Assistant Professor Faculty Position in the Department of Sociology, with a focus on the Future of Healthy Aging

Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Position Type: Full-Time/Regular | Posted: 10/15/2026

About the role

The Sociology Department at Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in social and contextual influences on healthy aging. This position is part of BU’s major investment in convergent research, bringing together bold ideas, deep expertise, and perspectives from across disciplines to take on society’s most critical challenges.

We seek scholars whose research examines how social and institutional forces shape healthy aging and well-being across the life course. Areas of interest may include the effects of systemic inequality, policy, neighborhood and environmental conditions, occupational exposures, and other social contexts on physical, psychosocial, and economic well-being. We are particularly interested in scholars who bring sophisticated quantitative and computational approaches and draw on multiple sources of data to understand the social determinants of healthy aging.

This cluster hire builds on BU’s strength in Health Across the Lifespan, an area of significant expertise and opportunity across the University. BU is home to renowned studies of aging including the Framingham Heart Study and New England Centenarian Study, as well as innovative interdisciplinary research centers focused on the demography and economics of population aging, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, the biology of aging, and more. The Future of Healthy Aging draws on this foundation, bringing together faculty from anthropology, biology, business, communications, epidemiology, law, physical therapy, sociology, and surgery to pursue transformative research questions about how we age and the biological, cultural, environmental, technological, legal, and social factors that shape healthy aging as well as the structural factors that prevent some from aging well. The cluster hire will add new ideas, methods, and perspectives to this work, connecting fundamental discovery, population health, and translational research to advance healthier aging across the life course and to meet the challenges of an aging global population.

The Department of Sociology is emerging as a nationally recognized center for the study of inequality, population health, families, aging, community, and social change. Faculty examine how social, economic, institutional, and environmental factors shape health and well-being across the life course, with strengths in understanding the social determinants of health and the mechanisms that produce health disparities and resilience. Through innovative research using demographic, quantitative, qualitative, and computational approaches, sociologists investigate how individuals and communities experience health, illness, caregiving, and aging in diverse social contexts.

Since its founding in 1839, Boston University has embraced a mission of openness and access, becoming one of the first universities in the nation to welcome all students of ability regardless of race, gender, or creed. That tradition shapes our enduring commitment to academic freedom, free inquiry, and the robust exchange of ideas. We seek scholars who will contribute to our community of teachers and researchers through excellence in innovative scholarship, engaged teaching, and participation in the intellectual life of the University. Boston University provides an environment where faculty and students work together across disciplines, perspectives, and experiences to advance knowledge and address society’s most pressing challenges.

Responsibilities

• Lead an independent research program
• Actively engage in collaborative research
• Pursue external funding to support research program
• Teach and mentor students
• Provide rank-appropriate service to the department, university, and profession

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent degree in Sociology or a related field
• Commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching, education, and mentorship of students

Pay

The salary allocated for this role is $115,000 to $130,000. The salary of the finalist selected will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, training, and internal pay comparison. The stated hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.