Core Faculty, MA/PhD Program in Psychology, Religion, and Consciousness at InsideHigherEd

Pacifica Graduate Institute is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by nondiscrimination policy.

Pacifica Graduate Institute is an accredited graduate school offering degree programs in the fields of psychology and the humanities. We are in the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest, just miles from the Pacific Ocean, and ten miles south of Santa Barbara, California. This is a full-time, remote position; however, candidates may be required to travel to campus at least annually for an on-campus program retreat and/or student engagement.

Pacifica is committed to providing an open, fair, inclusive, non-discriminatory environment for all individuals across differences of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, physical ability, or medical condition.

About the Program  
The study of human consciousness traverses a wide range of phenomena, including advances in the psychology of the unconscious, religious and spiritual experience, near-death experience and altered states of consciousness, the mind-matter problem, as well as the broad spectrum and phenomenology of consciousness itself. Pacifica Graduate Institute’s online MA/PhD program in Psychology, Religion, and Consciousness rigorously and creatively engages with such diverse and wide-ranging phenomena and dialogically synthesizes these vital areas of academic inquiry into a unique inter-disciplinary graduate-level education.

We are particularly interested in applicants with teaching experience or research background in the following methodologies and perspectives: depth psychology; comparative religion; critical race theory; feminist and queer theory; Indigenous epistemologies; and/or post-coloniality.  We invite applicants who identify as scholar-practitioners and who are interested in incorporating their research specializations into course curricula and student research training.

Examples of Duties:

This position will primarily teach coursework, serve on dissertation committees, and perform administrative functions in the PRC program. The candidate will additionally serve as Research Coordinator for the program (description below). The candidate will maintain a profile of active research (as per qualifications and specialty). 

Core professors are active in the following areas:

• Teaching
• Student Advising/Mentoring
• Scholarship and Professional Development
• Program, Institutional, Professional, and/or Community Service

The PRC program is seeking applicants who can teach the following courses. For individual course descriptions please visit the program website:

• Ecology, Religion, and Consciousness: Beyond Anthropocentrism
• Indigenous Psychologies and Cosmologies
• Research Methodologies
• Dissertation Development

Research Coordinator - Additional duties includes stipend in addition to base salary (stipend amount TBD)
The Research Coordinator role is a separate faculty addendum to the Core Faculty contract and offers an additional stipend and course unit relief. The essential duties of the position include, but are not limited to:
 

• Coordinate the Comprehensive Exam process for second-year students.
• Ensure the PRC Dissertation Handbook is up to date and distributed to all students during third-year of coursework. 
• Hold open meetings for students in the third-year of coursework to ensure familiarity with the dissertation process. 
• Work with the Dissertation Office to resolve any issues related to the formation and management of Dissertation Committees. 
• Work with the Chair and program faculty to develop an ongoing process of curriculum review for the research curriculum. 
• Attends Graduate Research Council (GRC) meetings on behalf of the PRC program.

Typical Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications  

• Ph.D. in psychology, religious studies, consciousness studies, or related interdisciplinary fields. Doctorate must be completed by start date of September 1, 2026.
• 3-5 years of teaching experience at the undergraduate or graduate level (preferred).  
• Record of publications in the field (peer-reviewed books or articles) and active research profile (e.g., conference participation and presentations).  
• Demonstrated ability to teach online or in a distance-learning format. 
• Willingness to contribute innovative approaches to student-centered pedagogy.  
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering inclusion in graduate education
   

Desirable Qualifications 

• Engagement with indigenous epistemologies in teaching and research, and ability to combine these theories with other contemporary methodologies (critical race theory, feminism, queer theory, post-colonial studies, comparative approaches to religion, etc.). 
• Experience serving on graduate-level dissertation committees and ability to supervise graduate research. 
• Interest and experience in curriculum design and development.
• Experience performing administrative duties in graduate education, such as applicant file reviews and interviews, open house/admissions events, and capstone exam coordination. 
• Commitment to Pacifica’s mission to “tend the soul of the world.” Pacifica values transformative and collaborative learning, social justice, community building, environmental awareness, imagination, embodied learning, and the arts.  

Supplemental Information:

Compensation

• Salary is commensurate with experience.
   

To be considered for this position, please submit the following materials:
 

• Cover letter  
• Curriculum vitae
• Recently published peer-reviewed journal article
• 2-page statement including the following: teaching philosophy (with examples of implementation), research interests, current open courses you would be qualified to teach, and your experience of working with students of diverse backgrounds 
• Contact information for three academic references
  
  Please visit our website to familiarize yourself with the PRC program.  
   

MISSION
Contributes to personal, cultural, and planetary concerns of this era through individual and/or collective activities and shepherd’s students in attainment of their educational goals.