Professor and Chair
Candidate job talks
June Spector, MD, MPH
Research associate professor, University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences
Occupational research physician and occupational disease prevention lead, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention program
Job talk: January 16
12:30-1:20 p.m. PT
UW Hans Rosling Center 155 or on Zoom
June Spector, MD, MPH, is a research associate professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), and adjunct in the UW Department of Medicine/Division of General Internal Medicine. She is also an occupational research physician and occupational disease prevention lead at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention (SHARP) program, where she participates in policy-relevant research, tracking activities, field research and the Work Equity Research Center (WERC).
Her research focuses on occupational climate-related hazards, including the prevention and management of occupational heat stress, using epidemiologic, field exposure assessment, intervention evaluation, community-engaged, and interdisciplinary approaches. Her research has been supported by federal (CDC, NIH), state and nonprofit (The Nature Conservancy, Science for Nature & People Partnership) sponsors and has included collaboration with the CDC/NIOSH-funded Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety & Health (PNASH) Center.
Dr. Spector served as a member of the NACOSH (OSHA Advisory) Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group and is a member of the ACGIH® Threshold Limit Values for Physical Agents (TLV®-PA) Committee, Heat Stress/Strain working group. She served as the director of the UW Occupational & Environmental Medicine Program (2016–2022), as a DEOHS assistant chair (2018–2022), and as a co-chair of the CDC/NIOSH Safety and Occupational Health Study Section (2021–2024).
Karl Linden, PhD, MS
Mortenson Professor in Sustainable Development and Chair, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Job talk: January 23
12:30-1:20 p.m. PT
UW Hans Rosling Center 155 or on Zoom
Karl Linden has a BS from Cornell University in agricultural and biological engineering and an MS and PhD from University of California Davis in environmental engineering. He teaches classes on Sustainable Water Reuse, Water and Wastewater Treatment, and Water and Sanitation. Dr. Linden’s research advances public health through (1) development of novel water and wastewater treatment systems, focusing on innovative UV systems for disinfection and UV and advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of emerging contaminants, and (2) climate resiliency of water and sanitation technologies in low- and middle-income communities.
Dr. Linden is a consultant to the World Health Organization on small water systems, and on the WHO Water Quality Technical Advisory Group. He served as Trustee of the Water Science and Research Division of AWWA and was a Board member and past President of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) and the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA). He received the 2013 Pioneer Award in Disinfection and Public Health from the Water Environment Federation and was the 2014 WateReuse Association Person of the Year. Dr. Linden is the recipient of the 2019 Water Research Foundation Dr. Pankaj Parekh Research Innovation Award, and the 2020 Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize. He was the 2020 National Water Research Institute Clarke Water Prize Laureate and in 2023 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the IUVA.
Laurel Kincl, PhD, MS, CSP
Professor and associate dean for academic and faculty affairs, College of Health, Oregon State University
Job talk: January 29
11:30-12:20 p.m. PT
UW Hans Rosling Center 155 or on Zoom
Laurel Kincl received her MS in industrial hygiene and PhD in occupational safety and ergonomics from the University of Cincinnati. Before joining OSU in 2011, Kincl was a research fellow at the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) in Barcelona, Spain for two years and a research associate at the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon from 2003 to 2009.
Kincl's research focuses on quantifying, communicating and controlling occupational and environmental exposures to health and safety hazards with the goal to reduce adverse health outcomes. She is the principal or co-investigator on several NIH and CDC funded grants and has completed research in a variety of high-risk industries including commercial fishing, construction, logging and health care.
Richard Neitzel, PhD, MS, CIH, FAIHA
Professor of environmental health sciences and global public health, University of Michigan
Director, Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering
Job talk: February 4
12:30-1:20 p.m. PT
UW Hans Rosling Center 155 or on Zoom
Rick Neitzel is an exposure scientist whose research focuses on the characterization of exposures to noise, heavy metals and other ototoxins, psychosocial stressors, and injury risk factors, as well as a range of adverse health effects associated with these exposures. His work, and the work of his team in the UM Exposure Research lab, takes place in occupational and community settings both domestically and abroad. He is particularly interested in incorporating new methodologies and exposure sensing technologies into research, and also has a strong interest in translating his research findings into occupational and public health practice. He is the director of the UM Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering and the UM Industrial Hygiene program.
Prior to his appointment to the faculty of the UM Department of Environmental Health Sciences, he worked as a research scientist in the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences from 1998 to 2011. He is a fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and has been a certified industrial hygienist since 2003.
Job Description
The Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington (UW) invites applications to become its new Department Chair and Professor with Tenure. The successful candidate will be expected to engage in transformational leadership. The Chair will support the Department’s mission of providing rigorous training in the fundamentals and practice of Environmental and Occupational Health and improving public health through excellence in research and public health practice. The successful candidate will be expected to build upon the department's strengths and support our vision to lead a department where our work informs, advocates for, and promotes concrete action to improve public health. The Chair of the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences will lead a group of talented and committed faculty, staff, and students of diverse backgrounds. The Chair will work to prepare future public health professionals and researchers who will conduct the unfinished work of improving the well-being of communities and workplaces in the United States and throughout the world.
The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, one of five departments in the School of Public Health, is ranked sixth in the world (third in the U.S.) among environmental and occupational health sciences programs. The Department is home to 38 regular faculty and 110 auxiliary faculty conducting interdisciplinary research and academic instruction incorporating laboratory, field, computational and other investigative sciences. Average annual enrollment is about 80 students for our graduate programs and about 95 students for our undergraduate program.
The Department’s faculty lead in the fields of toxicology, exposure assessment, environmental epidemiology, occupational health and safety, microbiology and infectious diseases, and environmental public health practice-based and community-engaged research. The Department brings in more than $20 million per year in external funding and houses more than 10 large research centers, in addition to multiple grants and contracts awarded to individual faculty. Federal training grants also help support our undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellows, furthering our research and providing added support to ensure the diversity of student enrollments.
Several unique features elevate the Department as an exceptional program for its faculty, students and staff, and for communities in the State of Washington, across the nation, and on a global level. The Department receives an appropriation each year to conduct activities and communicate solutions targeting occupational injury and illness prevention and intervention among Washington state workers and employers. This funding augments the department’s academic capacity, ensuring a pipeline of qualified health and safety professionals to the state. It also underpins an essential and very active partnership with state legislative teams, agencies, and communities throughout Washington. The Department Chair plays an important role in sustaining these relationships and guiding department priorities to encompass Washington state’s emerging needs in occupational health and safety.
The University of Washington offers one of the most exceptional teaching and research environments in the United States. It is the home of the Population Health Initiative, a university-wide effort defined by three major pillars of human health, environmental resilience, and social and economic equity that aims to advance the health and well-being of people around the world. Seattle is a dynamic and diverse cultural metropolis that is home to global trade, technological advancement, and a thriving nonprofit community. Seattle offers a quality of life that is among the best in the country, with beautiful lakes and parks, great walkability, transit and biking infrastructure, a lively music and cultural scene, and the unparalleled natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
This is a full-time (100% FTE), tenured, 12-month service period position at the rank of Professor, with an anticipated start date of Fall 2025 for an initial five-year appointment as Chair. The base salary range for this position will be $14,000-$29,000 per month, commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination. Other compensation associated with this position may include a lump sum moving allowance and/or a relocation incentive, and an administrative supplement (ADS) of $25,000 per year for serving as Department Chair.
Positive factors the search committee will be considering include, but are not limited to:
- Familiarity across the breadth of topics in environmental and occupational health in both US and global settings. Articulation of a strong vision for the interdisciplinary field of environmental and occupational health and the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences.
- Ability to lead a team or organization toward a common vision using skills in respectful listening, collaborative decision-making, and community building. This should include expertise managing a program of similar size and scope.
- Ability to work effectively with colleagues at all levels—including administration, faculty, staff, and students—to obtain, manage, and sustain necessary resources to meet team or organizational goals and objectives.
- Proven track record fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment with preference towards leadership in anti-racism efforts.
- Track record of producing and supporting impactful, high-quality research, including obtaining funding from a range of federal or non-federal sources.
- Dedication to high quality education and curricular/training programs, including creating meaningful learning opportunities for diverse students and/or other learners.
- Demonstrated expertise and commitment to fostering impactful public health practice and engagement with a wide variety of interest groups, such as government agencies, policymakers, employers, and organized labor.
- Demonstrated success in career development and mentorship of faculty, staff, and students.
- Expertise in community engagement and/or environmental justice work to strengthen research collaborations and improve population health.
Commitment to Diversity
UW DEOHS believes that every person should have a safe place to work and a healthy, safe neighborhood to call home. Our faculty, students and staff conduct research and provide a range of services that protect workers, improve health, and strengthen communities. We are committed to advancing equity in health and educational outcomes, with a focus on reaching those who have historically faced power differentials, racism and other forms of oppression. We believe having a diverse and culturally competent faculty, student body and staff is the best way to serve communities in our region and beyond. We strive to create an environment that welcomes students, faculty, and staff from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, including socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. Our DEOHS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee meets throughout the year to develop, advocate for, and maintain policies and initiatives that enhance diversity and promote a welcoming climate. UW and the SPH have developed specific programs to support new faculty, with a specific eye towards supporting faculty around diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, teaching, and service. Our faculty development offerings are listed here.
The work of equity, diversity and inclusion is the work of Public Health. We are committed to a future that is free of health inequities, that promotes the highest level of wellness for the communities we serve, and a diverse and inclusive public health workforce that embodies humility, respect, leadership and service on behalf of, and with, the diverse communities we are privileged to serve. For more information, please see the following website: http://sph.washington.edu/diversity/.