Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Psychology Department support Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

• Teaching experience commensurate with their career level as well as a commitment to excellence and inclusivity in teaching, and an ability to contribute to our curriculum in cognition (a large lecture class in cognitive psychology and upper-level classes such as human memory, UX Design, or a seminar in cognition) and undergraduate statistics and research methodology.
• Scholarship record in applied cognitive psychology commensurate with experience.
• A program of meaningful mentorship of undergraduate students from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. Mentorship is broadly defined to include areas such as career paths, university resources, research, or teaching.
• A commitment to service and engagement such as mentoring, outreach, and other service efforts that support student success, promote equity and access, impact the field and/or community.
• Ph.D. at time of application or ABD at time of application in Cognitive or closely related areas of Psychology with expertise in Applied Cognition. Candidates appointed ABD must complete all degree requirements by June 15th of their first year of employment.

• Demonstrated experience working within an open science framework
• Ability to teach courses related to User Experience Design and Research

Salary

The starting salary range for assistant professor appointment, tenure-track is generally between $73,500-$76,500, with placement within the position’s salary range being based on qualifications and professional experience. The entire salary range for the assistant professor position is $73,500-$90,270, with the upper end of the salary range typically being achieved through collectively bargained salary adjustments. Relocation assistance may be available per University guidelines. Salary and start-up funds are to be determined upon being offered the position.

Bargaining Unit

 United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

Please submit your application to Dr. Ira Hyman and the search committee through Western’s PageUp system. You should include a cover letter that addresses your experience related to position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications. The letter should summarize the ways in which your strengths are consistent with the values of the department and the priorities we have outlined for this position, including your commitment to working toward equity and inclusion, potential contributions to our undergraduate program, and the domain of your cognitive research program. The application should also include:

1) a curriculum vitae;

2) a statement of teaching philosophy that provides evidence of your ability to create an equitable and inclusive educational experience that will meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds;

3) a statement of research interests that describes your program of research and emphasizes your plans for involving and mentoring undergraduate students;

4) a statement of service and engagement (max 2 pages) that describes activities such as mentoring, outreach, and other service efforts that support student success, promote equity and access, impact the field and/or community, and a description of how you will demonstrate a commitment in these areas in teaching, research, and/or service at WWU;

5) and copies of representative publications.

You will be asked to provide contact information for three references. Letters will be automatically requested from the referees via the PageUp system.

Review of complete files will begin on February 18, 2026; position is open until filled. For more information about Western Washington University, see the Psychology Department's web page.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire.  Employment-based visa sponsorship may be considered depending on the candidate's current immigration status; however, the University is unable to sponsor new H1B petitions or cover associated filing of processing fees at this time.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at student.life@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes a sexual misconduct background check.