Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

Overview

The School of Social Sciences at Utah State University (USU) invites applications for a tenure-track research position in Criminal Justice open at the rank of assistant professor. We seek candidates with strong research and teaching skills that complement our undergraduate curriculum and current faculty expertise. The selected candidate will contribute to our program through excellent undergraduate instruction and mentoring, to our college by assisting in proposing and establishing the interdisciplinary Institute for Social Science and Policy Research (ISSPR), and to our land-grant mission by collaborating with law enforcement agencies to provide summative and process evaluation support. Areas of research specialization should include quantitative analysis and evaluation research.

This is a nine-month appointment with USU’s Criminal Justice program beginning August 2027 and is based at the main USU campus in Logan, Utah. The position has a role assignment 50% research, 40% teaching, and 10% service. Instruction is delivered by a variety of methods (e.g., face-to-face, interactive video broadcast, and online) to students at the Logan campus, several regional campuses, and online.

Review of applications begins December 4, 2026.

The School of Social Sciences welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of their current U.S. work authorization status. Visa sponsorship may be available depending on individual circumstances and applicable immigration requirements. The University supports standard sponsorship costs but cannot cover the additional $100,000 H-1B fee if applicable. Sponsorship eligibility will be determined by University Human Resources prior to an official offer of employment.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be expected to: (1) contribute to scholarship at a level consistent with an R1 institution; (2) contribute to the creation of the proposed cross-disciplinary Institute for Social Science and Policy Research (ISSPR) in the USU College of Arts & Sciences; (3) provide assessment for law enforcement agencies in the state of Utah; (4) teach general and required undergraduate courses; (5) advise undergraduate and graduate students; and (6) provide service to the program, department, university, and profession.

Qualifications

Required Minimum Qualifications: (1) A PhD in Criminology, Criminal Justice, or closely related field by August 1, 2027; (2) an active or developing research program including quantitative analysis; (3) evidence of research productivity and potential for collaborative research; (4) experience or documented potential in teaching and mentoring; and (5) strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications: (1) A background in evaluation research; (2) a record of successful collaborations with law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies; and (3) experience teaching in areas that complement the expertise of the current faculty, such as juvenile justice, legal advocacy, and victimology

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach:

• A curriculum vitae to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”
• A cover letter that addresses the position to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
• A research statement to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
• A teaching statement to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
• Names and contact information for three references to be typed at the beginning of the application