Assistant Professor in Urban and Regional Planning

Job No: 537044

Work Type: Full Time

Location: Main Campus (Gainesville, FL)

Categories: Education/Training/Instructional Design

Department: 15060000 - DCP-URBAN REGIONAL PLANNING

Job Description:

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning within the University of Florida's College of Design, Construction and Planning invites applications for a nine-month, tenure-accruing faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin in August 2026.

The Department encourages applications from candidates with background in the planning field and expertise in housing. The Department has particular interest in candidates whose work incorporates real estate finance and/or policy aspects, such as understanding housing markets, taxation, housing policy effectiveness, and promising innovations. Preferred candidates will look to the future and engage with public interest concerns, such as health and well-being, built environment resilience, socio-economic sustainability, and community development. Ideal candidates will collaborate with other disciplines, bring professional experience, and have interest in relating their work to Florida communities.

Key Responsibilities:

The selected candidate will conduct research and publications commensurate with a tenure-track position and be entrepreneurial in obtaining research grants. The candidate should be open to collaborating with other faculty and researchers, such as in research centers across and beyond the College, and establishing relationships with related discipline programs on campus, such as business (real estate) and political science.

The position requires teaching a total of four courses per year (two in fall and two in spring), which may be graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses delivered in-person and online, in the candidate's areas of expertise and in general planning topics. Anticipated courses include housing public policy and planning, housing and real estate finance, and at least one core general planning course. The successful candidate should have a well-developed pedagogy that includes methods to engage a multicultural student body.

The candidate would also be expected to conduct community outreach and service consistent with the missions of the Department and the land-grant University.

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning:

The Department consists of a collegial faculty of thirteen core members and an additional eighteen members affiliated with research centers and other academic programs. Our faculty is the most productive in the College and consistently attracts the highest amount of research funding, with close to $4 million in new grants secured in the past year. We foster a family friendly environment and promote career development at every level, including mentorship of junior faculty.

The Department, founded in 1975 and first accredited in 1978, offers a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), a Master of Science in Urban Analytics (MSUA), a PhD URP concentration with STEM designation, a graduate minor in URP and certificate in UA, an undergraduate minor in URP, and a combined (4+1) bachelor-master degree. The Department's fully-online MURP was the country's first and remains the only accredited such program. In 2023, the MURP program (campus and online) was ranked 22nd in the nation, sixth in the South, and the 10th largest by enrollment. The Department recently established a Bachelor of Urban Sciences and Planning (BUSP) to begin in Fall 2026.

Required Qualifications:

The candidate must have a PhD in urban and regional planning, urban studies, geography, public policy, finance and real estate, public administration, or related field. A successful candidate must have expertise in housing and a strong background in the planning field to enable them to support specialized and core courses for the MURP and BUSP programs. The PhD must be completed prior to the start date of August 16, 2026.

Preferred:

Preferred candidates incorporate real estate finance and/or policy aspects into their research, teaching, and service. Professional planning experience is desired, with AICP or other relevant credentials preferred. Candidates should have a demonstrated track record or potential to publish in peer-reviewed journals and attract extramural research funding; experience with student-centered classroom instruction and an interest in incorporating online modalities; and a willingness to serve the academy, the profession, and communities.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

To be considered, submit a complete application with the following: Letter of interest, research agenda, teaching philosophy, writing sample, curriculum vitae, and list of references. Applications should be submitted by November 2, 2025. Inquiries can be sent to Dr. Kathryn Frank at kifrank@ufl.edu.