Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, staff, and students that make the university a great place to work.

The USC Equity Research Institute and the USC Department of Sociology invite applicants to apply for a one-year 2026 ERI Turpanjian Postdoctoral Scholar, renewable for a second year. The USC Equity Research Institute (ERI) is a research unit headed by Professor Manuel Pastor and situated within the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences. Founded in 2007, ERI provides forward-looking, actionable research to support community-based organizations, funders, and other stakeholders working towards social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. ERI produces data-driven analysis and rigorous research to inform movements and policy; leads convenings and communications that deepen and broaden our reach into key audiences; engages in strategic collaborations that leverage our strengths for broader impact; and models an effective, sustainable, and racially-just research center. For more information about us and our projects, visit: https://dornsife.usc.edu/ERI.

For this Postdoctoral Scholar position, we seek candidates who will advance the Turpanjian mission, which is to support deepening knowledge of the ways civil society institutions and grassroots actors are transforming the economic and social landscape of the 21st Century.

We invite applicants whose scholarship addresses intersections and tensions in emerging organizing models and active tools for social change. While the focus is on social movements in the United States, we also welcome applicants whose scholarship utilizes transnational and comparative analysis to contextualize these movements.  Potential areas of inquiry include but are not limited to new forms of social movement organizing, including the role of digital organizing and social media; the interplay between electoral politics and social movements; the tensions and possibilities of organizing across communities, issue areas, regions, and demographics; the challenges of building broad fronts to protect democracy; and new ways of framing and working for economic and racial justice.

Responsibilities: In addition to conducting independent research, the postdoctoral fellow will be invited and expected to:

• Contribute to cross-campus collaborations.
• Conceptualize and plan activities (such as workshops or a symposium) that will engage the campus community on issues of civil society and social change.
• Teach one course in the department of Sociology.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Possess strong communication skills to work effectively within the team, and a diversity of stakeholders and sectors.
• Completed all requirements for their doctoral degree by August 1, 2026.
• Graduating doctoral students and pre-tenure professors with a doctorate in a social science discipline

Salary range: The annual base salary range for this position is $74,000 - $84,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Required Documents and Additional Information:

• Review of applications will commence November 2025, with a decision expected by late-January 2026.
• Applications must include: (1) a cover letter, (2) C.V., (3) a detailed description of the nature of the research undertaken during the fellowship period, (4) a relevant writing and analysis sample up to 30 pages, and (5) contact information for three references. Your materials may be uploaded as separate files or as one file. All documents are required for consideration.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.
   

Questions about the application process or requirements should be directed to Dr. Thai V. Le: [email protected]

The Postdoctoral Scholar will be mentored by Dr. Manuel Pastor and/or Dr. Jody Agius Vallejo. Dr. Pastor is the Director of the Equity Research Institute, a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, and the Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society & Social Change. Dr. Pastor’s work is committed to public scholarship on pressing social issues that combines rigorous analysis with efforts to uplift the often-invisible work of everyday actors in generating social change.  Dr. Vallejo is a Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology, and serves as the Associate Director of the USC Equity Research Institute. Dr. Vallejo specializes in immigrant integration and mobility, the minoritized middle and upper classes, and racial/ethnic inequality in the United States.

Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to theBackground Screening Policy Appendix Dfor specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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If you are a current USC employee, please apply to this  USC job posting in Workday by copying and pasting this link into your browser:

https://wd5.myworkday.com/usc/d/inst/1$9925/9925$131633.htmld