Chair of the Department of Psychology
The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) invites applications for an innovative, strategic, and inclusive leader to serve as Chair of the Department of Psychology, beginning in Fall 2027. This is an exceptional opportunity for a distinguished scholar to lead a nationally recognized department within a dynamic, interdisciplinary, and research-intensive university. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership in advancing the department’s research, teaching, and service missions; recruit, develop, and support an outstanding and diverse faculty; foster a collaborative and inclusive academic culture; strengthen undergraduate and graduate education; and expand the department’s impact through interdisciplinary partnerships, community engagement, and research excellence. The Chair will have the opportunity to build on the department’s strong foundation while shaping its future in a rapidly evolving field and contributing to UAB’s broader mission of discovery, education, and service.
The Department of Psychology recently moved into the new Shelby Biosciences Research Building, a 228,735-square-foot facility with state-of-the-art wet and dry research laboratories, instructional laboratories, and research support spaces. Designed to foster collaboration, the building strengthens opportunities for interdisciplinary research and training across Psychology and UAB’s health sciences enterprise. The facility advances the goals of UAB’s strategic plan, Forging Ahead, and its research strategy, which seeks to expand UAB’s research impact and reach $1 billion in annual research expenditures.
UAB seeks to empower research excellence, impact, scholarship, and innovation that drive knowledge and job creation focused on increasing our positive impact and improving society. To accomplish our research growth goal and the related impact on people’s lives, we partnered with Huron Consulting Group and Urban Impact Advisors, who evaluated UAB’s research infrastructure and provided recommendations to ensure scalability that aligns with the research goal. In partnership with our research leadership team, Huron and Urban Impact Advisors reviewed and evaluated our existing portfolio, assessed the current landscape to identify growth areas, analyzed our capacity (people, process, space, and technology), and provided priority recommendations in a strategic plan that, upon implementation will help us achieve our goal. To learn more about the UAB Research Strategic Initiative visit this link: Home | Research Strategic Initiative.
The Department of Psychology offers a strong and diverse educational portfolio at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The Psychology Undergraduate Program is one of UAB’s largest undergraduate majors, with opportunities for students to work directly with faculty, participate in faculty research laboratories, engage in community-based experiences, and participate in a departmental Honors program. The department offers the B.S. in Psychology in both on-campus and fully online formats, providing flexibility for a diverse undergraduate population. The interdisciplinary Undergraduate Neuroscience Program is offered jointly with the Department of Neurobiology in the Heersink School of Medicine.
At the graduate level, the department offers Ph.D. programs in Medical/Clinical Psychology, Applied Developmental Psychology, and Behavioral Neuroscience, terminal master’s programs in Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, and a graduate certificate in Social and Behavioral Statistics. These programs provide students with extensive opportunities for research and interdisciplinary training. In particular, the Medical/Clinical Psychology program draws on faculty and training resources across the UAB Health System and affiliated clinical settings, while Behavioral Neuroscience and Applied Developmental Psychology emphasize interdisciplinary research spanning Psychology and other UAB academic and health sciences units. Together, these programs create a distinctive environment for integrating psychological science with neuroscience, medicine, public health, developmental science, and other disciplines. Graduate students engage in research, teaching, and, where appropriate, clinical training under the mentorship of faculty from Psychology and across UAB. See the department website for more information: http://www.uab.edu/cas/psychology/.
The successful candidate will be an accomplished scholar and academic leader with administrative experience, a record of external research funding, an active research program, and a vision for advancing a department committed to excellence in research, graduate and undergraduate education, and community engagement. A doctoral degree in psychology or a closely related field is required, along with professional accomplishments appropriate for appointment at the rank of full professor.
Applications should include a brief cover letter describing the candidate’s interest in the position and qualifications for leadership of the Department of Psychology; three one-page statements addressing (1) teaching, (2) research, and (3) administrative experience and leadership; a current curriculum vitae; and contact information for three professional references. References will not be contacted without the applicant’s permission. Formal letters of reference will be requested only from candidates who advance to the finalist stage.
Review of applications will begin immediately. Applications received by December 31, 2026, will receive full consideration, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Interested applicants should apply at this link: https://uab.peopleadmin.com/postings/28522.
For additional information about the position, please contact the Search Committee Chair, Kent R. Kerley, PhD, at [email protected].
Research is one of the Department of Psychology’s strongest and longest-standing traditions. Since 1999, the department has been recognized by the National Science Foundation as one of the top 100 recipients of federally financed research and development expenditures at universities and colleges. Faculty conduct research spanning basic, translational, and applied psychological science, with extensive collaboration across disciplines and schools throughout UAB. Current faculty research encompasses a broad range of topics, including health and well-being; mental health and psychopathology; development across the lifespan; cognition, emotion, and behavior; neuroscience and psychophysiology; and perception, rehabilitation, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Faculty employ diverse approaches, including behavioral and experimental methods, neuroimaging, EEG and other psychophysiological measures, ambulatory and ecological assessment, longitudinal and dyadic designs, computational and quantitative methods, and clinical and intervention research.
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) is the largest academic unit at UAB, with 19 academic departments, more than 300 full-time faculty, and more than 40 baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. The College brings together disciplines across the arts and humanities, natural and physical sciences, mathematics, and social and behavioral sciences. Its faculty and students benefit from a vibrant interdisciplinary environment that supports research, scholarship, creative activities, student success, and meaningful community engagement.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a comprehensive R1 research university and academic medical center with a distinctive culture of interdisciplinary collaboration. UAB's integration of academic and health sciences creates exceptional opportunities for research and education spanning basic science, behavioral and social sciences, medicine, public health, and clinical care.
UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, religion, and veteran’s status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB’s Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix (https://www.uab.edu/titleix/).
A pre-employment background check investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment.
