Professor or Advanced Associate Professor of School Mental Health and the Science of Learning and Development

Advertising Summary: The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Education (SOE) is seeking a preeminent scholar who works at the intersection of child development, school mental health, implementation science, and machine learning (transcending at least two of these areas) with an August 10, 2027 start date (negotiable).

Unit: School Of Education MBU

Department: SOE Deans Office Deans Suite

Duties & Responsibilities

At VCU, we provide UNcommon learning, research, creativity, service and discovery — the hallmarks of the VCU experience. A premier, urban, public research university nationally recognized as one of the best employers. VCU is a great place to work. It is a place of opportunity, where your success is supported and your career can thrive. VCU offers employees a generous leave package, career paths for advancement, competitive pay, and an opportunity to do mission-driven work

At VCU, we believe that bringing different perspectives, expertise, experiences, and approaches together strengthens research, teaching, and solutions to complex problems. This philosophy drives our recruitment process, so we welcome applicants whose scholarship, teaching, professional experiences, and collaborative work contribute to a supportive and intellectually vibrant community of faculty, staff, and students.

The SOE’s commitment to responsive, needs-driven and research-based educational practices that transform lives aligns with One VCU Research’s overarching mission to enrich the human experience, advance societal wellbeing, and optimize health through transdisciplinary, collaborative research. By grounding educational inquiry in evidence-based, community-focused research and leveraging cross-disciplinary partnerships, SOE faculty contribute directly to One VCU’s strategic priorities of innovation, social impact, and transformative change across health, education, and social domains. The SOE recognizes that educational, developmental, and mental health outcomes are shaped by individual, cultural, institutional, and contextual factors and values scholarship that examines how these factors influence access, engagement, implementation, and outcomes across populations and settings. Furthermore, our faculty within

the SOE and affiliated centers (e.g., Partnership for People with Disabilities; Research, Rehabilitation and Training Center) conduct federally funded, impactful research that contributes to University Research Clusters, including Pedagogy, Learning and Community Advancement; Neuroscience, Pain, Addiction and Mental Health; Children and Women’s Health and Wellbeing; AI, Quantum Technologies and Data Science; and Robotics, Machine Learning and Virtual Reality.

The current faculty search, which leverages our Culture of Collaboration, prioritizes a nationally/internationally renowned scholar with expertise and funding that transcends at least two of the following areas that align with both the One VCU Priorities and the University Research Clusters: the Science of Learning and Individual Development (SOLID), School Mental Health, Implementation Science and/or Machine Learning. Applicants with exceptionally strong records of research, teaching and leadership work experience within interdisciplinary teams are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.
• An earned doctorate in education or related field closely related to SOLID, school mental health, implementation science and/or machine learning.
• A distinguished record of teaching, scholarship, and professional service commensurate with tenure at the rank of advanced associate or full professor at a research-intensive university.
• A well-developed scholarly/research portfolio appropriate to complement existing expertise in the SOE.
• A scholarly record that demonstrates sustained impact via high quality publications.
• A track record of securing external funding to support research.
• Record of effective leadership and capacity to promote a strong collegial culture and climate.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct and/or translate research that is responsive to the needs and experiences of varied populations and contexts, with attention to access, implementation, engagement, or outcomes.
• Ability to develop and support collaborative relationships across the university and community, including school systems, state agencies, research institutes, and policy networks.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading or partnering with large center grant proposals
• Evidence of collaborations with research centers, institutes and/or community agencies/organizations
• Evidence of service and leadership in national or international professional associations
• Evidence of interdisciplinary collaboration in research program
• Experience working effectively across cultural, disciplinary, institutional, and community contexts.
  
  

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

Salary Range: $180,000-260,000

Rank: Open

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 1

Restricted Position: No

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Tenure: Tenure Track

Months: 9 months

Contact Information

Contact Name: Dr. Kevin Sutherland

Contact Email: kssuther@vcu.edu