Strategic Faculty Recruitment Initiative in One Health – Healthy and Resilient Living Systems

As part of this strategic recruitment initiative, faculty are being recruited into the Departments of Psychological Sciences and Public Health in the College of Health and Human Sciences. The Department of Psychological Sciences seeks faculty who could speak to the Cluster’s focus on the interplay between nutritional health and environmental factors, stress, and metabolism, complemented by related work on environmental contaminants and their effects on brain function and mental health. Another area of interest is in sustainable work systems, worker health and safety, and organizational resilience, connecting individual and workplace health to broader community and system-level resilience. Individuals who can contribute to the Behavioral Neuroscience, Industrial-Organizational, and Clinical Psychology areas are particularly desired. Candidates' research should address behavior, brain function, or mental health. The Department of Public Health emphasizes collaborative interdisciplinary approaches to improving health at the intersection of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. The Department’s research encompasses social determinants of health, health inequities, disease prevention, epidemiology, biostatistics, nutrition, and community-engaged interventions. Particular areas of interest include, but are not limited to, emerging infectious diseases and One Health epidemiology; environmental and climate health; food systems, nutrition, and population health; rural and community health resilience; and artificial intelligence, data science, and population health.

Job Summary

Purdue University invites applications for multiple tenured or tenure-track faculty positions as part of a multi-department strategic faculty recruitment initiative in Healthy and Resilient Living Systems. This strategic recruitment will help advance Purdue’s One Health initiative (https://www.purdue.edu/onehealth/) which seeks to tackle complex challenges with real-world impact at the intersection of human, animal, and plant health. This recruitment initiative builds on previous strategic faculty recruitment initiatives in: (1) Integrated Health; (2) AI-Driven Biomolecular Design, and (3) Advanced Chemistry. In addition, a parallel strategic faculty recruitment initiative in Intelligent Medicines is ongoing. Through academic programs, research, facility infrastructure and industry partnerships, Purdue’s One Health efforts are making giant leaps in improving health outcomes for all living things and driving economic growth regionally and globally. This strategic faculty recruitment initiative focused on Healthy and Resilient Living Systems is expected to build on prior recruitment initiatives and existing Purdue research and academic strengths, to transform research and impact human, animal and environmental health by bridging silos and fostering collaboration across disciplines.

The health and prosperity of society depend upon resilient living systems that connect ecosystems, plants, animals, insects, microbes, and people. Emerging and chronic diseases, food insecurity, environmental degradation, climate change, nutrient deficiencies, invasive species, and ecosystem disruption are increasingly interconnected challenges that require integrated approaches across biological scales and disciplinary boundaries. This strategic recruitment initiative will help establish Purdue as a national leader in predicting, designing, and improving living systems that support health, sustainability, and economic vitality. Working with existing campus experts, this cluster would develop innovative solutions that enhance health resilience from genes and microbiomes to organisms, food systems, populations, and ecosystems. By integrating strengths in agriculture, engineering, artificial intelligence, data science, and health sciences, Purdue aims to create a globally distinctive platform for addressing complex challenges at the intersection of food systems, environmental stewardship, animal and human health, and economic prosperity.

Faculty Responsibilities

• Establish a vigorous, externally funded research program.
• Contribute to the education and mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students. Teach undergraduate and/or graduate level courses. Course modality is generally in person. The potential may exist for teaching online/distance courses during the academic year.
• Collaborate across disciplines to solve complex global one health challenges.

Integration within the Purdue One Health Community

Collectively, the strategic faculty recruitment initiatives represent a forward-thinking investment in Purdue’s research infrastructure and academic excellence. Faculty hired as part of these One Health strategic faculty recruitment initiatives will be supported as part of the overall One Health community. Together, these faculty members are expected to work across diverse disciplines, enhance Purdue’s external funding potential, and drive innovation at the intersection of health, environment, food, and economics. In addition to joining an academic unit, faculty hired under this initiative will have the opportunity to join a vibrant ecosystem of interdisciplinary centers and institutes, that span the hard tech corridor between Indianapolis and West Lafayette including:

• Center for Aging and the Life Course (CALC)
• Purdue University Research Center in Economics (PURCE)
• Center for Rural and Migrant Health
• Center for Health Analytics and Therapeutic Intelligence
• Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR)
• Purdue Center for Musculoskeletal Engineering
• Institute for Digital Forestry
• Institute for Digital and Advanced Agricultural Systems
• Institute for a Sustainable Future
• Indiana Water Resources Research Center
• Ingestive Behavior Research Center (IBRC)

The integrated, cross-disciplinary nature of One Health is essential for addressing today’s most urgent One Health challenges and ensuring Purdue’s continued leadership in research, education, and community impact.

Qualifications

• For Psychological Sciences, candidates may hold a PhD or other appropriate doctoral degree in psychology (including behavioral neuroscience, clinical psychology, or industrial-organizational psychology), neuroscience, biopsychology, physiology, endocrinology, nutritional sciences, toxicology, organizational behavior, or a related discipline. For Public Health, candidates may hold a PhD or other appropriate doctoral degree in psychology, neuroscience, public health, epidemiology, community health, environmental health sciences, One Health, nutritional sciences, health sciences, health services research, biostatistics, or a related discipline.
• A record of research excellence and productivity commensurate with rank
• Demonstrated potential or record of interdisciplinary collaboration and impactful scholarship
• Commitment to teaching and student mentorship

Application Process

To apply, please submit a cover letter, CV, research statement, teaching statement, and contact information for at least three references. Review of applications will begin on November 5, 2026 and continue until positions are filled. A background check is required for employment in this position.

Purdue University is an equal opportunity/equal access university.