Assistant or Associate Professor in Educational Policy Studies - RISE Earth

The Department of Educational Policy Studies at UW-Madison invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant or Associate level, with a focus on Education and the Environment. The faculty member is expected to develop original, innovative, empirical research that can attract external funding to explore the relationships among education, the environment, and human systems (e.g., social, cultural, economic, political, geographical, etc.). These may include the impacts of environmental change and climate policies on individual, familial, or societal outcomes across the lifespan, domestically or internationally, or education policy and practice responses to environmental change, such as those related to governance, technology, sustainability, migration, rurality, and more. This position will begin August of 2027.

We are especially interested in scholars with strong disciplinary training in the social sciences and who explicitly consider dimensions of inequality in their work. Scholars who use mixed or advanced quantitative methods are particularly encouraged to apply.

Applicants should have experience or the capacity to teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels and to develop new courses. Candidates should have earned a Ph.D. or terminal degree in education or a related field (such as demography, geography, economics, public health, sociology, or political science) with a strong focus on education. 

Principal Duties: The individual hired for the position is expected to conduct original research and generate scholarly publications sufficient for tenure at a major research university; participate in interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts with other departments, schools, and colleges; develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Educational Policy Studies; supervise and serve on the committees of Master’s and Doctoral candidates; serve on departmental, School of Education, and university committees; and engage in professional service at the university, local, regional, national, and/or international levels commensurate with appointment. Salary is commensurate with experience. 

Departmental Information: The Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the nation’s highest-ranked programs in educational policy and practice. We examine educational policies, practices, movements, outcomes, dilemmas, and controversies — as well as the forces shaping them — through the lenses of international and comparative education, anthropology, economics, geography, history, sociology, philosophy, policy analysis, and politics. We value a collegial interdisciplinary environment for research and teaching. 

Additional Information: The Department of Educational Policy Studies resides in the UW-Madison School of Education, which was ranked as the top School of Education in the nation for the last three years. The School is proud of the outstanding breadth of its programs, with departments in Education, Health, and the Arts. The School views this broad range of programs as a tremendous strength.

The UW-Madison School of Education is dedicated to maintaining and growing a culture of belonging, wellbeing, and equal opportunity, believing these values are foundational elements of our excellence and fundamental components of a positive learning/working environment for students, faculty, and staff. This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW–Madison’s strengths, RISE expands the University’s successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.

EPS has substantially increased the size of its faculty over the last few years. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges at UW-Madison focused on research, teaching and outreach endeavors. The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration. Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/

This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and  educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW–Madison’s strengths, RISE expands the University’s successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.

Over the next three academic years, UW–Madison will substantially increase current hiring levels, bringing 150 new RISE faculty to campus. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges on research, teaching and outreach endeavors. The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration. 

Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/.

Land Acknowledgement: The Department of Educational Policy Studies occupies land in Teejop, the ancestral territory of the Ho-Chunk nation. Information about UW-Madison's commitment to Our Shared Future may be found at: https://oursharedfuture.wisc.edu/

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Conduct original research and generate scholarly publications sufficient for tenure at a major research university

• Engage in professional service at the university, local, regional, national, and/or international level commensurate with appointment level

• Participate in interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts with other departments, schools, and colleges

• Develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in educational policy studies

• Serve on departmental, School of Education, and university committees

• Supervise and serve on the committees of Master’s and Doctoral candidates

Department:

School of Education / Educational Policy Studies

Compensation:

Negotiable

Commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

Required Qualifications:

• Candidates must have earned a PhD or terminal degree in education or a related field by the start date of the appointment.
• Expertise in education, broadly construed, with an emphasis on the relationships (e.g., social, cultural, economic, political, geographical) between education and the environment.
• Evidence of established or potential research and scholarly excellence as exhibited by peer-reviewed publications or other forms of academic scholarship.
• Evidence of success or professional promise in securing external funding to support research and scholarship.
• Evidence of excellence in teaching and mentorship, including through direct instruction and other forms of advising and support at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Experience working successfully with diverse students and colleagues.

Candidates at the rank of Associate Professor must possess all of the above qualifications commensurate for appointment with tenure at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Education:

Earned doctorate or terminal degree in education or related field. Degree must be conferred by start date.