Vanderbilt University

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Department of Economics at Vanderbilt University invites nominations and applications for a dynamic, collaborative, forward-thinking leader with an outstanding record of research, teaching, and service as its next chair. The successful candidate will have an internationally recognized record of research commensurate with that expected for appointment at the rank of Full Professor or Endowed Chair at a major research university. The candidate will exhibit both depth in their research specialty and breadth of appreciation for all fields and areas of economics. We invite applications from scholars in any field of economics.

Vanderbilt is making significant investments across its ten schools and colleges to advance research and discovery, teaching, and service. As department chair, the successful candidate will have opportunities to shape the direction of these investments. The department anticipates making several strategic hires over the next five years with the goal of significantly elevating the standing of Vanderbilt’s economics department. Stewarding the department into this new phase of growth will require strategic vision, collaborative leadership, and a commitment to shared faculty governance. Thus, we seek candidates who have demonstrated success in significant prior administrative or managerial positions (e.g., running a center, serving as Director of Graduate Studies). Prior experience as a department chair is not required.

The Department of Economics and Vanderbilt University highly value collaboration and collegiality. In addition to outstanding research credentials, we seek candidates who have a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion; experience mentoring faculty at all ranks but especially at the Assistant Professor rank; and the ability to work productively across departments, schools, and institutions. We seek candidates with an understanding of extramural funding opportunities and challenges in economics specifically and social sciences generally.

The Department of Economics, situated within Vanderbilt’s College of Arts & Science, has approximately 35 tenured/tenured track faculty, 10 teaching faculty, 30+ PhD students, an internationally recognized Graduate Program in Economic Development (GPED), and 300+ undergraduate majors. Our faculty are research leaders in their respective fields, publishing in top general interest and field journals and leading major research associations. They are also award-winning educators. Our PhD students have earned placements at institutions such as Harvard Business School, the New York Federal Reserve Bank, the University of Michigan, as well as the private sector. Our GPED students and undergraduates often gain entry to top economics PhD programs and pursue a range of academic, public, and private sector careers.

Vanderbilt University has a strong institutional commitment to recruiting and retaining an academically and culturally diverse community of faculty. Minorities, women, and members of other underrepresented groups, in particular, are encouraged to apply. Vanderbilt is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.. Located on 330 park-like acres 1.5 miles from downtown Nashville TN, Vanderbilt is a private, internationally recognized research university that embraces convergent research frontiers and delivers challenging and high-quality educational and immersion experiences to a diverse group of learners. Long known as a hub for health care and music, Nashville is also a technology center. In recent years, the city has experienced an influx of major office openings by some of the largest global tech companies and prime Silicon Valley startups. With a metro population of approximately 1.9 million people, Nashville has been named one of the 15 best U.S. cities for work and family by Fortune, was ranked as the #1 most popular U.S. city for corporate relocations by Expansion Management, and was named by Forbes as one of the 25 cities most likely to have the country's highest job growth over the coming five years. Nashville also offers a vibrant and varied cultural scene, multiple major league sports teams, and excellent dining options.

Application Instructions
To apply, please submit a cover letter describing your interest in the position and a current cv. First consideration will be given to applications that are received by October 15, though the position will remain open until filled. Candidates preferring a confidential discussion about the opportunity prior to applying are welcome to contact search committee chair Kitt Carpenter (christopher.s.carpenter@vanderbilt.edu).