Reuben G. Soderstrom Professorship (Full Professor), School of Labor and Employment Relations

The School of Labor and Employment Relations (LER) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, invites applications for the Reuben G. Soderstrom Professorship. This is a named professorship at the Full Professor (with tenure) level, within the Graduate Faculty. We also encourage applications from senior associate professors who are approaching promotion to full professor. We are interested in outstanding scholars who have expertise and academic abilities within the fields of U.S. and/or international labor relations. Candidates should have outstanding scholarly reputations through extensive publication at the highest level of research quality, with a distinguished record of research excellence in industrial relations, including a strong record of publication in leading refereed journals (e.g., British Journal of Industrial Relations, ILR Review, and Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society) and an established national and international reputation in the field. Preference will be given to candidates who have engaged workers and workers’ organizations through scholarship, teaching, and service, as well as those who have a body of work on workers in union settings. This is a full-time tenured position that combines research with teaching in the School’s academic programs in human resources and industrial relations. LER is a dynamic, multidisciplinary unit with a faculty united by a shared commitment to cutting-edge research on workforce issues. For more information, please see our website at http://www.ler.illinois.edu/.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Conducting original, high quality scholarly research for publication in leading academic journals;
• Developing and teaching courses each semester in face-to-face or online formats, depending on the School’s instructional needs, in the School’s academic programs;
• Mentoring and supervising Ph.D. students, and
• Providing service to the School, the University, and the profession, as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must have a Ph.D. in an appropriate social science discipline or equivalent degree in a professional area of study (e.g., JD), and a record of research excellence in top refereed journals and teaching record commensurate with the rank of Full Professor. Advanced Associate Professors with these qualifications who are approaching promotion to Full Professor will also be considered.

• A cover letter summarizing your background, qualifications, and interest in the position,
• A curriculum vitae,
• A research statement describing your accomplishments, experience, interests, and future research plans,
• A teaching statement describing your experience and interests, with evidence of teaching effectiveness,
• A sample research paper,
• Contact information for three professional references (name, address, institution, email, and phone number). Reference letters will be requested at a later stage in the search.

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on October 25, 2026. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. Interviews may be conducted before the closing date, although no hiring decisions will be made until after the search has closed. For further information about this specific position, please contact Professor Daniel Newman by email at d5n@illinois.edu or by phone at 217-244-2512. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

Additional Information

We offer an active and successful dual-career partner placement program and are strongly committed to promoting work-life balance and family-friendly programs for faculty and staff (http://provost.illinois.edu/faculty-affairs/work-life-balance/). To find out more about the resources available at the university and Urbana-Champaign community please visit these sites:

• Dual Career Program

• Benefits

• Living in Urbana-Champaign