Assistant Professor Faculty Position (Team Science) in Developmental Methodology

Applicants may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting the Office of Equity at 847-467-6165 or via email at equity@northwestern.edu.

The Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) (www.mss.northwestern.edu), Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM), Northwestern University invites applications for a team science (non-tenure eligible) Assistant Professor position. We strongly encourage people from communities that are underrepresented in medicine (URiM) to apply including people from racial and ethnic minoritized communities; first generation scholars; LGBTQ+ and non-binary people; people with disabilities; and women. We seek an exceptional early career investigator focused on methods that enable early identification and risk prevention at the intersection of mental health and language development. The faculty member will collaborate and lead scientific activities across a broad range of early childhood studies supported by Northwestern’s Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences (DevSci; https://devsci.northwestern.edu/), including the local site of the national HEALthy Brain and Child Developmental (HBCD) Study and a newly funded “Mental Health, Earlier” P50 Center. We are particularly interested in a methodologist who bridges lab-based neurodevelopmental assessment and community-engaged methods to accelerate translation of developmental discovery to prevention in real world settings. The faculty member will be encouraged to continue/launch independent research in applied developmental science that harnesses prevention and implementation science methods. Expertise in both early normative and atypical language and mental health markers (e.g., irritability) and contextual influences for children and families with diverse lived experience are key. We are particularly interested in scientists who bring neuroscience (e.g., EEG/ERP) and behavioral assessment expertise, with an eye towards translation of these methods to early identification and prevention. MSS, the leading department of public health in a medical school nationally, iserves as home to approximately 85 social and behavioral scientists guided by the shared mission to harness the social and behavioral sciences to advance equity, innovation, and impact in health. MSS is comprised of four divisions that map on the public health approach and include Outcomes and Measurement Science, Determinants of Health, Intervention Science, and Implementation Science. MSS includes a robust transdisciplinary research portfolio including $55 million in federal funding annually, high impact and output including over 500 publications annually, and global reach including collaborations with scientists in over 102 countries. MSS is a bridging department which leads and fosters collaboration across departments, schools and centers/institutes. This position will have ample opportunity to engage and collaborate with scientific activities within DevSci’s University-wide community of over 300 scientists and students. The candidate may play a role in training and technical assistance via DevSci’s Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Training Core, (https://devsci.northwestern.edu/nd-core/) if this aligns with skills and interests. Given the emphasis on methodologic expertise at the intersection of language and mental health, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the School of Communication (https://communication.northwestern.edu/academics/communication-sciences-and-disorders/), where MSS has robust ties will also be an important partner for scientific engagement and collaboration and may enable future opportunities for research and practice. Candidates will have the opportunity to mentor and engage with trainees at a variety of levels including via DevSci’s graduate cluster and the NIMH Mental Health, Earlier postdoctoral T32 fellowship. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, and BELONGING MSS is strongly committed to diversity, and equity is critical to the mission of advancing excellence in academic programs, world-class research, and health programs. As our healthcare and academic institutions serve increasingly diverse constituencies, it is vital to understand the ways in which differences in gender, class, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and other identities can both divide us and offer us better ways of thinking and working. The MSS Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA) Committee drives a dynamic discourse and department wide effort to continually expand MSS engagement with, and action towards creating and training a more inclusive and representative health sciences. Applications are encouraged from diverse applicants, and the Department is committed to supporting faculty to work in an increasingly diverse society by promoting equity and justice for all individuals, actively working to eliminate barriers and obstacles created by institutional discrimination. Engagement in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military service, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression will not be tolerated. MSS has a central objective to advance the health and wellbeing of diverse populations. The importance of respecting and valuing this aspect of diversity permeates interactions and activities with faculty, trainees, and staff. Northwestern University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and does not discriminate against qualified individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, marital status, age, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected class. Individuals from all diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States. For more information, please see the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment at northwestern.edu/equal-opportunity-access/policies/policy-discrimination-harassment.html. The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami, and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today. Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. While there is power in community, the neighborhoods were created through the explicitly racist policies of Red Lining. The segregation enforced by these codes result in modern day inequities in health, educational, and income outcomes that disproportionately impact the City’s communities of color. MSS is committed to community-engaged research that addresses inequities and aims to transform health for all through the social and behavioral sciences. Start date is negotiable. We will begin reviewing applications March 15, 2025, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. When applying, please upload a curriculum vitae, cover letter, and completed list of references form describing your interest and alignment with the position. All applicants should include in their cover letter a clear statement about their commitment and contribution to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. For questions or more information about the position, please email mssfacultyaffairs@northwestern.edu.

  • Please complete the form below and click Submit. Files must be in Adobe PDF format.
  • Please ensure that your e-mail address is correct before submitting the form.
  • Northwestern University is an equal opportunity employer.
  • Some information is required and marked with asterisks (*).

Applicant Information

Official Contact Information

Academic Information

Application Documents (files must be in Adobe PDF format)

(Max size: 8MB)
(Max size: 4MB)
(Max size: 4MB)

 

Self Identification - Disability

OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability.

Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury



Reasonable Accommodation Notice

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.

1Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. For more information about this form or the equal employment obligations of Federal contractors, visit the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

 

Self Identification - Veteran Status

Definitions

This employer is a Government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002, 38 U.S.C. 4212 (VEVRAA), which requires Government contractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment: (1) disabled veterans; (2) recently separated veterans; (3) active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans; and (4) Armed Forces service medal veterans. These classifications are defined as follows:

  • A "disabled veteran" is one of the following:
  • A veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
  • A person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service connected disability.
  • A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.
  • An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
  • An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.
Protected veterans may have additional rights under USERRA — the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. In particular, if you were absent from employment in order to perform service in the uniformed service, you may be entitled to be reemployed by your employer in the position you would have obtained with reasonable certainty if not for the absence due to service. For more information, call the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), toll-free, at 1-866-4-USA-DOL.

Self-Identification

If you believe you belong to any of the classifications of protected veterans listed above, please indicate by selecting the appropriate option below. As a Government contractor subject to VEVRAA, we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA.










Reasonable Accommodation Notice

If you are a disabled veteran it would assist us if you tell us whether there are accommodations we could make that would enable you to perform the essential functions of the job, including special equipment, changes in the physical layout of the job, changes in the way the job is customarily performed, provision of personal assistance services or other accommodations. This information will assist us in making reasonable accommodations for your disability. Applicants and employees may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting Northwestern's Office of Equity at 847-467-6165 or via email at equity@northwestern.edu.

Submission of this information is voluntary and refusal to provide it will not subject you to any adverse treatment. The information provided will be used only in ways that are not inconsistent with the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended.

The information you submit will be kept confidential, except that (i) supervisors and managers may be informed regarding restrictions on the work or duties of disabled veterans, and regarding necessary accommodations; (ii) first aid and safety personnel may be informed, when and to the extent appropriate, if you have a condition that might require emergency treatment; and (iii) Government officials engaged in enforcing laws administered by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, or enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, may be informed.

 

Self Identification - Diversity

Gender/Ethnicity/Race

Northwestern University is subject to certain governmental record-keeping and reporting requirements for the administration of civil rights laws and regulations. To comply with these laws, Northwestern University invites applicants to voluntarily self-identify race/ethnicity, gender, and veteran status. Submission of this information is voluntary, and refusal to provide it will not subject you to any adverse treatment. The information is kept confidential and is only used in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws, executive orders and regulations, including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to the federal government for civil rights enforcement. When reported, data will not identify any specific individual.

If you do not wish to provide this information, please check the box to the left of 'I don't wish to answer.'

Gender Identification Ethnicity Identification Race Identification



Are you Hispanic or Latino/a?

A person of Cuban, Mexican, Chicano/a, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
What is your race?

    A person having origins in any of the original people of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.

    A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia or the Indian Subcontinent, including for example, Cambodia, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, Viet Nam.

    A person having origins in any of the black racial groups in Africa.

    A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

    A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
    Questions?
    Contact MSS Faculty Affairs at mssfacultyaffairs@northwestern.edu