The Department of Psychology at San Diego State University invites applications for a faculty position at the Assistant Professor rank in Clinical Psychological Science with a focus on underserved communities. We seek an individual with an established translational research program focused on the phenomenology, etiology, prevention, and/or evidence-based treatment of major mental health conditions, broadly defined, among underserved communities with a demonstrated record of success in research, teaching, and/or service with underserved populations. The department currently has strong health equity and prevention-to-intervention health science research programs in mental health, chronic illness, and developmental and neurodegenerative disorders, and this position will complement existing department strengths in translational health science.

The successful candidate will establish or continue a productive program of research in clinical psychological science with a focus on underserved populations. We consider underserved populations to consist of individuals (1) whose psychological distress or disorders are systemically misidentified or underidentified, (2) that experience disproportionate barriers to accessing mental health resources or services, and/or (3) that have typically not been considered in the development of models of psychopathology or resilience, or the development/implementation of prevention/intervention programs. Some examples of underserved populations include members of racial/ethnic, sexual, gender, religious, or cultural minorities. Other examples include migrant, refugee, undocumented, or unhoused individuals. The successful candidate’s program of research may occur at any point along the translational spectrum of mental health research (i.e., from documenting associations and mechanisms that contribute to mental health disorders in underserved populations through the dissemination and implementation of interventions for underserved populations).

Example research foci may include (but are not limited to)

  • Examination of cognitive, social, emotional, and/or physiological processes that contribute to mental health disorders among members of underserved populations
  • Identification of the social and/or systemic determinants of mental health disparities among underserved populations
  • Examination of the impact of intersectionality (i.e., membership in more than one underserved population) on mental health and/or mental health disparities
  • Adaptation and development of evidence-based prevention/intervention programs for mental health disorders that specifically target the needs of underserved populations
  • Identifying resilience resources and/or processes within underserved populations that could be leveraged for strength-based prevention/intervention programs
  • Examination of the effectiveness of dissemination and implementation strategies that extend the reach of evidence-based services to underserved populations

Qualifications

Candidates must hold a doctorate in Psychology or allied discipline (or be ABD with the expectation of holding a doctorate before the position start date), with preference for candidates with doctoral training in clinical psychology. Candidates should have a strong record of research productivity and evidence of current, or potential for future, extramural funding. Candidates should present evidence of teaching effectiveness. They are expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses; mentor undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students; and engage in department, college, and university-level service activities. The Psychology Department has an APA-accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology offered jointly with the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, and its faculty are affiliated with a range of doctoral programs throughout the university, including programs in Public Health, Language and Communicative Disorders, and Computational Sciences, as well as numerous research centers focused on translational science and health equity. The successful candidate will be able to leverage resources within the SDSU campus, including a dedicated 3T MRI scanner, high performance computational centers, strong mentoring and pilot research support for junior faculty, as well as collaborative research resources, such as the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, at University of California, San Diego through the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. The SDSU Psychology Department also has a research-oriented Master’s program with research areas that include behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, learning and cognition, physical and/or mental health research, and social/personality psychology; a Master’s program in applied psychology with emphases in industrial/organizational and quantitative methodology; and a large and diverse population of undergraduate majors. Additional information about SDSU, the Psychology Department, and the Joint Doctoral Program can be found at https://www.sdsu.edu/, https://psychology.sdsu.edu, and https://clinpsyc.sdsu.edu/.

All new faculty hires at San Diego State University must satisfy at least three (out of eight) of our university’s ‘Building on Inclusive Excellence’ (BIE) criteria. More information on SDSU’s BIE can be found at: https://sacd.sdsu.edu/cie/bie

The eight criteria are:

  1. Is committed to engaging in service with underrepresented populations within the discipline
  2. Has demonstrated knowledge of barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline
  3. Has experience or has demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring underrepresented students
  4. Has experience or has demonstrated commitment to integrating understanding of underrepresented populations and communities into research
  5. Has experience in or has demonstrated commitment to extending knowledge of opportunities and challenges in achieving artistic/scholarly success to members of an underrepresented group
  6. Has experience in or has demonstrated commitment to research that engages underrepresented communities
  7. Has expertise or demonstrated commitment to developing expertise in cross-cultural communication and collaboration
  8. Has research interests that contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education

SDSU is a large, diverse, urban university and federally recognized as both a Hispanic-Serving and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. Our campus community is diverse in many ways, including race/ethnicity, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origins, pregnancy, medical condition, and covered veteran status. We strive to build and sustain a welcoming environment for all. SDSU is seeking applicants with demonstrated experience in and/or commitment to teaching and working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and members of underrepresented groups. The College of Sciences is host to a large number of federally-funded minority training programs (described at https://casa.sdsu.edu). Please also find the Department of Psychology Diversity and Inclusion statement here: https://psychology.sdsu.edu/diversity-and-inclusion-statement/

Application Instructions

Applicants should apply via Interfolio: http://apply.interfolio.com/114089. Applicants should submit a letter of interest, research statement, teaching statement (including evidence of teaching effectiveness), diversity and inclusion statement, a current curriculum vitae, up to 3 representative reprints, and 3 letters of reference. For full consideration, complete applications should be submitted by 11/1/2022, although applications will be considered until the position is filled. For questions, please contact Committee Chair Dr. Aaron Blashill at ajblashill@sdsu.edu.

The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

As part of its commitment to a safe and equitable “OneSDSU” community, SDSU requires that individuals seeking faculty employment provide at the time of application authorization to conduct background checks if they become a finalist for the position; applications without this authorization will be considered incomplete and not considered.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.