Post-Doctoral Associate Position Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education University of Maryland College Park, Maryland
Position Description:
The College of Education at the University of Maryland (UMD) at College Park is seeking to hire a postdoctoral associate to work on two IES-funded projects: Project LEARN (Language, Executive skills, And Reading for eNgagement) and Project CLIMB (Capturing Language IMmersion Benefits). Project LEARN focuses on the development of reading comprehension, executive function skills, and reading motivation in English Learners. The project has a rich longitudinal database that affords longitudinal analyses across the elementary grades. The role for the post-doc within Project CLIMB combines overseeing primary data collection (cognitive and language assessments, classroom observations, and teacher reports) with supervising data entry. Data from CLIMB will be collected from Dual Language Instruction school programs (Spanish-English) and converge on questions central to longitudinal associations among bilingualism, executive functions, language and reading development in Grades K to 5. The postdoctoral associate will be expected to take a leading role in conducting studies in collaboration with the Principal Investigator (PI), with graduate and undergraduate students involved in Project CLIMB, and to fully participate in cross-university collaborations between the PI and collaborating labs.
Key Responsibilities:
• Statistical analysis of large-scale longitudinal data
• Propose and develop cross-sectional theoretically driven studies
• Work with the CLIMB Project Coordinator to implement data collection and supervise assessment administration in Dual Language Instruction schools
• Work with our research team to prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals
• Mentor and supervise research assistants and graduate students
• Bring own expertise to collaborate with PI on grant writing.
Qualifications:
• Recently completed PhD in education, psychology, or a related field, with expertise in bilingual language development and literacy acquisition; expertise in cognitive development is a plus
• Strong interest in school-based research and issues concerning bilingual learners’ language and literacy development in classroom contexts, or related content areas
• Highly effective oral and written communication skills
• Excellent quantitative and/or mixed-methods research skills (experience with constructing and analyzing longitudinal data sets is particularly desirable)
• Excellent project management skills
Appointment Terms:
This is a 12-month, full-time position for up to 2 years. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.
To Apply:
Applicants should upload the following materials electronically via the University of Maryland Jobs Portal (https://ejobs.umd.edu/):
1. Cover letter summarizing qualifications noted above
2. Current curriculum vitae
3. Names and contact information (phone number and email address) of three individuals who may be contacted as professional references
4. Two writing samples (published peer-reviewed journal articles are preferred, but can also be in-progress works)
For best consideration, please submit all application materials by December 1, 2021. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For position inquiries, please contact Dr. Ana Taboada Barber at ataboada@umd.edu.
The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.