Entry Level Social Behavioral Science Jobs in Virginia

The Department of Health Behavior, Policy, and Management at Old Dominion University invites applicants for an Assistant Professor of Social Behavioral Sciences / Health Behavior & Health Promotion to begin January 2027. This is a 10-month, full-time, tenure-track appointment. The faculty member will hold primary teaching responsibilities for the Master of Public Health (MPH) and Ph.D. in Health Services Research programs. Incoming faculty will be expected to maintain an active program of research, teaching, and service. This position reports to the Chair of the Department of Health Behavior, Policy and Management within the ODU-NSU Joint School of Public Health (https://www.odu.edu/public-health), which is a growing, diverse, and multidisciplinary environment committed to public health research, teaching, service, and practice. The faculty member in this role will be expected to teach courses in social-behavioral sciences and related areas, mentor graduate students, develop and maintain an active independent research program, pursue external research funding, and contribute to the mission and programs of the ODU-NSU Joint School of Public Health through departmental, school, and university service, as well as through professional service and community service/engagement. The candidate is required to have excellent oral and written communication skills and a demonstrated ability to collaborate/work with others.

Applicants must have evidence of, or strong capabilities to conduct high-quality, significant, and innovative research, to secure extramural funding to establish an independent research program; to effectively teach, and to contribute to university, professional, and community service.

Teaching: Effectively teach graduate-level courses in social and behavioral sciences (health behavior and health promotion) and related areas in public health within the MPH and Ph.D. in Health Services Research programs primarily.

Research: Develop, establish, and maintain an active program of scholarly public health research in social-behavioral sciences, including publishing peer-reviewed publications, pursuing external research funding, and mentoring students in research.

Service: Participate in, and contribute to, departmental, school, and university service, including mentoring students and serving on committees; in professional service, and in community service/engagement in public health.

Earned terminal doctoral degree (PhD, ScD, or DrPH) in social and behavioral sciences or health behavior and health promotion in public health, or a comparable/closely related discipline from an accredited program, school, or institution.

• Demonstrated ability to teach graduate-level courses in social-behavioral sciences (health behavior and health promotion) or a closely related public health area.
• Demonstrated research/scholarly productivity in public health, including a record of, or strong potential for, publications in peer-reviewed indexed journals, research independence, and extramural research funding appropriate to career stage.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, establish, and maintain an independent research program.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• An earned doctorate in social/behavioral sciences (health behavior and health promotion) from a CEPH-accredited public health program, school, or institution.
• Post-doctoral public health training/experience related to this position.
• Evidence of high-quality public health research, including first-authored peer-reviewed publications and extramural grant funding.
• Experience advising and mentoring graduate students in public health, including in research.
• Evidence of effective graduate teaching (including course development) related to this position (e.g., social-behavioral sciences or closely related public health/research areas).
• Experience teaching in a variety of delivery formats, including asynchronous online teaching
• Evidence of public health experience related to this position.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct interdisciplinary research and cross-disciplinary collaboration.