OPEN RANK FACULTY POSITION SEARCH Areas of Physical Activity, Brain Function, and Mental Health

The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (http://illinois.edu/) and the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health (http://kch.illinois.edu/) seek to hire an outstanding faculty member in the area of physical activity, brain function, and mental health. The position is a nine-month, tenure track appointment at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor. The scope of the position encompasses scientists with expertise related to using exercise and movement behaviors to improve brain function and mental health outcomes including, but not limited to, cognition, emotion, and stress among human populations with or without disease. The successful candidate will also contribute to teaching and service missions in the Department and collaborate with other growing areas such as disability and/or health technology, as well as with our colleagues in engineering, psychology, and neuroscience. The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.Qualifications: The successful candidates should have received a doctoral degree in kinesiology or a related field by August 16, 2024. A record of academic scholarship that meets qualifications for the desired rank (i.e., Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) is required. Demonstrated excellence in college or university-level teaching is desired. The candidate should demonstrate a commitment to conducting rigorous research with the potential to receive extramural funding. The candidate must be committed to excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching and mentoring. The committee strongly encourages applications from women and persons from historically underrepresented groups.

The Department of Kinesiology & Community Health (KCH, http://kch.illinois.edu): The mission of the Department is to advance and disseminate knowledge related to health, rehabilitation, and human movement using an interdisciplinary approach. Through the integration of high-quality research, instruction, and outreach programs, faculty scholars within KCH are leading initiatives that address pressing concerns of our diverse society such as prevention and management of chronic disease as well as maintenance of health and well-being across the lifespan. KCH hosts a diverse group of faculty, students, and staff (https://ahs.illinois.edu/kch-directory-update) working and learning in a collegial and collaborative environment. KCH offers BS degrees in Community Health, Interdisciplinary Health, and Kinesiology; MS and PhD degrees in Community Health and Kinesiology; Master of Public Health (MPH), MS in Health Administration (MSHA), and a MS in Health Technology (MSHT). More than 1,600 undergraduate and approximately 200 graduate students are enrolled in the Department. Most undergraduate students continue their education in professional allied health or graduate degree programs, and most doctoral graduates attain positions in academia or industry.

The College of Applied Health Sciences (AHS, https://ahs.illinois.edu): The mission of AHS is to promote culturally relevant individual and community health and well-being across the lifespan, facilitate optimal living with disability, and foster the development of livable communities in a diverse society through learning, discovery, and engagement. The College enrolls 2,147 undergraduates and 419 graduate students in its three academic departments: Kinesiology & Community Health (http://kch.illinois.edu/); Recreation, Sport & Tourism (http://rst.illinois.edu/); Speech & Hearing Science (http://shs.illinois.edu/). Each department is highly ranked in national surveys. Within AHS are also the Center on Health, Aging and Disability (CHAD); the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES); and the Chez Veterans Center. The College is actively involved in discovery and engagement with the Carle Foundation Hospital, OSF Health System, Mayo Clinics, the Champaign- Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Big Ten Academic Alliance, the University’s Engineering-based Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI), the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the Cancer Center of Illinois, the Personalized Nutrition Initiative and the Division of Nutritional Sciences, the Discovery Partners Institute, the Family Resiliency Center, and many more.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, http://illinois.edu): Established in 1867, UIUC is a land-grant, Research 1 institution that has established an international reputation as an educational community ideally suited for excellence in scholarship and research across the academic spectrum. In addition to being one of the highest- ranked public research universities in the country (#12 by US News and World Report), the University of Illinois is, simply, a great place to work. The University is home to internationally recognized facilities and interdisciplinary programs including: Institute for Genomic Biology (www.igb.illinois.edu/), Beckman Institute (www.beckman.illinois.edu/), W.M. Keck Center for Comparative and Functional Genomics (www.biotech.uiuc.edu/centers/Keck/), National Center for Supercomputing Applications (www.ncsa.illinois.edu/), Division of Nutritional Sciences (http://nutrsci.illinois.edu/), Neuroscience Program (http://neuroscience.illinois.edu/), to name a few. With an undergraduate enrollment of 34,559 and a graduate enrollment of over 20,000 students in more than 100 disciplines, Illinois is among the top five universities in the country in the number of earned doctorates awarded each year. The quality of our students is very high. We are leaders in technology and our employee and alumni innovations have been extraordinary. YouTube, Netscape, medical MRI screening, the LED, and the plasma screen used in televisions and computers are just a few discoveries created by our faculty and alumni. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UIUC led all universities with a novel and aggressive non-invasive saliva testing program which served as a model for the country. The University of Illinois offers generous employee benefits including health insurance and retirement programs. In addition, we also offer our employees tuition waivers and other development opportunities for personal and professional growth, including a Dual Career Academic Couples Hiring Program. We value our employees and seek to foster an inclusive workplace.

The Champaign-Urbana Community: Home of the University of Illinois flagship campus, Champaign-Urbana (http://ci.champaign.il.us/about-champaign/) is a ‘micro-urban’ community (http://www.micro-urbanist.com) with a population of ~226,000 in the metro area located in east central Illinois. It is conveniently located between Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis and has its own airport and train service. Combining natural Midwest beauty and cultural resources typically found in much larger metropolitan areas, Champaign-Urbana is friendly, livable, easy to navigate, affordable and has an excellent public-school system. There is a ‘work-life’ balance here that gives faculty ample time for both scholarship and family pursuits devoid of the hassles of large city life. The average commute time is less than 15 minutes. The Champaign-Urbana area offers a range of businesses, recreation, and culture unmatched by other communities its size, due in large part to the presence of the University of Illinois. Whether you’re looking to raise a family, enjoy the outdoors, partake in a variety of cultural activities, enjoy the excitement of Big 10 sports, or become part of the University of Illinois community, Champaign-Urbana has something to offer you.