About the role
Tenure-Track Faculty Position Announcement
Department: Psychology
Faculty Hire Number: #27-21
Rank: Assistant Professor
Effective Date of Appointment: August 19, 2027 (Subject to Budgetary Approval)
Anticipated Hiring Range: $75,000 - $80,000 (Dependent upon qualifications)
CSUN’s Commitment to You
CSUN is committed to achieving excellence through teaching, scholarship, learning and inclusion. Our values include a respect for all people, building partnerships with the community and the encouragement of innovation, experimentation, and creativity. CSUN strives to cultivate a community in which a diverse population can learn and work in an atmosphere of civility and respect. CSUN is especially interested in candidates who make contributions to equity and inclusion in the pursuit of excellence for all members of the university community.
As a Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI), inclusiveness and diversity are integral to CSUN’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and engagement. As of Fall 2025, CSUN enrolls more than 37,000 students, where 57.5% are Latinx, 18.4% are White, 8.5% are Asian-American, 5.5% are Black/African American, 0.1% are Native American, and 0.1% are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
For more information about the University, visit: http://www.csun.edu
About the College:
For more information about the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, see: https://www.csun.edu/social-behavioral-sciences
About the Department
For more information about the Department of Psychology, see: https://www.csun.edu/social-behavioral-sciences/psychology
Position
The Department of Psychology at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is seeking a tenure-track faculty member in Cognitive Psychology or Cognitive Sciences at the rank of Assistant Professor. The successful candidate will teach courses across the field of cognitive psychology and cognitive sciences. Research areas of interest for this position are open. Subfields of specialization include, but are not limited to, cognitive neuroscience, attention, perception, computational modeling, language, human factors, learning, concepts or conceptual knowledge, aging and lifespan cognition, social cognition, metacognition, memory, decision-making, cognitive control, or applied cognition. Applicants who possess advanced statistical knowledge, who utilize innovative or leading-edge methods, and whose work shows evidence of integration across subareas of cognitive psychology are of particular interest.
In addition to teaching, the position requires weekly office hours, attending faculty meetings, participation in assessment of student learning, and service to the department, college, and university. The successful candidate will be held to the standards and requirements of the college and department in which he/she/they is/are housed for recommending tenure and promotion. Given CSUN’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and engagement in a diverse environment, the successful candidate will contribute to equitable student learning and success through teaching, mentorship, scholarship, and service.
Required Qualifications
- PhD from an accredited institution in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, or a closely related field. Degree must be awarded by date of appointment (August 19, 2027).
- Evidence of, or clear potential for, excellence in teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in cognitive psychology, cognitive science, or closely related fields, using student-centered and equitable practices, both in-person and online.
- Evidence of, and clear potential for, research excellence through a productive and sustained program of research in cognitive psychology, cognitive sciences, cognitive neuroscience, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated potential for teaching and mentoring research inclusively with diverse and underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students.
Preferred Qualifications
- Scholarship that uses advanced and/or innovative research methodologies.
- Professional development and/or service activities that advance diversity, equity, and/or inclusion.
- Evidence of, or clear potential for, developing a feasible and sustainable research program at CSUN that provides meaningful research opportunities for undergraduate and/or graduate students.
- Evidence of effective engagement, or potential to engage effectively, with a diverse student body (e.g., experience using culturally responsive pedagogy intended to support equitable outcomes for students).
- Experience creating a student-centered learning environment that promotes students’ active participation, engagement, and accessibility.
- Research or laboratory experience that involves and supports students from diverse backgrounds.
- Experience adopting inclusive approaches to mentoring students of varied backgrounds.
Application Deadline
The preferred application deadline is November 20, 2026, and applications received after this date may be considered on an as-needed basis. However, the position will remain open until filled.
How to Apply
Candidates should apply by completing the CSUN online application. To apply and for more detailed information on the application and hiring process, please visit this link: www.csun.edu/careers
Applicants must submit: 1) a letter of application or cover letter briefly summarizing your qualifications and interest; 2) current curriculum vitae; 3) evidence of teaching effectiveness, including a teaching statement (maximum 3 pages) containing a description of your mentoring and/or supervision style; 4) research statement (maximum 3 pages) describing your program of research and potential future directions at CSUN, along with samples of scholarship; 5) statement on diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI; maximum 3 pages) that includes candidate’s experiences related to and/or philosophy of addressing DEI in an academic setting; 6) the names and contact information of three references, to the website in the section above. In later stages of the search process, applicants may be requested to provide additional materials.
At the time of appointment, the successful candidate, if not a U.S. citizen, must have authorization from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work in the United States. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States.
Please note: California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is currently not sponsoring applicants for H-1B employment that are subject to the $100,000 fee established by the “Presidential Proclamation: Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers” issued on September 19, 2025. Applicants are responsible for determining the applicability of the fee.
Education Code 89521 Requirements: Applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended. Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant’s current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.
General Information
In compliance with the Annual Security Report & Fire Safety Report of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, California State University, Northridge has made crime-reporting statistics available on-line here. Print copies are available by request from the Department of Police Services, the Office for Faculty Affairs, and the Office of Equity and Diversity.
The person holding this position may be 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.
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily 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.
In accordance with the California State University (CSU) Out-of-State Employment Policy, the CSU is a state entity whose business operations reside within the State of California and prohibits hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside of California.
CSUN is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, and disability. Our nondiscrimination policy is set forth in the Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting the Department of Psychology at 818-677-2827.