Assistant Professor

Description

Johns Hopkins University's School of Government and Policy seeks to recruit multiple tenure-track faculty in multiple disciplines and fields of study, including (but not limited to) political science, law, sociology, history, philosophy, computer science, and economics.

While searching broadly, we have a particular interest in faculty conducting research on the following topics of inquiry:

Cities and Communities: State and local policymaking and implementation. Applications are encouraged from candidates in civil engineering, economics, history, law, sociology, political science, public administration, or urban planning, with research interests including local governance, state capacity, urban innovation, housing and real estate, public education and school choice, transportation and land use, or local finance and budgeting.

Frontier AI: The implications of highly advanced AI for government and society. Applications are encouraged from candidates from a wide range of disciplines including computer science, economics, philosophy, law, political science cognitive science, and sociology. Research interests might include: AI alignment and governance; the government, societal, and labor market impacts of and adaptation to AI; the use of AI to simulate and design policy interventions; regulatory theory and innovation; institutional design and innovation; and AI evaluation, auditing and verification.

Political Philosophy and Theory: Ambitious, foundational, big-picture political philosophy and/or political theory with direct relevance to government and policy, advancing the school's mission of shoring up and renewing the core institutions of liberal democracy. Applications are encouraged from candidates who are problem-focused and syncretistic, drawing on different conceptual, methodological, and empirical approaches and orienting themselves outward from philosophy/theory toward the world, with particular interest in candidates whose work intersects with or complements other parts of the School's research strengths.

Public-Sector Innovation and Management: How governments and other public-sector organizations function, why they succeed or fail, and how to change them to more effectively solve public problems. Applications are encouraged from candidates in the social sciences, management, history, organizational behavior, psychology, urban planning, operations research, industrial and systems engineering, management science, public management, or public policy. Research interests might include: institutional reform and organizational change; public innovation and problem solving; public-sector management, budgeting, procurement, contracting, and operations; state capacity and bureaucratic performance; organizational structure, behavior, learning, and culture; the adoption and management of technology in government, including the organizational challenges of effective implementation and how technologies affect public-sector organizations, policy, and governance.

Regulation, Bureaucracy, and Public Administration: Why governments so often fail to deliver what policies promise, and what institutional redesigns would enable them to do so. Applications are encouraged from candidates in political science, law, public administration, history, sociology, or other fields whose work is changing the terms of academic and public debate. Research interests might include: the politics of civil service and personnel systems; federalism and the implementation of large public programs; intergovernmental relations; regulation, enforcement, and capture; administrative procedure and policy analysis; or state capacity more broadly.

Across all these searches, we seek candidates who can work and learn across disciplines and take seriously the need to improve government effectiveness. We welcome candidates who have worked within public-sector and policymaking institutions and alongside government reformers from across the political spectrum. We are also interested in candidates who wish to investigate the challenges and opportunities of governing and deploying artificial intelligence.

About the School of Government and Policy

Anchored at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in the heart of Washington, D.C., the School of Government and Policy will be a hub of discovery, collaboration, and impact. At a time of political, social, and technological upheaval, this new school will support and inform scholarly and practical efforts to build a more effective government and solve complex policy challenges. The school will scrutinize institutional reforms that have the potential to improve government operations, examine the potential for advancing technologies to transform government workforces and operations, develop novel approaches to multidisciplinary education and experiential learning, and foster vital dialogue and engagement across a wide range of worldviews, backgrounds, and epistemologies.

Similar to JHU's other academic divisions, the School of Government and Policy will be grounded in a commitment to both world-class research and exceptional education. It will prepare the next generation of policy and public sector leaders to advance evidence-based solutions to society's greatest challenges through innovative approaches that: 1) embed science, data, and technology in curricula; 2) give students the tools required to think strategically and creatively about government and policy innovations; and 3) emphasize the critical need for cross-functional skills and capabilities at all levels of government and in bridging public, non-profit, and industry sectors.

We are building a community of scholars, experts, and leaders from a wide range of disciplines who embrace intellectual pluralism-with the intention not merely of representing different perspectives and ways of understanding, but of putting these differences to good use. We welcome applications from scholars who challenge conventional thinking through rigorous inquiry.

Over the course of its founding years, the school will grow to encompass 35 full-time faculty members with expertise that spans both theoretical and applied approaches to public policy and government. During this founding period, additional hires will be made with other units across the University, yielding an even larger and more integrated tenured and tenure-track faculty.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in an appropriate field or J.D. by the time their appointment begins. Candidates must have demonstrated an ability to conduct outstanding independent research and show promise for excellent teaching, mentoring, and public engagement.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, two writing samples, and three letters of recommendation. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and should be received by October 25, 2026 for full consideration. Interested candidates should submit their applications via Interfolio.

Dependent upon discipline, rank, and other factors listed below, the overall expected salary range for this position is $100,000 to $200,000.