Founded more than a century ago as one of the first schools of social work in the United States, the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has played a leading role in shaping the field. As part of the University of Chicago, the Crown Family School shares the University’s core values and distinctive intellectual culture, with faculty, staff, and students focused on addressing complex social problems through interdisciplinary research, professional training, and sustained community engagement.
Scholars at the Crown Family School examine issues such as educational inequality, health disparities, crime and violence, poverty, and child and family welfare through work that spans individual, organizational, and policy levels. With more than 10,000 alumni in leadership roles across academia, nonprofit organizations, business, and government worldwide, the school’s impact is both national and global, and it is home to four academic centers: the Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social Development, the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, the Kersten Institute for Urban Education, and the Center for Climate, Health, and Society.
About the Institute:
The University of Chicago Crown Family School is the academic home to the Kersten Institute for Urban Education (KIUE), an internationally and nationally renowned institute with the aim of promoting applied research on youth development and learning in formal and informal settings. KIUE conducts rigorous applied research, trains researchers and practitioners, and provides research-based tools and resources in schools across the country. More information may be found at https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/research-faculty/institute-networks-centers/kersten-institute-urban-education.
Position Summary:
We invite applications for two Postdoctoral Scholar positions focused on youth academic and psychosocial development across multiple ecological contexts. Candidates should demonstrate a strong understanding of how sociocultural, contextual, and developmental factors shape risk, resilience, and equity among youth and their families, as well as strong quantitative research skills.
The initial appointment is for one year, with the possibility of renewal for an additional year. The position involves work on multiple large-scale, longitudinal, multi-method studies examining how sociocultural and psychological processes influence youth identity development, academic learning, and socioemotional well-being from middle childhood through adolescence. The postdoctoral scholar will analyze multi-jurisdictional longitudinal datasets to investigate individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors that buffer or exacerbate the effects of school climate, family processes, and peer networks, using an interdisciplinary, applied approach to advance equity in elementary and secondary education, particularly for youth from historically marginalized and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The postdoctoral scholar will receive direct mentorship from well-established scholars familiar with the demanding aspects of producing high-quality scholarship. The postdoctoral scholar will be expected to build a research program by formulating research questions, generating research designs, writing grants, conducting analysis, and disseminating findings through manuscripts and presentations.
Qualifications:
Education:
Applicants must have a doctorate.
Required experience:
Applicants must have a promising publication record; substantive knowledge and background in the field of child/adolescent development, risk prevention/intervention, or learning science; and excellent academic writing and analytic skills. The position will require advanced quantitative skills (e.g., HLM, SEM, propensity score matching, and multilevel and growth modeling) or mixed methods skills and considerable experience working with large-scale, longitudinal datasets.
Preferred experience:
Formal training/degrees in economic approaches, quantitative psychology, or longitudinal methods in applied research is desirable but not required.
Competencies:
• Excellent research skills; advanced quantitative methods preferred.
• Independent capacity to develop goals, operating procedures, practices, and guidelines for research activities.
• Strong writing and analytic skills.
• Ability to appropriately manage time while engaging in independent and collaborative work across multiple projects.
• Maintain confidentiality and follow university policies regarding data security.
• Working knowledge of policy and practice innovations related to youth development and schooling with an eagerness to develop further knowledge in these areas.
Required Job Seeker Documents
To apply for this position, please submit (1) a cover letter describing your research goals and training, including why your background and interests are a good match for the position, (2) a Curriculum Vitae, (3) one writing sample, (4) two letters of recommendation to DISCLab@uchicago.edu. We will begin reviewing applications on February 1 and will continue to accept and review applications until the positions are filled.
Working Conditions:
• standard office environment
• sit for short or extended time periods
• stand for short or extended time periods
• extensively use computer
Work Schedule: Flexible work schedules
Contract length: One year contract, with the opportunity for renewal
Compensation and Benefits
Pay: $62,232
Benefits: This position is benefits-eligible. The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the Postdoctoral benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834- 3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.