The Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University is seeking a tenured Associate or Full Professor in the field of demography/population studies. The candidate will have a leadership position within the institute’s Houston Population Research Center (HPRC), overseeing an interdisciplinary team of community-engaged researchers who work closely with local partners on a wide range of demographic topics. The candidate will also be part of the Kinder Institute’s leadership team and is expected to work closely with the institute director and directors from the institute’s other research centers to develop and maintain relationships with community partners, set the research agenda together with these partners, coordinate intersecting projects across research teams, and ensure that research use and impact are maximized. Faculty directors are also expected to secure research grants, working closely with the leadership and grant writing teams. Leadership experience and community partnership experience is required.

Candidates must have a PhD or terminal degree in Demography, Economics, Population Health, Sociology, or a similar field and an outstanding record in demographic research, experience leading a research team, and experience in community-engaged research done in partnership with local organizations that apply the research in meaningful ways.

Faculty members are on nine-month appointments, and the successful candidate will have a tenure home in the department that aligns with the selected applicant’s disciplinary background (see here (https://ga.rice.edu/programs-study/departments-programs/) for a list of departments at Rice), which includes teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in that department. Grant funding may be used for course buyouts. Faculty in the Kinder Institute are expected to focus their research efforts on institute projects that will utilize the institute’s resources, and co-design projects with community partners. Because the Kinder Institute focuses on maximizing research use and impact, research centers work closely with community partners to develop their research agenda, plan how research will be used, and generate informative research products beyond, but inclusive of, academic publications,

Kinder Institute:

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research (https://kinder.rice.edu/) is an interdisciplinary research institute that works in direct partnership with local agencies and organizations to produce research, data, and policy analysis aimed at informing and shaping solutions to critical challenges facing the Houston region. The institute aims to improve lives through data, research, engagement, and action.

The institute consists of five research centers:

Houston Education Research Consortium (https://kinder.rice.edu/centers/houston-education-research-consortium)

Houston Population Research Center

Center for Community and Public Health (https://kinder.rice.edu/centers/center-for-community-and-public-health)

Center for Economic Mobility (https://kinder.rice.edu/center/center-economic-mobility)

Center for Housing and Neighborhoods (https://kinder.rice.edu/center/center-housing-and-neighborhoods)

Centers conduct research that focuses on their particular topics, as well as research that intersects across centers, through interdisciplinary teams that specialize in solutions-oriented, community-engaged research called research-practice partnerships (https://wtgrantfoundation.org/research-practice-partnerships-in-education-the-state-of-the-field) (RPPs (https://nnerpp.rice.edu/) ).

The Kinder Institute has a team of over 70 full-time research and administrative staff, plus faculty and student affiliates. Researchers benefit from access to hundreds of datasets, established long-term community partnerships, highly skilled interdisciplinary teams, and extensive research support such as financial, communications, and grant writing teams. Founded in 2010, the Kinder Institute was endowed with several gifts from Houston philanthropists Richard and Nancy Kinder. Today, the institute generates funding from research grants, corporate sponsorships, individual donors, and an endowment (https://news.rice.edu/news/2022/50m-kinder-foundation-grant-will-expand-kinder-institutes-work-solve-challenges-facing) .

The Kinder Institute is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our research and service endeavors. We strive to promote an environment that welcomes and respects diverse backgrounds, experiences, and views, as this diversity strengthens our research and our collaborative outreach efforts. In this spirit, we particularly welcome applications from all genders and members of historically underrepresented groups, who exemplify diverse experiences. The search committee is eager to receive applications from scholars with lived experience related to the issues on which the Kinder Institute is focused.

Application Process:

Interested candidates should submit application materials through Interfolio (http://apply.interfolio.com/155080) , including a CV, cover letter, research sample, and statement of partnership research. References will be requested for candidates that advance to the shortlist. All materials must be submitted by Nov 1, 2024. The start date is July 1, 2025. In the cover letter and statement of research partnership, applicants are encouraged to address their experience with and/or plans for building and leading inclusive research teams.

Rice University:

Rice University (http://www.rice.edu/) is a private, comprehensive university located in the heart of Houston’s dynamic Museum District. The Houston metro is one of the largest and most diverse in the country. Rice offers undergraduate and graduate degrees across eight schools and has approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students. Rice consistently ranks among the top 20 US universities and the top 10 in undergraduate teaching; its endowment ranks among the top 20 (US News & World Report).

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University (https://www.rice.edu/mission-values#xd_co_f=NzhlYjAxZjUtZDM4Yi00N2VkLTkwODAtYjdkNzE0ZmUwZTA3)