About the role
Tenure Track Assistant Professor Position in Clinical Psychology, Developmental Focus with an Emphasis on Black/African American Communities
The Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position beginning September 1, 2027 with a developmental focus (i.e., child, adolescent, or family systems focus) and an emphasis on Black/African American communities, including Black immigrant communities in the U.S.
The faculty member would be expected to teach and mentor students in both the undergraduate psychology major and the clinical psychology doctoral program, which has a scientist-practitioner-activist training model. In addition to these priorities, we are secondarily interested in a colleague with the ability to teach at least one graduate-level assessment course.
Consistent with our values, we seek a faculty member with a commitment to both undergraduate and graduate-level teaching and mentoring. Faculty typically have a 2-2 teaching load that includes undergraduate and graduate classes. Within the clinical psychology doctoral program, in addition to our particular need for teaching at least one assessment course, teaching may include core and elective graduate courses consistent with the area of expertise such as Child Therapy, Foundations of Social Justice in Clinical Psychology, Family Therapy, Graduate Research Methods, or other existing courses. Undergraduate teaching may include a range of courses from those currently offered in our undergraduate curriculum (e.g., Infancy and Childhood Development, Adolescence, Psychology and the Black Experience, The Family and the Child, Psychology and Social Justice) in addition to the potential to develop new courses in their area of expertise. Additional responsibilities include offering personalized learning opportunities, providing research mentoring and advising to undergraduate and doctoral students, and contributing to service for the program, department, university, and Greater Boston communities.
Requirements for consideration include a Ph.D. in clinical psychology or a closely related field by August 31, 2027, and clear evidence of excellence in (or potential for excellence in) both research and teaching. Preference will be given to licensed or license-eligible applicants with doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology or related licensable fields (e.g., Counseling, School Psychology).
Applicants should submit a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, statements of research and teaching interests/experiences, (p)reprints of publications, and contact information for 3 references who we may contact later in the process. UMass Boston is the third most diverse university in the country, with more than 60% of our undergraduate students coming from minoritized communities and groups and more than half of our students are the first in their families to attend a college or university. Thus, our students come to us from richly diverse life experiences and backgrounds; they bring to our classrooms and research settings the robust range of perspectives growing out of the socio-cultural, economic, and historical contexts in which they have lived, along with the challenges they encounter, engage, and strive to overcome. Given this context, please articulate as appropriate in your teaching and research statements:
- How your approach to teaching, research, advising, and mentoring:
- will engage with the diverse life experiences of students, and
- will reflect an appreciation for the ways in which students bring their holistic selves into the academic setting
- How your own life experiences and background shapes your practices and commitments as an instructor, mentor, researcher, and scholar.
Electronic submission is required at https://hr.umb.edu/jobs. Initial review of applications will begin September 15, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. Initial interviews will be via Zoom followed by on-campus interviews during the Fall 2026 semester.
Please direct questions to the search committee co-chairs, Drs. Sarah Hayes-Skelton (sarah.hayes@umb.edu) and Tahirah Abdullah (tahirah.abdullah@umb.edu) and include Psychology Search in the subject line.
Dr. Hayes-Skelton and Dr. Abdullah would be happy to answer questions or to meet informally to discuss the position; you may sign up directly as follows:
Dr. Abdullah: (August 17-19) can be booked here.
Dr. Hayes-Skelton: (August 26-28) can be booked here.
Please see our website for additional information about the Psychology Department (https://www.umb.edu/liberal-arts/academic-departments/psychology/) and Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program (https://www.umb.edu/academics/program-finder/clinical-psychology-phd/).
UMass Boston expects to pay within an approximate range between $80,000 and $91,740 for this position.
The specific pay for this position will be determined by the University based on the consideration of all relevant factors when and if it decides to extend an offer of employment.
UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HR@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.