Assistant Research Professor

Texas State University; San Marcos (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent health insurance

Generous paid time off

Professional development opportunities

Inclusive community

Job summary

Texas State University invites applications for a full-time, 12-month, non-tenure-line Research Assistant Professor to lead ALERRT's first responder health and wellness research program in San Marcos, TX. The role includes building a national agenda, securing funding, and disseminating findings through publications and policy audiences.

The candidate will develop methodologies combining population-level mortality surveillance with biological and biosocial measures, mentor staff, and collaborate

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in criminal justice, criminology, or a closely related field.
• Publications in top-tier multidisciplinary or medical journals are a plus.
• Peer-reviewed publications on law enforcement health, wellness, or mortality.
• Experience analyzing large-scale secondary data and national mortality surveillance.
• Advanced proficiency in statistical programming in R.

Responsibilities

• Lead ALERRT's first responder health and wellness research program.
• Build and sustain a nationally visible research agenda.
• Secure extramural funding and manage sponsored projects.
• Disseminate findings through peer-reviewed publications and reports.
• Mentor students and research personnel and collaborate with partners.

Skills

R programming

Large-scale data analysis

Education

Ph.D. in criminal justice or related field

Job description

Assistant Research Professor

Job Posting Number: 2027065APF

Position Description

The Advanced Law Enforcement
Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State
University invites applications for a full-time, 12-month, non-tenure-line Research Assistant Professor to lead ALERRT's first responder health and wellness research program. ALERRT is the national standard in active shooter response training and is home to a federally supported research program on active attacks, law enforcement training, and officer performance.

The successful candidate will build and lead a nationally visible research agenda on the health, wellness, and mortality of law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, and other first responders. The position combines population-level occupational mortality surveillance with biological and biosocial measures of health, including epigenetic measures of biological aging, genomic data, and physiological stress and cardiometabolic biomarkers.

The position reports to the ALERRT Director of Research and is based in San Marcos, Texas. ALERRT offers a collaborative, productive research team, direct access to a national network of law enforcement and first responder agencies, and research infrastructure that includes public-facing data platforms on active attack events.

Research Faculty conduct and advance scholarly research, develop and sustain externally sponsored research agendas, secure and manage extramural funding, disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed publications and other scholarly products, contribute to grant development and research initiatives, collaborate with faculty, students, and external partners, and provide service to the center/department/school, college/division, university, profession, and broader research community. Research faculty are individuals whose primary responsibilities center on the creation, application, and dissemination of knowledge through research, scholarship, and creative activity. They may lead, support, and manage sponsored projects; serve as Principal Investigator (PI) or
Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on externally funded grants and contracts; mentor students and research personnel; translate research findings for academic, practitioner, and policy audiences;
and contribute specialized expertise that advances the university's research mission. The primary emphasis of research faculty appointments is research productivity, scholarly impact, and the development and execution of externally sponsored research programs. For more information, please visit
AA/PPS 04.01.21 – Research Faculty
Appointments.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in criminal justice, criminology, or a closely related field.
• A history of high-quality scholarship, including publications in top-tier multidisciplinary or medical journals such as Nature or
  The Lancet family of journals.
• Peer-reviewed publications on law enforcement or first responder health, wellness, or mortality.
• Demonstrated expertise in the analysis of large-scale secondary data, including national mortality surveillance or death certificate data.
• Evidence of continued scholarly productivity and potential for significant professional growth in research related to first responder health, wellness, and mortality.
• Advanced proficiency in statistical programming in R.

Preferred Qualifications

• Postdoctoral training in social science genomics or epigenetics to inform a first responder health and wellness research agenda.
• Familiarity with secondary datasets such as the National
  Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS) program to inform a first responder health and wellness research agenda.
• Published research using DNA-methylation measures of biological aging.
• Experience analyzing data from large longitudinal cohort studies (e.g., Add Health, MIDUS).
• Published research with interdisciplinary teams linking physiological biomarkers to cardiometabolic health among firefighters or law enforcement officers.
• Experience as PI or Co-PI on proposals submitted to federal funding partners.

Close Date: 11/13/2026

Open Until Filled? No

About Texas State and San Marcos:

Texas State University is a emerging research institution located in the burgeoning Austin-San Antonio corridor and in the beautiful
Texas Hill Country. It is the largest of eight campuses in the
Texas State University System and one of the 75 largest universities in the country, with over 38,000 students and approximately 4,000 faculty and staff

Texas State is located in San Marcos, a growing community of over
50,000 people located about half way between Austin and San
Antonio. Texas State enjoys a setting that is unique among Texas universities. The beauty of the crystal-clear San Marcos River and the stately cypress and pecan trees on the campus add to the charm of the university's picturesque setting. Our location on the banks of the San Marcos River provides outdoor recreational activities throughout the year.

Why work @ Texas State?

• Amazing health insurance: various coverage options starting your first day of employment for full-time employees with Texas State paying 100% of the employee premium and 50% for your dependents!
• Generous paid time off: vacation, holidays, sick days and many more!
• Excellent work life balance resources: mother and family-friendly resources in addition to a comprehensive FREE wellness program
• Great professional development opportunities: choose from a variety of workshops, training, online learning and even access educational leave opportunities and reimbursement for academic courses
• An inclusive Bobcat community: join our many social networks offered on and off-campus
• Retirement peace of mind: TRS pension, retirement plans and voluntary saving options with generous employer contributions

By joining the Texas State Bobcat team, you'll be a part of one of the most beautiful, diverse, and growing universities in the nation.