Unleash Your Potential With Us

As a next-generation public research institution, we are an inclusive community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to shape the future and solve the world’s most challenging problems. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you become an integral part of our mission to become a university for the future. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with uniquely talented faculty, staff, and students across 13 colleges and multiple campuses and regional locations. That means greater challenges to tackle, more meaningful opportunities to grow, and rewarding experiences that go beyond a paycheck.

The Opportunity

The Department of Sociology at the University of Central Florida (UCF) invites applications for a nine-month, tenure-earning assistant professor anticipated to begin August 2023. We seek candidates with scholarly expertise in crime and deviance who have an active research agenda and a commitment to effective teaching. The ideal candidate will have research and teaching interests in one of the following areas: (1) neighborhoods and the community context of crime, or (2) outcomes associated with justice-involvement across the carceral continuum, including police contact/arrest, community supervision, or incarceration. We are especially interested in candidates who can improve – through their research, teaching, and service – the diversity and excellence of our academic community and help foster an environment in which faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences are welcomed and can thrive.

UCF strives to recruit and retain a diverse faculty. Central to the support for this goal are campus organizations including the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA), the Latino Faculty and Staff Association (LaFaSA), and the PRIDE Faculty and Staff Association. UCF is proud to have received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine which recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, and the Seal of Excelencia which recognizes institutions demonstrating effective and intentional institutional practices that serve Latino students, positive momentum for Latino students’ progress, and a dedication to transform the institution into an environment where Latino students can thrive.

The UCF Department of Sociology (https://sciences.ucf.edu/sociology/) has an active graduate program, offering both Applied M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The department includes 17 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, who are committed to impactful scholarly research, public dissemination of research findings, innovative teaching, collaborative community relationships, and are actively involved in professional organizations. Sociology faculty have had their research activities funded by the National Institute of Justice, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, as well as state and regional agencies. Faculty are also affiliated with diverse campus research centers. Several faculty are members of the Violence Against Women Cluster at UCF which works across the disciplines of education, social work, criminal justice, sociology, and medicine to create knowledge to guide policymaking and practice designed to reduce the experience and impact of gendered violence. The department also houses the Institute for Social and Behavioral Science which specializes in research relevant to public policy issues in the state of Florida. The department also collaborates with the GIS Research Cluster Laboratory that is focused on the use of mapping and drones to understand social and environmental inequalities. Lastly, the Puerto Rico Research Hub, led by sociology professor Dr. Fernando Rivera, is the center of activities dedicated to the study of Puerto Ricans at UCF.  

The College of Sciences (COS) houses most of the university’s natural, computational, and social sciences in eight departments, two schools, and several centers. The college’s programs play a key role in advancing UCF as a national research university that is determined to help students from all backgrounds achieve success. For more information, visit https://sciences.ucf.edu/ .

UCF, located in Orlando, Florida, is classified as a Very High Research Activity university by the Carnegie Foundation. With a diverse student body of more than 70,000 students, UCF is one of the largest universities in the country. The university offers more than 240 degree programs. UCF is committed to diversity and was designated a Hispanic Serving Institution in 2019. For more information, visit http://www.ucf.edu .

Minimum Qualifications:

A Ph.D. in sociology or a closely related field (e.g., criminology) from an accredited institution by time of appointment is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preference will be given to candidates who utilize one (or both) of the following in their teaching and research: (1) geographic information system (GIS), or (2) critical theories or methodologies. Additionally, candidates with strong potential to secure external funding, whose area of interest within criminology overlaps with one or more of the other primary areas of research within the department (i.e., domestic violence, social inequalities, health and communities, or spatial sociology), and who engage in Public Sociology are strongly encouraged to apply.

Additional Application Materials Required:

UCF requires all applications and supporting documents to be submitted electronically through the Human Resources website http://ucf.edu/jobs . In addition to the online application, interested candidates should upload: (1) a curriculum vitae, and (2) a letter of application describing qualifications for the position, such as research agenda, teaching experience/interests, and a statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, candidates must provide the names and contact information for three professional references. Review of applications will begin on February 24, 2023.

NOTE: Please have all documents ready when applying so they can be attached at that time. Once the online submission process is finalized, the system does not allow applicants to submit additional documents later.

Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr. Jason Ford, Search Committee Chair, at Jason.Ford@ucf.edu .

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

N/A

Job Close Date:

02/23/2023

Are Benefits Important to You?

Working at UCF has its perks!  In addition to helping drive change and having a positive impact by supporting our students, staff, and faculty, UCF offers:

• Benefit packages including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, healthcare flexible spending accounts, and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Paid time off, including annual and sick leave and paid holidays.
• Retirement savings options.
• Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando area attractions.
• Education assistance.
• Flexible work environment.

And more…For more benefits information, go to ‘Prospective Employees’ on the UCF Human Resources website (https://hr.ucf.edu/ )

Who Are We?

Founded in 1963 to fuel the region’s talent pipeline and support the growing U.S. space program, UCF is built to make a better future for our students and society. It’s one of the reasons U.S. News & World Report ranks UCF among the nation’s top 20 most innovative colleges, while Forbes, Kiplinger , and The Princeton Review rank us a best-value university. UCF is one of 14 universities nationwide designated as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and a Research 1 university. With 13 colleges, including a fully accredited College of Medicine, UCF offers more than 220-degree programs between its main campus, downtown campus, hospitality campus, academic health sciences campus, and 11 UCF Connect centers located throughout the region. In addition, UCF extends its reach to communities in and beyond Central Florida by offering complete online programs leading to bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, Ph.D.'s., certificates, and more.

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer. Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins.

Additional Requirements related to Research Positions

Pursuant to Florida State Statute 1010.35, prior to offering employment to certain individuals in research-related positions, UCF is required to conduct additional screening. Applicants subject to additional screening include any citizen of a foreign country who is not a permanent resident of the U.S., or who is a citizen or permanent resident but is affiliated with or has had at least 1 year of higher education, employment, or training in China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Syria, or Venezuela.

The additional screening requirements only apply to employment in research-related positions, including, but not limited to faculty positions (including employed visiting positions), graduate positions, individuals compensated by research grants or contract funds, postdoctoral scholar positions, and undergraduate positions.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

As an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, UCF encourages all qualified applicants to apply, including women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented populations. UCF's Equal Opportunity Statement can be viewed at  http://www.oie.ucf.edu/documents/PresidentsStatement.pdf.

As a Florida public university, UCF makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request.

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer.