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Description
Position Announcement: Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Positions (Open Rank)
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Social Work invites applications for tenure-track faculty at the assistant, associate, or full professor levels. Several positions will be filled. Founded in 1917, the VCU School of Social Work is a long-established leader in social work education and research. With BSW, MSW, and PhD programs, and both online and on-campus learning modalities, we are one of the largest accredited, comprehensive social work programs in the U.S. A preeminent urban public university and health sciences center, VCU is one of only 28 Carnegie-designated Research Intensive (R1) and Community Engaged public universities nationwide. We are also recognized as a Minority Serving Institution.
As a research-intensive University, we welcome faculty colleagues with active research programs and publications in social work and interdisciplinary refereed journals and a track record of funding that is commensurate with career stage and rank. The SSW encourages and supports research across a range of substantive areas, paradigms, and methodologies, with a particular focus on research that emphasizes community engagement and impact, and is aligned with our commitments and core principles. While all research areas are welcome, we have a particular interest in research focused on health and behavioral health equity and outcomes, community mental health and mental health services research, international social work, child welfare, and policy advocacy aimed at social change.
Candidates will join a community of active scholars and are expected to obtain external funding to support their research; competitively publish research findings; teach with excellence in our BSW, MSW, and/or PhD program(s), and contribute to the governance of the SSW and VCU through committee and service commitments. There are opportunities for collaborative research in centers across the University, including the Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development, Partnership for People with Disabilities, Center on Health Disparities, Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Institute for Women’s Health, The Queer Research and Advocacy Center (Q Collective), Institute for Research on Behavioral and Emotional Health, and Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, among others.
VCU is located in the capital city of Richmond, recently ranked among the top 25 places to live in the U.S. Our proximity to the state capitol facilitates collaboration with state and federal agencies and related organizations. Faculty maintain dynamic relationships with community agencies and research groups in the area and throughout the U.S. and the world. To learn more about the School of Social Work, please visit https://socialwork.vcu.edu/.
Qualifications: Applicants must hold a PhD in social work or a closely related field or be at an advanced stage of completing a doctoral dissertation. Preference will be given to applicants who hold an MSW from a CSWE-accredited social work program and at least 2 years of post-MSW social work practice experience, and applicants who have either demonstrated an ability to secure extramural research funding or have worked in research groups with substantial extramural funding. Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience.
Candidates should electronically submit a curriculum vitae, a letter outlining areas of teaching and research interest and expertise, a current writing sample, and the names of three professional references. Submit online to www.vcujobs.com. Candidates should be prepared to provide supporting documentation, including publications and teaching evaluations.
The anticipated start date for all positions is August, 2026. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. Please direct questions and inquiries to Dr. Denise Burnette, Samuel S. Wurtzel Professor of Social Work (jdburnette@vcu.edu) or Dr. Alex Wagaman (mawagaman@vcu.edu), Search Committee Chairs.

