Research Associate or Full Professor (open rank)

University of Arkansas System • Fayetteville, AR

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas invites applications and nominations for a non-tenure-track research faculty position in Supply Chain Management, at the rank of Research Associate Professor or Research Professor, beginning August 16, 2027. Rank will be determined by the candidate’s qualifications, experience, accomplishments, and demonstrated impact.

This position is part of a coordinated faculty cluster hire in supply chain management focused on contested logistics and defense-relevant supply chain research. The department is concurrently recruiting multiple tenure-track and research faculty whose collective expertise will extend the University of Arkansas’s leadership in contested logistics, military and defense logistics, and national security supply chains, in close partnership with the Contested Logistics Consortium and the Supply Chain Management Research Center (SCMRC). This cluster in contested logistics and supply chain aligns with one of the University’s and College’s key strategic priorities and builds critical mass in a high-importance academic and research domain. It advances the land-grant mission by connecting research, instruction, and outreach to pressing state and societal needs.

This position is designed for a scholar-practitioner or research faculty member who can produce industry-relevant, analytically rigorous, and practically actionable research addressing important supply chain challenges facing companies, public-sector organizations, defense stakeholders, and broader society. The successful candidate will focus primarily on industry-engaged research, applied research translation, outreach, research partnership development, and practitioner-facing thought leadership, while contributing to the department and college’s broader research, teaching, and service mission. A central emphasis of this role is research, translation, and engagement that directly supports military and defense logistics stakeholders, including activities associated with the Contested Logistics Consortium and Department of War-related research priorities.

The department is especially interested in candidates who can bridge academic research, industry practice, and external engagement. Successful candidates should be capable of developing research outputs that may include practitioner journal articles, white papers, industry reports, research briefs, executive-facing insights, case studies, applied research projects, conference presentations, and, where appropriate, peer-reviewed academic publications. The ideal candidate will have the ability to translate complex research into insights useful to executives, policymakers, supply chain leaders, faculty colleagues, students, and external partners.

This role is intentionally focused on industry-facing research and outreach. The successful candidate will help expand the department and Supply Chain Management Research Center’s ability to identify and frame high-value supply chain research questions emerging from industry, government, defense, nonprofit, and public-sector partners, conduct applied research that is rigorous, credible, and useful to supply chain decision makers, translate research into practitioner-oriented publications, executive education content, industry briefings, workshops, and public thought leadership, build sustained relationships with corporate, public-sector, and professional partners, support externally engaged research initiatives that enhance the visibility, relevance, and impact of the department and Walton College, and collaborate with tenure-track faculty, clinical faculty, research center leaders, doctoral students, executives in residence, and external stakeholders. This position is intended to strengthen the department’s capacity for externally engaged research, industry outreach, applied scholarship, and research translation.

Regular on-campus availability, in-person teaching, and active contribution to the life of the department, including exhibiting respect and cooperation in shared academic and administrative tasks are essential duties.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in supply chain management, logistics, operations management, or a closely related field completed by the position start date
• Demonstrated ability to conduct high-quality research related to supply chain management, logistics, operations, analytics, or a closely related domain
• U.S. citizenship, due to access to export-controlled information, restricted federal data, and security-sensitive research environments
• Demonstrated record of developing and securing externally sponsored research funding, or an exceptional record of senior military or defense logistics leadership and accomplishment

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading large-scale research initiatives, external partnerships, outreach programs, or multidisciplinary research efforts
• Demonstrated record of producing practitioner-oriented research outputs, such as white papers, industry reports, executive briefs, applied research studies, case studies, benchmarking reports, or practitioner journal articles
• Experience designing and facilitating industry workshops, executive briefings, roundtables, conferences, webinars, or professional education programs
• Professional experience in supply chain management, logistics, transportation, procurement, retail, manufacturing, defense logistics, public-sector logistics, analytics, consulting, technology, or related fields
• An active U.S. security clearance, or eligibility to obtain and maintain one
• Significant military, defense logistics, or national security supply chain experience
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to translate complex ideas for practitioners and executive audiences
• Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, industry partners, and external stakeholders
• Ability to collaborate with tenure-track faculty on research projects that may contribute to peer-reviewed academic publications
• Ability to contribute to the mission of a research-oriented business school and a highly engaged supply chain, business, and university faculty

Responsibilities

• Focus primarily on industry-engaged research, applied research translation, outreach, research partnership development, and practitioner-facing thought leadership.
• Contribute to the department and college’s broader research, teaching, and service mission.
• Conduct research, translation, and engagement that directly supports military and defense logistics stakeholders.
• Develop research outputs that may include practitioner journal articles, white papers, industry reports, research briefs, executive-facing insights, case studies, applied research projects, conference presentations, and, where appropriate, peer-reviewed academic publications.
• Translate complex research into insights useful to executives, policymakers, supply chain leaders, faculty colleagues, students, and external partners.
• Identify and frame high-value supply chain research questions emerging from industry, government, defense, nonprofit, and public-sector partners.
• Conduct applied research that is rigorous, credible, and useful to supply chain decision makers.
• Translate research into practitioner-oriented publications, executive education content, industry briefings, workshops, and public thought leadership.
• Build sustained relationships with corporate, public-sector, and professional partners.
• Support externally engaged research initiatives that enhance the visibility, relevance, and impact of the department and Walton College.
• Collaborate with tenure-track faculty, clinical faculty, research center leaders, doctoral students, executives in residence, and external stakeholders.
• Strengthen the department’s capacity for externally engaged research, industry outreach, applied scholarship, and research translation.
• Regular on-campus availability, in-person teaching, and active contribution to the life of the department, including exhibiting respect and cooperation in shared academic and administrative tasks.

Benefits

• University contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance
• Tuition waivers for employees and their families
• 12 official holidays
• Immediate leave accrual
• Choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree