Description

The Department of Urban Planning and Policy in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) plans to hire a tenured faculty member at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.

We seek a scholar whose research and teaching critically engages with community development and immigration in U.S. urban regions. The successful candidate will contribute to advancing equitable, community-engaged planning practices that support immigrant and migrant communities and address the social, spatial, and institutional challenges they face. We are particularly interested in candidates whose work focuses on one or more of the following areas:

• Community development and immigrant integration: Including immigrant-serving organizations, neighborhood-based initiatives, migrant civil society, mutual aid networks, and grassroots forms of community building and governance.
• Housing, health, and social service interventions: Focusing on access to and delivery of housing, public health, and/or social services in immigrant communities, including innovative or community-led service models responding to inequality, informality, and precarity.
• Informal economies and urban livelihoods: Including a focus on informal activities such as street vending, day labor, and other livelihood strategies, as well as planning and policy responses to support economic inclusion and worker protections.
• Policing, enforcement, and community response: Including research on immigrant communities’ interactions with systems of policing, immigration enforcement, and surveillance, as well as community-based strategies of resistance, protection, and advocacy.

Candidates must have an earned PhD in urban planning or a closely related field and have an academic profile commensurate with a tenured faculty line. Successful candidates will teach a 2:2 load each academic year. 

The Department of Urban Planning and Policy currently offers an undergraduate program (B.A.) in Urban Studies, and three graduate degrees: the Master in Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP), the Master in City Design, and the Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy. Established 51 years ago and comprising five specializations – community development, economic development, environmental planning and policy, spatial planning, and urban transportation – our MUPP program is one of the largest planning programs in North America. The selected candidate will teach in the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs and is expected to develop a research agenda that advances the department’s mission to critically address contemporary urban challenges and reduce social and spatial inequities.

The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs was created in 1995 as part of UIC's Great Cities Initiative. In addition to UPP, the college houses the Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics, as well as seven research centers: the Center for Urban Economic Development, the Government Finance Research Center, the Great Cities Institute, the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, the Urban Transportation Center, and the Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement. 

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 35,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution and a Hispanic Serving Institution. Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings, published by U.S. News & World Report, placed UIC among the top public schools in the nation and ranked it 9th among top-performing public universities in social mobility. UIC has over 300,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes health, dental, vision, life insurance, a retirement plan, paid time off, and tuition waivers for employees and  dependents. This appointment is represented by UIC United Faculty Local 6456, IFT-AFT, AAUP (UICUF) and covered by the terms of UIC's collective bargaining agreement with UICUF. 

The budgeted salary range for the position is $120,000 to $160,000. The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including equivalent years in rank, training, and field or discipline; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Application Procedure: For full consideration, please apply by August 21, 2026 via the UIC application system: https://jobs.uic.edu (Job ID # 1041907). A completed on-line application and the following attachments are required for consideration: a cover letter of interest, curriculum vitae or resume, and contact information including email addresses of three references. For questions about the position, please contact Department Head Dr. Philip Ashton ([email protected]). Review of applications will begin on August 24, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled. 

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please review our non-discrimination statement and additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

The U of I System complies with applicable federal and state laws to ensure fair and unbiased employment practices. Departments, hiring units, or search committees must adhere to the following when making employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, renewal of employment, selection for training or apprenticeship, discharge, discipline, tenure, and other terms, privileges, or conditions of employment):

• AI may be used as a tool during the hiring process, but all employment decisions must be made by a person.
• The candidate must be notified if AI is being used in connection with employment-related decisions.
• The use of predictive data analytics in employment decisions should not consider protected characteristics that result in discrimination. This includes, but is not limited to, using zip codes as a proxy for race (Illinois Human Rights Act, PA 103-0804).
• If AI will be used in video interviews, the department, hiring unit, or search committee must, in advance of the interview, disclose this to the applicant, obtain the applicant’s consent, and inform the applicant how the AI works and the general types of characteristics the AI uses to evaluate applicants (Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act, PA 101-0260).

Requirements

Key Responsibilities/Duties:

• Teach in the department’s graduate and undergraduate programs with a typical teaching load of 2:2 per academic year.
• Develop a research program that makes an identifiable contribution to the study of urban planning, urban studies, or a related subfield.
• Participate in departmental governance and conduct service and outreach that advances the mission of the department, the college, and the university.

Minimum Qualifications (required) and other desirable qualifications:

• PhD in urban planning or a closely related field such as geography, public policy, or urban studies.
• Be eligible for appointment at the rank of tenured Associate Professor or Professor according to UIC norms.
• Evidence of significant scholarly contributions commensurate with a tenured faculty position.
• Evidence of excellence in teaching, including knowledge of inclusive and active teaching practices. 

Preferred qualifications: 

• Broad knowledge of contemporary urban planning, urban studies, or related subfields, including major trends and debates in history, theory, and practice. A focus on the U.S. is preferred, but we will also consider candidates with expertise in other world regions.
• A research profile that includes refereed publications in high-impact journals, presentations at national and international conferences and workshops, and success in securing competitive research funding.
• Demonstrated experience using innovative approaches to teaching in alternative formats including community-engaged studios, workshops, and capstones at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Experience in community-based, participatory, or advocacy research that addresses the needs of diverse, urban communities.
• Practical professional experience in the fields of urban planning and policy or subfields such as community development.