The Marsico Institute for Early Learning is housed in the Morgridge College of Education (MCE) at the University of Denver. We have dedicated ourselves to improving learning environments and outcomes for children, birth to age 8. We identify the best in early learning research, practice, and policy, and we deliver that information at just the point it will be useful to academics, practitioners, policymakers, and parents— the people who can create and implement changes to improve the lives of young children. The quality of relationships and learning opportunities that young children experience can set the stage for what they will be able to accomplish throughout the rest of their lifetimes.
Position Summary
The Marsico Postdoctoral Research Fellowship is an opportunity to participate in multiple research projects involving applied scientific research in education, including research-and-development projects (i.e. mathematics assessment and discourse, the investigation of the validity of research-based learning trajectories and related professional development and coaching support, and the investigation of an interdisciplinary preschool curriculum) and analyses of data from large-scale investigations of the effectiveness of mathematics interventions using randomized trials and other methodologies.
The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will collaborate with the Kennedy endowed chairs, Directors, and research staff of the Marsico Institute, participating in different phases of various projects, including study design, data collection, intervention implementation, data analysis, and publication of results. There will also be opportunities to conduct professional development, train in assessments, develop tools for teachers and other research teams, co-teach university courses and collaborate with other researchers and other postdoctoral fellows throughout the University of Denver. In addition, the Fellow will have the opportunity to attend national meetings and workshops individualized to extend their knowledge of research. This is a two-year appointment.
Essential Functions
- The Fellow will be encouraged to develop their own research agenda, within the scope of these projects (https://www.du.edu/marsicoinstitute/whatwedo/researchandeval.html), as well as their own proposals for external funding.
- Preference will be given to applicants with a focus on or content knowledge in the learning and teaching of early mathematics.
- The fellow will have an opportunity to engage in the following:
- Take a leadership role in a large funded project.
- Use state-of-the-art research methodologies.
- Study and develop resources for in-depth learning and teaching.
- Conduct research and development projects on teaching, learning, assessment, and/or professional development.
- Study psychology and pedagogical characteristics of learning trajectories.
- Collaborate with professors from varied disciplines.
- Apply sophisticated multi-method research techniques to address problems of practice.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Ability to resolve routine problems using existing guidelines and processes.
- Ability to make independent decisions and or/recommendations when necessary.
- Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
- Ability to research, investigate, analyze, reconcile, and evaluate data.
- Strong MS Office Suite/O365 skills, including Excel.
- Strong skills in at least one statistical program (e.g., SPSS, R, WinSteps, etc.)
- Demonstrated commitment, knowledge and ability to effectively engage individuals from broadly diverse communities.
Required Qualifications
- Must have completed all coursework and admitted into doctoral candidacy in the fields of mathematics education; early childhood education; developmental psychology; special education; learning sciences; research design, evaluation, and statistics; or other related fields. Applicants must have completed all requirements for their PhD by their start date.
Preferred Qualifications
- Earned doctorate or advanced degree in the fields of mathematics education and/or early childhood education.
Work Schedule
Full-time, Monday through Friday, 7.5 hour days, which occur within the Institute’s regular hours of operation, currently 8:00 am – 5:30pm. Occasional evenings and weekends as required. Occasional local, regional and national travel, as required.
Application Deadline
For best consideration, please submit your application materials by Friday, October 30, 2020.
Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.
Salary Range
Salary will be determined by the qualifications of the selected candidate balanced with departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.
Please include the following documents with your application:
- Resume/CV
- Cover Letter
- Research Statement
The University of Denver is committed to enhancing the diversity of its faculty and staff. We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of age, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, military/ veteran status or any other status protected by law.
All offers of employment are based upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.