Position Summary: The Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) at the University of Georgia is seeking applicants for the position of assistant or associate professor, with an anticipated start date of August 1, 2026. We are looking for an individual with expertise in biobehavioral health across the lifespan. The ideal candidate’s research should focus broadly on understanding how biopsychosocial processes, across various stages of life and over multiple time scales, influence behavioral risk, aging, and disease decades later through changes in biological aging. We are particularly interested in candidates who examine multiple levels of human development, including genomics, biomarkers, and phenotypic data. Preference will be given to candidates capable of running a wet lab to test for markers of stress biology, biological aging, inflammation, and/or gene expression in blood and saliva samples. Additionally, candidates who are open to collaborating with faculty focused on applied and developmental neuroscience—aimed at understanding the interplay between biological and environmental contributions to health and development—are strongly encouraged to apply. We aim to hire a faculty member who has potential or who is active in securing grants and can work collaboratively with faculty at the Georgia Center for Developmental Science (G-CDS), complementing existing expertise in advanced interdisciplinary developmental science aimed at enhancing resilience in disadvantaged communities. Expertise in the implementation of AI methods, broadly defined, is strongly encouraged.

We seek individuals who can train graduate students in biobehavioral and computational science, with a strong focus on stress biology methodologies. This position will support the biobehavioral training tracks in the college. The new hire will join a dynamic program with a strong history of collaborative basic and applied research that crosses methodological and disciplinary boundaries. Successful candidates will contribute to an established curriculum in HDFS at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, maintain a rigorous, nationally or internationally recognized research program using advanced analytical strategies, secure funding from external sources commensurate with rank and experience, publish in peer-reviewed scholarly outlets, and mentor doctoral students.

This position is being funded by a Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in which the College of Family and Consumer Sciences is seeking colleagues whose research is focused on the correlates and long-term sequelae of early adversity across the lifespan.

Special Instructions to the Applicant:

Applications: Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Full consideration will be given to applications received by Sept. 30, 2025. Candidates should submit their applications online via https://www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/448128. Required materials include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, statements of research and teaching interests, up to three preprints/reprints of representative publications, and contact information for three references. Direct any additional questions about the position to Dr. Assaf Oshri (oshri@uga.edu) or Dr. Charles Geier (Charles.Geier@uga.edu), search committee co-chairs.

About HDFS at UGA: The Department of Human Development and Family Science provides leadership in the field through cutting-edge research, pedagogy, and service. We are an interdisciplinary program focusing on individual, relationship, and family development within diverse ecological contexts. Faculty research interests include infancy and childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, adult development and aging, parenting and caregiving, interpersonal relationships, health and biobehavioral processes, diversity and culture, and the contexts of human development. We have a vibrant program with over 480 undergraduate majors, 48 graduate students, and 20 faculty members working in a collegial and supportive environment. Faculty in the department collaborate with numerous programs and institutions across campus, including the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, the Georgia Center for Developmental Science, the Bio-Imaging Research Center, Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance, the Institute on Human Development and Disability, the Institute of Gerontology, the McPhaul Child Development Center, Center for Family Research, and UGA Cooperative Extension. Additional information about the department can be found at: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/hdfs. 

Since our founding in 1785, the University of Georgia has operated as Georgia’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 235 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,000 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 40,000 students including over 30,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 18 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website.

Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a background investigation including, a criminal background check demonstrating your eligibility for employment with the University of Georgia; confirmation of the credentials and employment history reflected in your application materials (including reference checks) as they relate to the job-based requirements of the position applied for; and, if applicable, a satisfactory credit check. You may also be subject to a pre-employment drug test for positions with high-risk responsibilities, if applicable. Please visit the UGA Background Check website.

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex or other protected status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).

Qualifications:

• An earned doctorate in HDFS or a closely related field (e.g., psychology, genetics, neuroscience, sociology, public health, education, gerontology, etc.).
• For an associate professor appointment, candidates must have at least five years of experience as an assistant professor (eligible for promotion to associate professor upon appointment) at a comparable institution and must provide clear and convincing evidence of high levels of achievement in teaching and research, along with commensurate national or international recognition in developmental science and/or family studies.
• The successful candidate must show clear and convincing evidence of, or clear potential for, successful teaching at the graduate level and securing external research funding. Please refer to UGA’s criteria for faculty appointment, promotion, and tenure.

About University of Georgia, Department of Human Development and Family Science

Additional information about the department can be found at: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/hdfs.

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