Social Innovation Jobs in Georgia (NOW HIRING)

Georgia State University is a national model for innovation and opening opportunities for all, ranked 2nd most innovative by U.S. News & World Report, ranked 1st among public universities in undergraduate teaching, the number 1 nonprofit university to award bachelor’s degrees to African American students, 4th in the country for its first-year student experience, and highly ranked for enabling the social and economic mobility of its students. Among the most diverse universities in the nation, Georgia State opens global perspectives as the number 1 U.S. public university sending African American students to study abroad.

A regional gateway to higher education, the five suburban Perimeter College campuses provide more than 30 associate degree pathways. The downtown Atlanta campus offers more than 250 degree programs in 100 fields of study at the undergraduate, graduate and first-professional degree levels.

With five university-wide research centers and numerous centers and institutes at the college and school levels, Georgia State’s interdisciplinary, dynamic and productive research enterprises address major health and societal challenges. It is one of only 187 universities with an R1 designation from the Carnegie Foundation , an honor reserved for the nation’s most active research institutions. Outgoing research expenditures have doubled in the last decade and topped $1.2 billion over the last six years, an indication of the University’s rapid research growth.

Georgia State is vital to the regional economy, with a more than $3.2 billion economic impact, and is also a vital part of Atlanta’s vibrant arts and entertainment community, with highly regarded programs in music, art, creative writing and film, the Rialto Center for the Arts, and the Creative Media Industries Institute that contributes to innovation and the workforce for interactive media and media entrepreneurship.

The Department of Learning Sciences is an interdisciplinary unit dedicated to improving the human condition through data-driven investigation of the learning process, through the effective design of learning innovations, and through the development of learning science professionals in five distinct areas of specialization: Applied Behavior Analysis, Deaf Studies, educational psychology, Learning Technologies, and Special Education.

Position Description

The successful candidate will help shape and lead a newly developed Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education through innovative undergraduate teaching, curriculum development, partnership-building, and program leadership. Candidates should have a strong record of teaching, mentoring, and professional work related to educational innovation, learning design, or social entrepreneurship. We especially welcome applicants who are deeply connected to non-profit, community, or industry networks in Atlanta and who have a commitment to fostering equity and innovation in education.

Professors of Practice are expected to teach undergraduate courses (including those focused on design thinking, innovation in education, and the learning sciences), advise students, contribute to program coordination and development, and build relationships with community and industry partners to create internship, project-based, and experiential learning opportunities.

Required Experience Required Education

A terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., or equivalent) or significant professional experience and leadership in education innovation, learning design, or related sectors.

Preferred Qualifications/Experience

• Demonstrated excellence in teaching or leading educational programs at the undergraduate or graduate level
• Experience with design thinking, innovation in education, learning sciences, or entrepreneurship
• Strong relationships with non-profits, social enterprises, community organizations, or industry partners, particularly in the Atlanta area
• Experience designing or leading experiential or project-based learning opportunities
• Familiarity with interdisciplinary or applied undergraduate programs

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expertise in design-based approaches to education, including but not limited to human-centered design, creative problem-solving, systems thinking, or social innovation
• Ability to collaborate across sectors and disciplines
• Effective teaching and mentoring skills with diverse cohorts of undergraduate students
• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills
• Capacity to serve as a bridge between the university and external partners, including nonprofits, schools, and educational start-ups

Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations, etc

Not required, though relevant certifications or entrepreneurial credentials may be viewed as an asset.

Pre-Employment Requirements

• A criminal background check and degree verification is required.
  Work Hours
• Position may require non-standard hours (including day, evening, online, hybrid, weekend and/or other campus locations).
• Salary: TBD
• Search Chair Contact info: bshapiro@gsu.edu
• Departmental contact for assistance: bshapiro@gsu.edu