The Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Transportation Planning in the Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. We particularly encourage applications from candidates whose research and teaching use a modern spatial data analytics toolkit.
Emerging questions of automation, sustainability, and equity are reshaping transportation planning. We seek a scholar whose work addresses these open challenges from spatial perspectives such as modeling, data and location analytics, decarbonization, technology systems, infrastructure design, equity measurement and redress, and global perspectives. Candidates’ research should draw interdisciplinary links between different planning fields and ideally address at least one of our department’s two cross-cutting themes: social justice and data analytics. We seek innovative intellectual leaders whose research will address urban planning’s most pressing questions in the coming decades, and emphasize spatial thinking/analysis, the connectivity of the challenges facing cities across a global stage, and interdisciplinary innovation through novel scholarly methods.
To be considered for this position, all applicants must apply via the USC Careers site and submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and a statement that outlines their research agenda and teaching philosophy and approach. Please also arrange for three letters of reference. Review of applications will begin December 1, 2026.
About the Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis
Sitting at the heart of LA’s living urban laboratory, DUPSA offers a top-ranked Master of Urban Planning, a PhD in Urban Planning and Development, and a BS in Urban Studies and Planning. The department’s core strengths span urban analytics, transportation, sustainability planning, arts and culture, urban design, and housing and economic development. ScholarMetrics ranks DUPSA #1 nationally in urban planning faculty citations, US News and World Report ranks it #4 in urban planning and policy among public affairs schools, and Planetizen has ranked it in the top 10 of every edition of its guide to urban planning programs from its 2006 inception through the present.
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Consistently ranked among the top schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The mission of the Price School is to improve the quality of life for people and their communities, here and abroad. The school is composed of interdisciplinary experts that generate innovative approaches and solutions to critical issues. Across four academic departments, Price offers wide-ranging curriculum across undergraduate and graduate programs that provide students with knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes, and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experience. To learn more about the Price School, please visit https://priceschool.usc.edu.
Note: The core 9-month base salary for this position will be determined by rank and commensurate with experience, skills, education, and training.
