The Department of Psychology at the University at Buffalo (UB), The State University of New York, announces a cluster hire in the area of disparities in psychological well-being (broadly defined) across the lifespan. This cluster hire consists of three tenure-track faculty hires, one at the rank of advanced Associate or Full Professor and two at the rank of Assistant or early Associate Professor. We expect at least one of these hires will focus on the issue of disparities in learning processes and outcomes. These hires are part of a disciplinary excellence investment in the Department of Psychology, with the goal of building on UB’s strength in collaborative and translational research, and on departmental expertise in issues of equity in psychological well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forward how structural inequities may undermine mental and physical well-being, creating stark disparities among individuals and communities. Another aspect of inequity that has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic relates to structural inequities in early learning, cognition, and educational achievement, all of which are critical predictors of long-term mental health and wellness. The core of these disparities lies in how humans interact with their environments, how they respond to stress and adversity, what constitutes resilience, and how people access and understand health information.

The Department of Psychology and UB is committed to using research, teaching, and public outreach programs to better understand and ameliorate such structural disparities. The goal of these cluster hires is to bring together scholars focused on addressing the ways in which the field of Psychology can seek to understand and ultimately to ameliorate inequity.

The specific area within Psychology is open, as is the particular lifespan focus, which could include early childhood to late-life development. As a department we have particular strengths in several key domains of psychological science from “neurons to neighborhoods” (i.e., biological, clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social) and hires within this disciplinary excellence initiative could align with any of these or other perspectives to address disparities across the lifespan.

Those with clinical interests could have expertise in basic or applied domains that have implications for mental health disparities in one or more developmental periods. Research programs with marginalized groups that complement existing strengths in substance use and externalizing problems, close relationships, anxiety, developmental psychopathology, mood and personality disorders, advanced quantitative methods, or the development of evidenced-based treatments are particularly encouraged.

Those with cognitive-based interests could have expertise in understanding the basis of deficits in basic mental processes such as memory, language comprehension, action planning, and perception. Individuals who can complement the University's Learning Science initiative (insert link: https://ed.buffalo.edu/research/projects/learning-sciences-initiative.html), whose work addresses disparities in early cognition, learning, and educational achievement, or that addresses inequities in from a developmental perspective (including cognitive aging) are particularly encouraged.

Those with neuroscience-based interests could have expertise in the understanding the biological determinants of individuals’ stress vulnerability and resilience, the neural consequences of early life adversity and resource scarcity, or the emergence and decline of complex sensory or cognitive processes. Research programs using animal models of psychological processes or laboratory-based measures of neural activity are encouraged.

Those with social-based interests could have expertise in stigma, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, collective action, diversity, group identity, or intergroup processes. Individuals with research programs based in these or other areas with implications for understanding or ameliorating disparities and inequities in society are particularly encouraged.

Those with developmental science interests could have expertise in close relationships (parent-child, peer, marital), developmental psychopathology, the neural consequences of early life adversity and resource scarcity, language and cognitive development, moral and social development as it pertains to group identities, memory and healthy aging. Developmental Science at UB is inherently interdisciplinary, encompassing faculty across areas within and outside of the Psychology Department, we would welcome individuals whose developmental interests support this interdisciplinary approach to well-being.

Inquiries about this position can be directed to Dr. Rebecca Ashare, Chair of the Search Committee (rlashare@buffalo.edu).

Applications may be submitted at https://www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/postings/43468.

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