Tenure-Track Faculty Appointment Social Welfare

The Department of Social Welfare in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA invites applications for two full-time, tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professors with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2026. Tenure-track faculty have an annual service period of nine months from the end of September through mid-June. We plan to hire scholars in the areas of 1) Health and Aging and 2) Child and Family Well-Being. We seek faculty who bring new thinking and methods to these areas of research, teaching, community engagement, and applied social welfare knowledge. In both positions, we will prioritize a research agenda aligned with our departmental mission of advancing knowledge, practice, and policy for a just society.

Scholars in the area of Health and Aging should include a track record of scholarship on health promotion and disease prevention, health care access, aging, and/or end of life care. We are interested in scholarship that promotes health across the lifespan, with a preference for those focused on older adults. We also welcome expertise on health care inequities. structural disadvantages, social work in health care settings, and/or gerontological social work practice. A candidate in this area will teach in our Health and Mental Health Across the Life Span concentration.

Scholars in the area of Child and Family Well-Being should include a track record of scholarship on child and family well-being, development, and thriving. We are interested in scholarship that includes children at any stage from birth through emerging adulthood. We also welcome expertise on the child welfare system and/or related systems and social welfare institutions that shape child development and family well-being. A candidate in this area will teach in our Child and Family Well-Being area of concentration.

Successful candidates will have a compelling record of knowledge production in their area of interest, including peer-reviewed publications and funded projects. Our interdisciplinary environment values intellectual curiosity and multiple methodologies (i.e. qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) and welcomes diverse perspectives (i.e., Indigenous, decolonial, critical race theory, feminist, evidence-informed, behavioral, human rights, ethics-based, and others) as they are applied to social science research and social welfare knowledge production. Of special interest is expertise in or a focus on an underserved population, such as Indigenous, LGTBQ+, and undocumented immigrant communities.

Applicants must have earned a PhD in social work/social welfare or a related social science discipline by the date of hire (anticipated July 1, 2026) and must hold an MSW degree. A successful candidate will be prepared to conduct quality research, teach and mentor at the graduate (MSW and PhD) and undergraduate levels, participate in service to the university and profession, and promote a diverse and inclusive community of faculty, staff, and students. We seek faculty who engage actively in the student community, shaping a vibrant and inclusive culture through mentorship, advising, and participation in our educational programs.

UCLA is consistently ranked among the top research universities across the nation and the world. The Department of Social Welfare is ranked within the top eight schools of social work nationally and is the only social work program in Southern California housed in a major public research university. The Department of Social Welfare is situated in an interdisciplinary School of Public Affairs along with highly ranked departments of Urban Planning and Public Policy. In 2020, we established three areas of concentration in the MSW program and joined a school-wide undergraduate major in Public Affairs. In 2026, our faculty will also participate in the newly formed Masters in Global Public Affairs program at the Luskin School.

Our current faculty includes 16 tenured and tenure-track professors, 9 practicum faculty, 3 adjunct faculty, 8 staff members, and numerous lecturers. The Social Welfare Department has approximately 250 MSW students and 40 PhD students. In addition to our CSWE accredited MSW program and our PhD program, we offer a post-MSW school social work credential (PPSC), public child welfare and public behavioral health training programs, and a summer leadership institute. We also have joint master's degree programs with Asian American Studies, Law, Public Health, and Public Policy. The Luskin School has several research centers whose work illuminates contemporary policies, such as the Latino Policy and Politics Institute, the Institute on Inequality and Democracy, and the Center for Policy Research on Aging, and other centers in the Luskin School and across the UCLA campus.

MSW Required

PhD in Social Work/Social Welfare or related field required

Position title: Assistant Professor, Department of Social Welfare

Please submit your materials via Recruit by January 15, 2026 for full consideration and not later than January 30, 2026.

• 3 required (contact information only)

Please provide names and contact information for three references. References will only be contacted for finalists.

Position title: Associate Professor, Department of Social Welfare

Please submit your materials via Recruit by January 15, 2026 for full consideration and not later than January 30, 2026.

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Please provide names and contact information for three references. References will only be contacted for finalists.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
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  UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
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  UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment