and economic inequality, crime and policing, urban governance, gentrification, urbanization and urban development, and environmental and social justice in urban settings anywhere in the world, including along the Mexico-US border.

Faculty in the department of geography specialize in urban, environmental, and physical geography and geographic information science (see our website for additional information). Areas of expertise complementing the candidate’s include social movements, gentrification, children’s geographies, migration, economic inequality, informal economies, human-environment dynamics, and food geographies. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the Urban Studies program, whose interdisciplinary majors depend heavily on teaching, mentoring, and advising by geography faculty.

Qualifications
Candidates must have a doctoral degree in geography or related discipline and a research and funding record of accomplishment that demonstrates their ability to establish a clear program of research. A history of experience with extramural funding from federal agencies (e.g., NSF) is preferred. Ideally, candidates would have experience conducting research in interdisciplinary environments. The Department of Geography and the University will provide structured faculty development to assist faculty in achieving success as independent researchers through research training opportunities, community building among interdisciplinary researchers, and mentorship support as faculty work to establish their program of teaching, research, and service at SDSU.

Teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels is desired but not required. Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in teaching and mentoring students at the undergraduate and graduate level, including master and doctoral students in geography.

We are seeking applicants with demonstrated experience in and/or commitment to teaching and working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and members of underrepresented groups. Candidates must satisfy two or more of the eight Building on Inclusive Excellence (BIE) criteria. Candidates that meet BIE criteria: (a) are committed to engaging in service with underrepresented populations within the discipline, (b) have demonstrated knowledge of barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline, (c) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring underrepresented students, (d) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to integrating understanding of underrepresented populations and communities into research, (e) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to extending knowledge of opportunities and challenges in achieving artistic/scholarly success to members of an underrepresented group, (f) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to research that engages underrepresented communities, (g) have expertise or demonstrated commitment to developing expertise in cross-cultural communication and collaboration, and/or (h) have research interests that contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education. Please indicate in a separate diversity statement how you meet at least two (2) of these criteria. Additional guidance on our BIE program for applicants is here.

SDSU and the Department of Geography
SDSU is the oldest institution of higher education in the San Diego region, with a campus in San Diego serving 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students and additional locations in Southern California’s Imperial Valley and Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia. SDSU is included in the Carnegie Foundation’s Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity category. Established in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor degrees in 97 areas, masters in 84 and doctorates in 23. See http://www.sdsu.edu for more information. SDSU is a large, diverse, urban university, an Asian-Native American-Pacific Islander Serving Institution and a Hispanic Serving Institution with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. Our campus community is diverse in many ways, including race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, pregnancy, medical condition, and covered veteran status. We strive to build and sustain a welcoming environment for all.

Within SDSU, the Department of Geography has one of the strongest research programs, with focus areas in human geography, environment and society, physical geography, and GIScience. The Department offers M.A. degrees in Geography, as well as M.S. degrees in Geographic Information Science and Watershed Science. The joint doctoral program with the University of California, Santa Barbara is a distinctive doctoral program in Geography, bringing together resources from two outstanding institutions. See information about the doctoral program on our website for more information.

Collaborative, transdisciplinary, and trans-border research opportunities abound at SDSU. The university is home to many Centers and Institutes focused on various urban issues including food, sustainability, social inclusion, and health. As a large and socially diverse city located along the US-Mexico border, San Diego serves as an ideal hub for urban research, with many opportunities for collaboration in applied and community-based research, including work with newly arrived immigrants and refugees from many countries and Native American tribes and bands who have lived in the area since time immemorial.

Through our classes and graduate programs, the department of geography aims to provide students with the knowledge, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and proficiency in geographical techniques required to understand complex global and local interdependencies between people, places and environments. Geography students master theories and practices in physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as geospatial technologies. Our students not only develop abilities to conduct research, analyze evidence, and communicate clearly, but they also learn how to develop solutions to real world problems using an integrative approach.

The successful applicant should expect to teach at least several of the following courses offered by our department, with the potential to develop additional courses in their area of expertise:

Geography 102: People, Places, and Environments

Geography 312: Culture Worlds

Geography 342: Food, Place, and Culture

Geography 354: Geography of Cities

Geography 348: Environment and Development

Geography 426: Regional Field Studies

Geography 440: Food Justice

Geography 454: Sustainable Cities

Geography 554: World Cities

Geography 590: Community-Based Geographic Research

Geography 573: Population and Environment

Geography 586: Qualitative Methods in Geographic Research

Geography 740: Seminar in Human Geography

Geography 760: Seminar in Behavioral and Social Geography

Application Instructions
To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/131674

Candidates should submit: (1) an application letter describing research and teaching interests; (2) a curriculum vitae listing publications, presentations, teaching and mentoring experience, and past, current and pending funding; (3) a diversity statement describing the applicant’s commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia through meeting BIE criteria described above; (4) a research writing sample; and (5) the names and contact information of three references (we will eventually request letters from these references for selected candidates with a turnaround time of approximately 2 weeks).

Materials should be submitted on Interfolio http://apply.interfolio.com/131674. Applications received by November 1, 2023 will receive full consideration, but the position will remain open until filled.

Application review will begin on November 1, 2023 and the position will remain open until it is filled. For additional inquiries or questions, please contact Dr. Pascale Joassart-Marcelli (pmarcell@sdsu.edu).

The minimum salary for this position is based on the current CSU salary schedule for Assistant Professors and may be revised based on contract collective bargaining. The anticipated salary range is from $85,000 to $92,000. Salary placement will be based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience, and salaries higher than the published maximums may be offered in limited circumstances. San Diego State University offers a rich benefits package that constitutes a major portion of total compensation. For benefits information, click here.

As part of its commitment to a safe and equitable “OneSDSU” community, SDSU requires that individuals seeking faculty employment provide at the time of application authorization to conduct background checks if they become a finalist for the position; applications without this authorization will be considered incomplete and not considered.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

SDSU is a Title IX, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, medical condition, or covered veteran status.