Open-Rank Academic

Posting Number : F2588P

Working Title : Open-Rank Academic

Department :

Social Work-Dean's Office

About the University of Georgia :

Chartered by the state of Georgia in 1785, the University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in America and is the state’s flagship university (https : / / www.uga.edu / ) . The proof is in our more than 240 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,100 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 41,000 students including over 31,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 19 schools and colleges, including our newly established School of Medicine.

About the College / Unit / Department :

The School of Social Work is committed to hiring faculty who work toward advancing social and economic disparities through scholarship / research, teaching, public service and / or administrative responsibilities.

Posting Type : External

Retirement Plan : TRS or ORP

Employment Type : Employee

Benefits Eligibility :

Benefits Eligible

Underutilization : Minorities & Females

Advertised Salary :

Commensurate with Experience

Anticipated Start Date :

08 / 01 / 2026

Job Posting Date : 12 / 01 / 2025

Open until filled : Yes

Special Instructions to Applicants :

Applicants should upload an application letter that includes a discussion of teaching philosophy and research agenda, and a curriculum vitae. Three letters of reference addressed to the University of Georgia, School of Social Work, Faculty Search Committee will be required at the time of interview. Review of applications will begin immediately and will be accepted until the position is filled. Questions should be routed to Dr. Llewellyn Cornelius at lcornel@uga.edu Please note “Faculty Search” in the subject line.

Location of Vacancy :

Athens Area

EEO Statement :

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status or other protected status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR ( hrweb@uga.edu ).

USG Core Values Statement :

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning, as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found online at https : / / www.usg.edu / policymanual / section8 / C224 / #p8.2.18_personnel_conduct .

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found online at https : / / www.usg.edu / policymanual / section6 / C2653 .

Classification Title :

Open Rank

Faculty Rank :

Open Rank (Tenure Track)

Contract Type : Academic (9 mo.)

Tenure Status :

Tenure Track or Tenured

Minimum Qualifications :

Ph.D. in social work or cognate discipline (e.g. psychology, sociology, public health, neuroscience, economics).

Position Summary :

The School of Social Work seeks tenure-track faculty at the assistant, associate, or full professor ranks for joint appointments with a newly established School of Medicine in Digital Behavioral Health. We welcome applications from strong candidates in two areas : (1) Digital Mental Health and (2) Digital Behavioral Health for Substance Use Disorder (SUD).

You will join an exceptionally talented and passionate group of scholars and staff, and there are opportunities to work in partnership with our Center for Human Trafficking Research & Outreach, Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights, and the Institute for Nonprofit Organizations. Faculty also collaborate with the College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, the new College of Nursing, College of Engineering, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Mary Frances Early College of Education, School of Law, the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and other units.

Digital Mental Health

We seek a scholar to lead an externally funded program of human-subjects research that advances digital mental health across the lifespan. The successful candidate will design, test, and scale evidence-based digital prevention and intervention tools and decision support—such as digital therapeutics, EHR-enabled measurement-based care, sensors and other digital biomarkers—augmented by AI methods including natural language processing, predictive modeling, risk stratification, and safe, transparent decision support. Projects may include conversational agents for psychoeducation or triage, AI-assisted clinical documentation and workflow optimization, and digital phenotyping for early detection, all developed and evaluated with strong ethical, equity, and governance safeguards. Emphasis is on real-world implementation that improves access, quality, and equity. The joint appointment enables close collaboration with clinical data science in Medicine while sustaining a Social Work portfolio centered on community implementation, mental health equity, practice integration, and ethics.

Digital Behavioral Health for SUD

We seek a scholar focused on SUD and co-occurring conditions to lead an externally funded, AI-driven program that designs, validates, and implements digital prevention, treatment, and recovery supports. Core activities include developing mobile and web interventions powered by predictive modeling for risk stratification and relapse forecasting, recommender systems for just-in-time adaptive interventions, and EHR-linked decision support that enables measurement-based care and care-pathway optimization. The faculty member will integrate multimodal clinical and patient-reported data through learning-health-system pipelines, conduct hybrid effectiveness–implementation trials and real-world evaluations, and deploy tools across primary care, emergency, oncology, and community settings. They will also co-design recovery platforms that connect peer services and harm-reduction resources and lead dissemination strategies that promote equitable adoption and sustained engagement, with explicit attention to safety, transparency, and governance of AI in behavioral health.

Faculty will pursue extramural funding to develop, evaluate, and scale digital behavioral health tools; teach undergraduate and graduate courses in digital mental health, SUD science, co-occurring conditions, implementation methods, and research ethics and equity in digital care; and develop new curricula and short courses that translate emerging evidence into practice-ready skills. They will mentor students and trainees across disciplines—including MSW, MPH, PhD, MD, nursing, informatics, and data science—with attention to mentoring and career development; build and sustain partnerships with hospitals, FQHCs, health departments, community-based organizations, and peer-led recovery programs to co-design, pilot, and implement digital interventions; and lead dissemination and implementation activities aligned with agency priorities, producing practical toolkits, train-the-trainer materials, and evaluation dashboards.

Faculty are expected to engage in teaching, research, field liaison duties and / or academic advising, and service. They may teach across the educational continuum at our Athens, Gwinnett, and Online campuses. We expect successful candidates to share our commitment to enriching our institutional missions of teaching, research and service.

Additional Requirements :

Candidates for the Assistant Professor rank must have a Ph.D. in social work or cognate discipline (e.g. psychology, sociology, public health, neuroscience, economics). Candidates for the Associate Professor rank must also be engaged in teaching, research, and service consistent with an appointment at the rank of associate professor. Candidates for the Professor rank must also be engaged in teaching, research, and service consistent with a tenured faculty appointment at the rank of a tenured professor.

Relevant / Preferred Education, Experience, Licensure, and / or Certification :

An M.S.W. degree with two years post master’s practice experience strongly preferred but not required.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and / or Competencies :

The candidates selected for these faculty positions will be outstanding scholars and teachers. Applicants must demonstrate exceptional research capacity and potential for external funding.

Is this a Position of Trust? :

No

Does this position have operation, access, or control of financial resources? :

No

Does this position require a P-Card? :

No

Is having a P-Card an essential function of this position? :

No

Is driving a responsibility of this position? :

No

Does this position have direct interaction or care of children under the age of 18 or direct patient care? :

No

Does this position have Security Access (e.g., public safety, IT security, personnel records, patient records, or access to chemicals and medications) :

No

Credit and P-Card policy :

Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website .

Background Investigation Policy :

Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a background investigation including, a criminal background check demonstrating your eligibility for employment with the University of Georgia; confirmation of the credentials and employment history reflected in your application materials (including reference checks) as they relate to the job-based requirements of the position applied for; and, if applicable, a satisfactory credit check. You may also be subject to a pre-employment drug test for positions with high-risk responsibilities, if applicable. Please visit the UGA Background Check website .

Duties / Responsibilities :

Serve as instructor for courses in the BSW, MSW, and / or PhD programs and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in digital mental health, SUD science, co-occurring conditions, implementation methods, and research ethics and equity in digital care; and develop new curricula and short courses that translate emerging evidence into practice-ready skills, and serve as student advisor.

Percentage Of Time : 45

Duties / Responsibilities :

Engage in independent research agenda in areas of human-subjects research that advances digital mental health across the lifespan, and develop, evaluate, and scale digital behavioral health tools. Disseminate findings and pursue external funding as appropriate and available.

Percentage Of Time : 45

Duties / Responsibilities :

Provide service to the School, university, community, and profession.

Percentage Of Time : 45