Job Description

The Urban and Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College invites applications for Associate or Full Professor of Climate and Energy Policy with appointment to begin Fall 2027.

The Urban and Environmental Policy Department is searching for an Associate/Full Professor in the field of Climate Justice and Energy Policy. We seek a broadly trained community-engaged social scientist whose research and teaching is situated in the political economy and policy context for climate change, energy, and sustainability. Candidates should have demonstrated experience working and thinking across interdisciplinary theory, methods, and applied and community-engaged approaches in teaching and research related to the political ecology of climate change and energy and be able to teach the following: Environment and Society ( UEP 101), Environmental Law and Policy ( UEP 300), the Senior Policy Seminar ( UEP 410), as well as elective courses in climate and energy. Our new colleague will help our students diagnose root causes of the global climate crisis, think both locally and globally about the climate crisis, and, just as importantly, outline solutions and work with community partners to bring about real-world change.

We are looking for a colleague who understands the obstacles to addressing the climate emergency as not just environmental but also political and economic, and who can mentor students in becoming advocates for climate justice. We are particularly interested in a colleague who can teach courses that would meet Core requirements and that relate to the city and communities of Los Angeles. As necessary, the new hire may contribute to the First Year Seminar program (which focuses on writing), mentor undergraduate researchers in Oxy’s renowned Summer Research Program, engage with the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute’s programs, including the Center for Community Food and Resilience and the Justice Summer Internship program The new hire will have an active research agenda, producing scholarship commensurate with rank, and will participate in the life and development of the department, advise students, and serve on broader college-wide committees.

Our department is unique in that it integrates environmental and urban studies, recognizing that environmental and urban policy and solutions are inextricably related. Our students are drawn to our department because they want to understand e how the climate crisis is exacerbating inequality, how it has crossed multiple tipping points, and how to achieve climate justice. Our students are also attracted to our interdisciplinary and applied curriculum that offers opportunities for research, internships, and community-engaged learning. UEP students gain skills in analytic and critical thinking, writing, research, and community organizing that they successfully translate into graduate studies and careers. Our students are routinely accepted into top graduate school programs in public policy, law, public health, social work, urban planning, environmental and sustainability studies including UCLA, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, Harvard, NYU, and USC. Our interdisciplinary major has also led some of our students to other academic and career paths, including medical school and programs in theology.

Our faculty are committed teacher-scholars who bring critical inquiry and discovery into the classroom. The UEP curriculum provides our students with classroom learning as well as field experience with our community partners that addresses understanding the root causes of social injustice and inequality while training students as thought and application leaders for social justice, public service, and public policy. Our curriculum directly aligns with the Occidental Promise, the College’s strategic plan.

Our faculty establish themselves as exceptional researchers and practitioners in their fields. And they provide departmental and college-wide service, as well as service to their professions. Our new colleague will fill our department gaps while expanding our translocal and transnational connections, engaging policymakers, leveraging professional visibility to the department, impacting policy debates, and expanding internship and professional networks for our students.

As a small institution with a commitment to Shared Governance, faculty across the College collaborate in maintaining the excellence of the College’ academic program.

Located within the vibrant city of Los Angeles, Occidental is committed to community-engaged partnerships for learning and research Occidental is also committed to undergraduate research, regularly mentoring students in Occidental’s hallmark summer research program For decades, Occidental has been a leader in creating access for a diverse student body. That diversity enriches the education of all students. We seek an innovative teacher, scholar, mentor, and colleague who wishes to work in such an environment and who shares the commitments articulated in the mission of the College

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Candidates will hold the Ph.D. degree or terminal degree in their field.
• Demonstrated leadership and contribution to departmental planning, cross departmental collaboration, and College initiatives. This includes:
  • Experience in departmental leadership and management responsibilities (e.g., curricular development, annual assessment, long-term departmental planning, creativity with resource management and organization, etc.)
  • Experience and success in working collaboratively with colleagues from different departments, administration, and other campus constituencies.
  • Ability to support, manage, and evaluate departmental personnel (e.g., department staff, tenure-track faculty, and non-tenure-track faculty).
  • Willingness and ability to organize and participate in programming, events, exhibitions.
• Our ideal candidate will be an effective and engaged teacher-scholar able to inspire and teach our students to understand and use various methods to understand race, place, poverty, and inequality in the context of a global political economy and inform practical solutions at the community, local, state, national, and global levels. Our new colleague will have:
  • Experience and interest in teaching elective courses focused on climate justice and energy policy.
  • The ability to teach several required courses: Environment and Society ( UEP 101), Environmental Law and Policy ( UEP 300), and the Senior Policy Seminar (UEP 410). A list of the most current syllabi is here
  • A clear pedagogical approach and a demonstrated record of effective teaching and advising, particularly teaching and mentoring underrepresented and historically marginalized students
  • Experience in applied and/or community-based research.
  • A strong record of scholarly accomplishments appropriate to the level of appointment.
  • A clearly articulated research agenda and commitment to involving and mentoring undergraduate researchers.
  • An expressed interest and commitment to teaching in an urban liberal arts college located in Los Angeles.

Preferred Qualifications

• Willingness and ability to teach community-engaged courses.

Application Instructions

To be assured full consideration your application materials must be received by midnight Eastern time (9:00 pm Pacific time) on Friday, October 16, 2026.

A complete application includes all of the following:

• Cover Letter that describes the education, experience, and/or skills you possess that are relevant to the Required and Preferred Qualifications listed above.
• CV
• Teaching Philosophy/Statement. Please include pedagogical innovations and demonstrated commitment to creating equitable learning opportunities and inclusive pedagogies for a diverse student body.
• Research Statement.
• Names and email addresses of three references (letters will be solicited if candidates advance; please do not submit letters in your initial application).

If you have any questions about the position, the application materials, or the application instructions, please contact: UEP Search Committee/Department Chair Martha Matsuoka at matsuoka@oxy.edu or call (323) 259-2971. If you have questions about Interfolio or the application process, please contact the Academic Support Administrator, Beatrice Gonzales, at facultysearch@oxy.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Occidental is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristic or information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. Please see Occidental’s Notice of Non-Discrimination

Occidental is strongly committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and just environment within which students, staff, and faculty thrive. Candidates who can contribute to this goal through their work are encouraged to identify their strengths and experiences in this area. Individuals whose life experiences and perspectives are underrepresented in the field are particularly encouraged to apply.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. A conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.

As a condition of hire for a staff position and for appointment to a faculty position, Occidental College requires that all candidates who have received a conditional offer of employment complete an application form (if they have not already done so) and consent to a background check. Satisfactory completion of a background check, along with pre-employment verifications and references are required as a condition of employment, but only as permitted by federal, state, and local law.

All offers of employment for United States based positions are contingent upon each applicant providing original documents which certify his or her legal right to work in the United States and the timely completion of an employment eligibility verification form I-9.

Occidental College is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with qualifying disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the application or employment process, please contact Human Resources ( hr@oxy.edu).