The Department of Urban Planning and Community Development (UPCD) in the School for the Environment (SFE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) seeks candidates for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin September 1, 2026. We invite scholars who can contribute to our environmental planning concentration, specializing in the interconnectedness of environmental and public health in cities and coastal areas. Candidates with expertise in areas such as climate resilience, environmental justice, green infrastructure, disaster planning, or health equity are especially encouraged to apply. We are committed to sustainability, equity, and community engagement, and we seek scholars who share these values and can incorporate them into their scholarship, teaching, and service. 

The School for the Environment

SFE’s mission is to examine and explore diverse challenges in the natural, built, and social environments and their intersections. Using transdisciplinary and equity-informed approaches to research, teaching, and action, we expand environmental knowledge and understanding and create cutting-edge solutions to environmental and social problems in Boston and beyond. SFE pursues its environmental health and justice research, teaching, and outreach agenda designed to enhance the problem-solving capacity of local communities and institutions. Therefore, the preferred candidate should be able to work within and complement the activities and interests of the core and affiliate faculty. We particularly welcome community-based participatory research approaches, as well as candidates who employ methodologies for transdisciplinary problem-solving. SFE faculty support undergraduate (community development, environmental science, environmental studies, and sustainability), master’s (urban planning and community development), and PhD (environmental sciences, and marine science and technology) programs. We expect the successful candidate to interact strongly with SFE faculty and students. The successful candidate will have opportunities to collaborate across departments and engage with community-based organizations, planning agencies, and public health institutions in Greater Boston and beyond.  

Candidates must have a doctorate in urban planning or closely related fields, a publication record, evidence of procurement and/or external funding activity, and a clear pedagogical philosophy. The ideal candidate should be able to and/or be interested in collaborating in inter- and transdisciplinary teams, engaging with diverse stakeholders, and integrating multiple disciplines to study complex urban planning, community development, and environmental issues. This collaborative approach is integral to our mission, and we value each team member's unique perspectives and expertise. The ideal candidate should be capable of instructing core and specialized courses for our Bachelor of Arts program in Community Development and our Master of Science program in Urban Planning and Community Development. They will be expected to establish an active, collaborative, and influential research program, and seek external funding to implement their research. 

UMB is an urban public research university with a teaching soul that has an impact both locally and globally. We are the third most diverse university in the country, with more than 60% of our undergraduate students coming from minoritized communities and groups, and over half of our students being 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 a 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 with, and strive to overcome. We invite applications from candidates who engage the diverse life experiences of our student body, who appreciate that students bring their holistic selves into the academic setting, and who recognize and articulate how their own life experiences and backgrounds have shaped their journeys, practices, and commitments as researchers, scholars, and educators. 

The University of Massachusetts Boston is committed to supporting junior faculty through formal mentoring, grant-writing workshops, and opportunities for interdisciplinary research collaboration.

How to Apply

Interested individuals can initiate the application by the portal and upload the following:

●          Cover letter (2 page maximum)

●          Curriculum Vitae

●          Research Statement

●          Teaching Statement

●          Contact information of three academic references

Application Deadline

Materials should be submitted by Sunday, November 30, 2025, for maximum consideration by the UPCD Search Committee.

For More Information

Contact Lorena M. Estrada-Martínez, Search Committee Chair, Department of Urban Planning and Community Development, School for the Environment, The University of Massachusetts Boston, at lorena.estrada@umb.edu.

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.