Job Description

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Location

Tempe Campus
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Open Date

Oct 13, 2025
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Description

Job Details and Essential Duties:

The School of Human Evolution and Social Change (SHESC) (https://shesc.asu.edu) at Arizona State University (ASU) is recruiting a Postdoctoral Scholar to teach and conduct research in SHESC. The position is under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Ryan Williams, Director and Professor of SHESC, and/or other appropriate SHESC faculty. The postdoctoral scholar will contribute to the instructional mission of SHESC through teaching in the undergraduate degree programs (50%) and conducting research related to faculty research interests and the scholar's own research agenda (50%).



This is a fiscal year appointment (12 months), which offers competitive benefits through ASU, including health insurance, and paid vacation and holidays. This position is located at the Arizona State University Tempe campus. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2026.



Specifically, we are looking for a graduating Ph.D. student or a recent Ph.D. graduate in one or more of the following areas:


Global Health Environmental Social Science Evolutionary Anthropology Archaeology Bioarchaeology Sociocultural Anthropology

About the School of Human Evolution and Social Change

Known for its leadership in innovative education and research, the School of Human Evolution and Social Change includes one of the nation's top-ranked anthropology programs and the largest and most research-productive transdisciplinary anthropology faculty in the nation. Staying true to our four-field anthropological origins means we remain committed to leveraging a long-term, comparative, and holistic perspective on human origins as a way to understand and address complex problems, now and for the future, and a deep concern for community engagement and social justice. In addition to anthropology, our students can earn degrees in global health, museum studies and environmental social science. We are also known for our high-quality study abroad, field school programs and research apprenticeship opportunities for our ~1,000 undergraduate majors and ~200 graduate students.



We offer a dynamic, collegial, and challenging work environment due to the pace of innovation, complex array of research and academic programs, and high-profile initiatives. SHESC is the largest social science unit in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, ASU's largest college. For complete information, see http://shesc.asu.edu/.

About The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic heart of Arizona State University, committed to improving communities on a local, national and global scale. We support the professional development and growth of our faculty and staff in their cutting-edge research to advance these aims. Within The College, our faculty engage with a large curious student body, guiding them as they grow into socially aware, critical thinkers and writers able to succeed in a wide range of careers and to address the challenges of the twenty-first century. Advancing the success of our students remains our top priority. To learn more about The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, please visit https://thecollege.asu.edu.

About Arizona State University

ASU exemplifies a new prototype for the American public research university. As articulated in the ASU Charter, ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.

Essential Functions:

Contribute to SHESC's undergraduate and graduate teaching mission in consultation with the faculty mentor and SHESC Director. This includes teaching online courses that have already been developed as well as collaborating with faculty to design and develop new courses. Advance SHESC's leadership in instruction through transdisciplinary research on educational and career-related outcomes across the six focus areas listed above. Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and contribute to innovative scholarship on the science of teaching and learning.

This is an in-person, full-time, fiscal-year, term-limited 1-year position. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2026 but may be earlier or later. The fiscal year (12-month) salary for this position is $61,008 along with competitive benefits through ASU including health insurance, paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays. The appointment may be renewable for an additional year pending sufficient funding and successful execution of the teaching and research goals. The Postdoctoral scholar should be in residence in the greater-Phoenix metropolitan area during the appointment, to benefit from engagement with the SHESC faculty and training opportunities available on the ASU campuses.



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Qualifications

Required Qualifications

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A PhD (or terminal degree) in Global Health, Environmental Social Science, Evolutionary Anthropology, Archaeology, Bioarchaeology, Sociocultural Anthropology, or a related social sciences or health sciences field at the time of appointment, received within the past four years. Evidence of commitment to teaching and mentoring of students in a related field and working with community partners in applied settings. Demonstrated experience in qualitative OR quantitative research, inclusive of conceptualization, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Demonstrated interest in research related to SHESC faculty research approaches.

Desired Qualifications

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Demonstrated experience in teaching and/or mentoring students, including online learning, in classroom, laboratory, or field settings. Demonstrated evidence of mixed methods research experience, inclusive of study conceptualization, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Strong written and verbal communication skills as evidenced by varied dissemination approaches for academic and non-academic audiences (e.g., social or public media, presentations, briefs, reports, journal articles). Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty, staff, students and communities to advance the principles of the ASU's Charter. ###

Application Instructions

The application deadline is Dec 1, 2025. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.

Candidates will be asked to create or use an existing Interfolio Dossier to submit the following:

A cover letter outlining how you meet the above qualifications,

A current curriculum vitae, and

One-page statement of teaching philosophy, and

Up-to-date contact information (including email addresses) for three (3) professional references. References may be contacted at a later stage of the search and only with the candidate's approval.


General questions about this position may be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Patrick Ryan Williams: prwill@asu.edu.



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Application Process

This institution is using Interfolio's Faculty Search to conduct this search. Applicants to this position receive a free Dossier account and can send all application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

A background check is required for employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.





See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.




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