Description
Tenure Track Assistant/Associate Professors
Arizona State University
School of Social Work
The School of Social Work (SSW) in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University invites applications for FIVE full-time, benefits-eligible, tenure-track faculty positions, with appointments beginning August 16, 2027.
We are seeking five scholars, each with specific expertise.
- Assistant Professor (Downtown Phoenix campus) with expertise in Health and/or Behavioral Health, with an emphasis on social work research addressing mental health, physical health, medical social work, and/or substance use.
- Assistant Professor (Downtown Phoenix campus) with expertise in Social Work and New Technologies, with an emphasis on social work research addressing digital innovation, such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital equity, technology-assisted interventions, and/or computational social science, with a focus on applications in social work practice and/or social policy.
- Assistant Professor (Downtown Phoenix campus) with expertise in Child Welfare, with an emphasis on social work research addressing child protection, family preservation, foster care and/or adoption, juvenile justice, systemic disparities, and/or interventions in child welfare practice and/or policy.
- Assistant Professor (Downtown Phoenix campus) with expertise in Interprofessional Education and Practice, with an emphasis on social work practice and/or intervention research focused on developing, testing, or evaluating team-based interventions across collaborative, multi-disciplinary settings and populations, including through collaborations with medical and/or health sciences schools.
- Associate Professor (Tucson campus) with expertise in the Southwest Borderlands, with an emphasis on social work research addressing macro practice, social policy, and/or health and behavioral health practice or systems focused on the unique socio-political and economic realities of borderland and tribal communities in the Southwest.
Across all five positions, we seek candidates with clearly defined research agendas and demonstrated potential for producing high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship. We value varied methodological approaches and are especially interested in scholars with advanced research skills whose work is community-engaged, applied, and meaningful to the populations and communities we serve. The School of Social Work and the Watts College are deeply committed to addressing the needs and strengths of communities across Arizona and the Southwest, including Hispanic, Indigenous, borderland, and other historically marginalized populations. Faculty in the School frequently engage in interdisciplinary and community partnerships with public agencies, health systems, and nonprofit organizations to inform policy, advance social justice, and improve service delivery.
About the School
ASU’s School of Social Work is the largest and most comprehensive in the country, serving more than 3,000 students across our campuses in downtown Phoenix, West Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma, as well as through synchronous and asynchronous online programs. The School is ranked #20 among MSW programs (U.S. News & World Report) and #7 in research productivity (National Science Foundation). Our more than 70 tenure and career-track members are deeply engaged in innovative, interdisciplinary research and scholarship advancing social and economic justice in collaboration with communities locally, nationally, and globally. Many of our faculty are recognized leaders in the field, with distinctions such as induction as fellows in both the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and the Society for Social Work and Research, as well as selection as Fulbright Scholars. ASU’s location in the Southwest, combined with its designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), provides a distinctive context for scholarship focused on varied populations and pressing regional and global issues. The SSW is home to 11 research centers and offices that engage deeply with communities, including:
- The Southwestern Interdisciplinary Research Center
- The Global Center for Applied Health Research
- The Center for Child Well-Being
- The Office of Gender-Based Violence
- The Family Violence Center
- The Office of American Indian Projects
- The Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research
Faculty regularly collaborate with colleagues across ASU, including the College of Health Solutions, the College of Global Futures, the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the Edson College of Nursing & Health Innovation, and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. ASU’s new John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering will further expand opportunities for social work researchers to engage in interdisciplinary, health-related collaborations. Recognized repeatedly as the most innovative university in the U.S. (U.S. News & World Report), ASU also ranks #1 in global impact (Times Higher Education), and #1 in sustainability (STARS tracking system). As one of the fastest-growing research universities in the country, ASU— and the School of Social Work— offer exceptional opportunities for research and scholarship that drive meaningful change locally, nationally, and globally.
For more information about the School of Social Work, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, and Arizona State University, please visit:
- https://socialwork.asu.edu/
- https://publicservice.asu.edu/
- https://www.asu.edu/
Essential Functions:
- Teach undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses in person, online synchronous and online asynchronous formats
- Mentor graduate students
- Conduct and publish research in peer-reviewed outlets
- Pursue external funding to support scholarship
- Engage in service activities to support the school, college, university, profession, and community
- Assistant Professor Qualifications
- Required Qualifications for Assistant Professors:
- Earned PhD or equivalent research doctorate in Social Work or a related field (e.g., Public Affairs, Public Health, Political Science, Sociology) by the time of appointment
- An emerging record of scholarly productivity, including peer-reviewed publications that reflect a well-defined and promising research agenda closely aligned with one of the areas outlined in the job description
- Potential for excellence in teaching within the BSW, MSW, and/or PhD programs
- Consistent with ASU’s Charter and the School of Social Work mission, a demonstrated commitment to inclusion
Desired Qualifications for Assistant Professor:
- MSW from a CSWE-accredited program or equivalent
- Two or more years of post-MSW practice experience in the candidate’s area of expertise
- Demonstrated emerging record of rigorous, independent research
- Demonstrated record of publishing in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals
- Strong potential for securing external research funding
- Prior teaching experience at the undergraduate or graduate level
- Potential for meaningful professional and community engagement
Associate Professor Qualifications
Required Qualifications for Associate Professor
- Earned PhD or equivalent research doctorate in Social Work or a related field (e.g., Public Affairs, Public Health, Political Science, Sociology)
- An established record of publishing in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals that demonstrates rigorous, independent research with a well-defined, ongoing research agenda
- A body of scholarship demonstrating expertise in the Southwest Borderlands and the unique social, political, economic, and health contexts of the region
- Consistent with ASU’s Charter and the School of Social Work mission, a demonstrated commitment to inclusion
Desired Qualifications for Associate Professor
- An MSW from a CSWE-accredited program or equivalent
- Two or more years of post-MSW practice experience in the candidate's area of expertise
- Strong potential for securing external research funding
- An active record of community-embedded research with demonstrated real-world community impact
- Demonstrated record of excellence in teaching and mentoring within BSW, MSW, and/or PhD programs
- A record of meaningful professional and community engagement
Application Procedure:
To apply, please visit https://publicservice.asu.edu/content/jobs. Candidates will be asked to submit the following through an Interfolio dossier. Complete applications must contain the following:
- Letter of application that illustrates your interests and expertise in research and teaching, and your fit with our School of Social Work. Applicants must indicate which position or positions are a good fit with their research agenda;
- Curriculum vitae including the month and year in which the doctorate was/will be earned, as well as the applicant’s complete contact information (mailing address, phone number, and email address);
- Two writing samples (e.g. published article or book chapter, manuscript submitted for publication, dissertation chapter);
- Information for three professional references (name, title, organization, e-mail address, phone number). At least one reference needs to be your chair or current supervisor. Please note that references are not contacted until a candidate is identified as a finalist for this position.
Application deadline: August 31, 2026 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time (Arizona Time). Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.
Please direct any questions about the search to Professor Jill Messing Jill.Messing@asu.edu, Search Committee Chair, School of Social Work, Arizona State University. For logistical questions regarding submitting the application, please contact Theresa (Terrie) Rodriquez, Theresa.Rodriguez@asu.edu.
About ASU
Arizona State University, ranked No. 1 “Most Innovative School” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 11 years in succession, has forged the model for a New American University. Repeatedly ranked No. 1, ASU has topped more than 30 lists in the last three years: No. 1 in the U.S. for global impact (Times Higher Education) and No. 1 in the U.S. for sustainable practices (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). ASU is a comprehensive public research institution, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. ASU operates on the principles that learning is a personal and original journey for each student; that they thrive on experience and that the process of discovery cannot be bound by traditional academic disciplines. Through innovation and a commitment to accessibility, ASU has drawn pioneering researchers to its faculty even as it expands opportunities for qualified students, attracting some of the highest-quality students from all 50 states and more than 130 nations.
All we do at ASU is guided and inspired by the University Charter, which reads:
ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of the communities it serves.
A background check is required for employment. Arizona State University is a VEVRAA
Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified
applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status,
or any other basis protected by law.
(See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/ )
In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire
safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available
online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf . You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.
