Director of the Texas Schools Project (TSP), Open rank tenure system faculty position

The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) at The University of Texas at Dallas invites applications for the Director of the Texas Schools Project (TSP) and an open rank faculty position.  Exceptional candidates at the Assistant Professor level with a demonstrated trajectory toward research leadership and external funding will be considered.

The Director will lead one of the nation's premier centers for education policy research and will hold a tenure-home appointment in an EPPS program aligned with their disciplinary training: Economics, Public Policy, or a related field.

We seek a scholar whose research program addresses education policy in the United States— including, but not limited to, K–12 accountability and finance, teacher labor markets, school choice, early childhood education, postsecondary access and completion, career and technical education, or the transition from education to the labor market.

The appointment commences for the fall 2027 semester.

Qualifications

Minimum Education and Experience: A PhD in economics, public policy, or a related discipline is required prior to employment. Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in quantitative methods for casual inference and in the analysis of large-scale administrative and longitudinal microdata.  Candidates must have a record of external research funding appropriate to their career stage and evidence of effective collaboration with policymakers, practitioners, or agency partners.

Candidates are expected to demonstrate the ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative, engaging, and dynamic environment comprised of individuals with a range of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives. We are seeking candidates able to produce research and scholarly or creative achievements that enhance the program and the discipline, and able to deliver high-quality teaching using evidence-based practices to effectively engage students from a range of backgrounds and experiences. 

Preferred Education and Experience: Experience directing a research center, institute, lab, or comparable multi-investigator enterprise.  Candidates are expected to have familiarity with state longitudinal data systems, restricted-use data environments, and the legal and ethical frameworks governing student data (e.g., FERPA, IRB, Interagency data-sharing agreements).  Candidates should have a track record securing and managing grants from federal agencies (IES, NSF, NIH) and major foundations, demonstrated success in mentoring graduate students and early-career researchers, and have demonstrated the ability to translate research for policy and public audiences.

About the Texas Schools Project

Founded in 1992, the Texas Schools Project supports and conducts independent, high-quality academic research to inform education policy and practice and improve student outcomes across Texas and the nation. TSP researchers work across the full educational spectrum — from early childhood through postsecondary attainment and workforce outcomes — using advanced quantitative and mixed methods, and in close collaboration with education leaders and policymakers.

TSP also administers the Education Research Center (ERC) at UT Dallas, one of three state-designated centers providing secure access to individual-level, longitudinal education and workforce data for Texas. The ERC's holdings encompass more than 1.5 billion student and workforce records spanning nearly three decades, and more than 250 researchers have used TSP to access these data. Research produced through TSP appears regularly in leading academic journals and shapes state and national policy debates.

Learn more at https://tsp.utdallas.edu.

Responsibilities

The Director will:

• Set the intellectual agenda for TSP, advancing a portfolio of rigorous, policy-relevant research on education in the United States.
• Maintain an active, externally funded research program, publishing in top peer-reviewed outlets and pursuing support from federal agencies, foundations, and state partners.
• Provide administrative leadership for TSP and the UT Dallas Education Research Center, including oversight of data governance, security and compliance, staffing, budgets, and fee-based research services.
• Cultivate partnerships with the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Workforce Commission, school districts, community colleges, universities, and philanthropic and policy organizations.
• Serve the external research community, supporting the more than 250 scholars nationally who rely on ERC data access.
• Mentor and develop professional research staff, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral and undergraduate student researchers.
• Teach and advise in the Director's tenure-home program, at a load consistent with the administrative appointment.
• Represent TSP to university leadership, state agencies, funders, the media, and the broader public.

About EPPS

The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences houses interdisciplinary programs in economics, political science, public policy and political economy, public affairs, sociology, criminology, and geospatial information sciences, with a shared emphasis on rigorous social scientific methods applied to consequential public problems.

The University of Texas at Dallas is a Carnegie R1 institution and one of the fastest-growing research universities in the country, located in Richardson, Texas, in the heart of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex — the nation's fourth-largest metropolitan area and home to a diverse and rapidly growing student population. 

Application Instructions

Applicants should upload the following via the online application:

• Full curriculum vitae and cover letter summarizing their interests and qualifications for the position.
• Statement of teaching philosophy describing their conceptualizations of teaching and learning, and teaching and assessment methods, and how their teaching practices will engage students from a range of backgrounds and experiences.
• Research statement describing past, present, and future research, including how they mentor (or will mentor) student researchers and foster (or will foster) collaborative research environments.
• Full contact information for at least three academic or professional references.

Priority will be given to completed applications received by November 9, 2026. Reviews will continue until the position is filled or the search is closed on December 18, 2026. 

The University and Community

UT Dallas is a top public research university located in one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan regions. Our seven schools offer 160 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, plus undergraduate and graduate certificates. Our student body is around 30,000 strong, reflecting students from over 100 countries and a multiplicity of perspectives and experiences. Over 60% of our undergraduate students receive some form of need- or merit-based financial aid, and 62% of graduating seniors have no student debt compared to 49% in all Texas publics and 51% in all national publics (UT Dallas Fast Facts).

Under the dynamic leadership of President Prabhas V. Moghe, UT Dallas is charting a path built on three strategic pillars – student success, academic and research convergence, and external impact. Guided by the Roadmap 2030 plan, UT Dallas will accelerate its upward trajectory to become a university of even greater impact and distinction.     

UT Dallas is committed to graduating well-rounded members of the community whose education has prepared them for rewarding lives and productive careers in a constantly changing world. Our mission centers on providing Texas and the nation with excellent and innovative education and research. The University’s rapid growth is fueled by our creative and enterprising spirit, bright students, innovative programs, renowned faculty, dedicated staff, engaged alumni, and research that matters.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to providing an educational, living and working environment that is welcoming, respectful, and inclusive of all members of the university community. The University prohibits unlawful discrimination against a person because of their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.