JOB SUMMARY
The University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Social Work is pleased to announce the Zachs Professorship in Aging. The named professorship supports a full-time (9-month appointment) tenured Associate Professor or full Professor at the UConn School of Social Work with an affiliation at the UConn Center on Aging. We seek a highly motivated, productive and collaborative scholar who is committed to advancing research and education in aging.
The UConn School of Social Work is a national leader in graduate social work education with a tradition of educating and serving diverse communities. We are ranked in the top 11% of schools of social work nationally and number one in Connecticut. The school’s research doctorate is the only public social work Ph.D. program in the region. Our externally funded portfolio exceeds $70 million dollars. Areas of distinction include child welfare and child well-being; behavioral health, trauma, and violence prevention and reduction; international social work and human rights; immigrant and refugee studies; social and health disparities; diversity and cultural competence; and policy analysis, advocacy, and community organizing. A donor-funded Scholars in Aging program supports MSW students interested in gerontological social work. The school is also home to the Innovations Institute, a nationally recognized interdisciplinary implementation and translational research center. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive faculty environment.
The UConn School of Social Work is located on the vibrant downtown Hartford regional campus. This neighborhood campus includes other UConn graduate and undergraduate academic programs and research centers, cultural institutions, and state and city government offices. This situates us ideally for carrying out our central academic mission and provides enhanced opportunities for building upon our existing community collaborations and expanding to new ones within a multicultural capital city.
As noted, the professorship provides an affiliation with the UConn Center on Aging, which is also the home to the UConn Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, one of 15 such National Institute on Aging-funded centers of excellence in the country. Established in 1986, the UConn Center on Aging supports a robust, nationally recognized research program focused on preventing or minimizing disability and promoting quality of life among older adults. The Center’s multidisciplinary and translational research teams investigate biological, psychosocial, and clinical pathways to chronic disease and disability, generate and test innovative interventions to promote healthy aging and to advance social determinants of health, conduct policy-relevant evaluation studies, and train future academic leaders in geriatrics, gerontology, and geroscience. Faculty conduct world-class research to improve function and independence in late life, supported by a research portfolio funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Connecticut state agencies, and private foundations. Their research skills include clinical, epidemiological, translational, basic, and health outcomes/population research, allowing the Center on Aging to continually enhance its research activities by monitoring the scientific progress of many relevant research disciplines and translating those discoveries from one discipline (e.g., basic research) to another (e.g., clinical investigation). Center faculty also work to translate discoveries made at academic institutions by validating them in “real world” community settings.
UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and a member of the Space Grant Consortium, founded in 1881. It is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond. UConn serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become highly selective.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Maintain an active research and publication agenda. Seek and acquire external funding. Teach in BSW, MSW, and/or Ph.D. programs, as appropriate, and demonstrate effective instruction. Advise and mentor students. Serve on doctoral student committees, as appropriate, and participate in University, School, professional, local, and national level service.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Ph.D. in social work or a related discipline.
- Demonstrated excellence in scholarship, external funding, teaching, and mentoring.
- Demonstrated experience with and commitment to team science and cross-disciplinary inquiry.
- Demonstrated experience with and commitment to social work values, including social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- M.S.W. degree.
- Experience in Social work practice.
APPOINTMENT TERMS
This is a 9-month, tenured position with an anticipated start date of August 23, 2026. The named professorship sponsors the faculty member for a five-year term through financial support for research activities with the possibility of renewal. The tenure line is permanent. Initial salary commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.
TO APPLY
Please apply online to UConn Jobs at https://hr.uconn.edu/jobs, Faculty and Staff Positions, Search #499275, and submit the following application materials:
- Current curriculum vitae.
- Cover letter that comments on the relevant minimum and preferred qualifications.
- Research statement that describes the candidate's research and extramural funding trajectory and explains how the candidate’s research agenda aligns with the priorities of this position.
- Commitment to diversity statement.
- Representative samples of up to three (3) publications.
- Names and contact information of three (3) references.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applicants can address questions by email to:
Jennifer Manuel, PhD
Search Committee Chair
University of Connecticut
School of Social Work
38 Prospect Street
Hartford, CT 06103
sswsearch@uconn.edu
References will not be contacted without the prior permission of the candidate. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.