Social Sci Assistant/Associate/Professor & Dir. of AidData TUFF

Position description

The Global Research Institute (GRI) empowers teams of William & Mary students and faculty to make a difference in the world. We are a multidisciplinary hub that applies scholarly research to real world problems, investing in outstanding student and faculty scholars to catalyze new insights and cultivate the next generation of global leaders. Based in the Office of the Provost, GRI supports a whole of university approach to advance W&M by developing ideas, convening partners, creating and analyzing data, and inventing new methods. The Institute’s approach to incubate and scale and applied research helps researchers push research frontiers and produce insights that matter at W&M and beyond. At any time, under the auspices of the Institute there are several research projects, most grant-funded, with the largest being AidData.

Arts & Sciences is the heart of William & Mary, building on a long tradition of excellence in research, mentorship and hands-on learning. The university’s largest academic unit, Arts & Sciences includes more than 40 departments and interdisciplinary programs in the arts & humanities, social sciences, and natural, physical & computational sciences.

Position Summary

The Global Research Institute (GRI) and Arts & Sciences (A&S) at William & Mary, a public university of the Commonwealth of Virginia, seeks applications for a tenure track position at the Advanced Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Full Professor level in the social sciences. Appointment will begin August 10, 2025. We are interested in individuals with research and teaching expertise in global development and cross-border financial flows from sociology, political science, economics, or public policy, and strong applicants from related fields are encouraged to apply. Prospective tenure units for the successful applicant are Sociology (preferred), Economics, or Government. 

The duties of the 9-month instructional faculty position (which include up to 3 months of additional grant-supported summer salary) include research, teaching, and service to the University. The applicant is expected to establish and maintain a vibrant, externally funded research program that inspires a highly motivated body of undergraduate and graduate students. Additionally, as a member of the senior leadership team of the GRI’s AidData research lab, the applicant is expected to conduct pioneering research on the nature, distribution, and effects of aid, credit, and investment from non-Western sources; prepare and submit grant proposals that advance the research objectives of the Tracking Underreported Financial Flows Unit; broker and manage partnerships with external sponsors; generate innovative academic and policy research that generates elite media coverage and interest among public sector decision-makers; formulate and implement strategies to maximize the internal cohesion, productivity, and policy impact of an externally-funded programmatic unit with approximately 12 full-time employees; and directly supervise and mentor several unit employees.

The successful applicant will also have a track record of publishing research in leading, peer-reviewed disciplinary and inter-disciplinary journals; demonstrated experience working with large, complex datasets using Stata, R, Python, and/or Matlab; a track record of submitting deliverables and progress reports to external research sponsors in a timely and acceptable manner; substantial experience leading interdisciplinary teams and technically-demanding research projects; and substantial experience effectively communicating research methods and findings to those who make and shape international policies and programs.

Teaching expectation is 1 course per semester. Successful applicants must possess the skills to teach compelling courses – including lecture and seminar-style courses – in one or more of the following subject areas: economic sociology, sociology of development, international economics, development economics, comparative politics, international relations, public policy, or research methods.

Required Qualifications

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in sociology, economics, political science, public policy, or a related discipline at the time appointment begins (August 10, 2025). Applicants must also have at least five years of experience designing and implementing externally sponsored international research projects as a Principal Investigator; and a track record of obtaining large-scale research funding from a diverse set of government agencies, international organizations, and/or philanthropic sources.

Preferred Qualifications

A Ph.D. in sociology is preferred. Previous experience in teaching and mentoring successful undergraduate or graduate research is preferred. Other preferred qualifications include research and teaching expertise in global development and cross-border financial flows; substantial experience working with development finance data; substantial knowledge of China’s overseas grant-giving, lending, and investment practices; a track record of preparing statistical code for independent reproduction of results; expertise in experimental and quasi-experimental methods of causal inference, social network analysis, and/or spatial analysis; and a demonstrated ability to develop and deliver training courses for public sector decision-makers, business leaders, journalists, and/or nonprofit leaders.

Application instructions

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