University of Texas at Dallas

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas invites applications for the Director of the Texas Schools Project (TSP), an open rank tenured or tenure-track faculty position. Exceptional candidates at the Assistant Professor level with a demonstrated trajectory toward research leadership and external funding will also be considered. The start date is Fall 2027.

The Director will lead one of the nation's premier centers for education policy research and will hold a tenure-home appointment in an EPPS program aligned with their disciplinary training: Economics, Public Policy, or related field.

About the Texas Schools Project

Founded in 1992 by Harvard economist John F. Kain, the Texas Schools Project supports and conducts independent, high-quality academic research to inform education policy and practice and improve student outcomes across Texas and the nation. Kain moved the project to UT Dallas when he joined the faculty in 1997 and, along with collaborators from across the country, built the Texas Schools Microdata Panel, a longitudinal administrative database that became a model for education research in other states. TSP has long been anchored at UT Dallas, and its data have supported work by leading economists of education across the country. Today, TSP researchers work across the full educational spectrum — from early childhood through postsecondary attainment and workforce outcomes — using advanced quantitative and mixed methods, and in close collaboration with education leaders and policymakers.

Learn more at https://tsp.utdallas.edu.

Responsibilities

The Director will:

Set the intellectual agenda for TSP, advancing a portfolio of rigorous, policy-relevant research on education in the United States.
Maintain an active, externally funded research program, publishing in top peer-reviewed outlets and pursuing support from federal agencies, foundations, and state partners.
Provide administrative leadership for TSP and the UT Dallas Education Research Center, including oversight of data governance, security and compliance, staffing, budgets, and fee-based research services.
Cultivate partnerships with the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Workforce Commission, school districts, community colleges, universities, and philanthropic and policy organizations.
Serve the external research community, supporting the more than 250 scholars nationally who rely on ERC data access.
Mentor and develop professional research staff, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral and undergraduate student researchers.
Teach and advise in the Director's tenure-home program, at a load consistent with the administrative appointment.
Represent TSP to university leadership, state agencies, funders, the media, and the broader public.

Required Qualifications

Ph.D. in economics, public policy, or related field.
A record of scholarship on education policy.

Demonstrated expertise in quantitative methods for causal inference and in the analysis of large-scale administrative or longitudinal microdata.
A record of external research funding appropriate to career stage.
Evidence of effective collaboration with policymakers, practitioners, or agency partners.

Application Instructions

Applicants should upload the following:

Full CV and cover letter.
Statement of teaching philosophy
Research statement.
At least three academic or professional references.

Priority will be given to completed applications received by November 9, 2026.