The Urban Education Institute (UEI) at the University of Chicago is an internationally and nationally renowned institute with the aim of promoting applied research on youth development and learning in formal and informal settings. UEI represents a model for how the higher education community can engage in the systemic improvement of pre- K-12 schooling through its Consortium on School Research, Network for College Success (NCS), To&Through, and Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP). Across these entities, UEI conducts rigorous fundamental and applied research, trains researchers and practitioners, operates a preK-12 public school, and provides research-based tools and resources to schools in 62 major cities across 34 states.
Position Summary:
We invite applications for two Postdoctoral Scholar positions specializing in youth’s academic and psychosocial development across multiple ecological contexts. Applicants should have a strong understanding of how sociocultural, sociohistorical, and developmental factors interact to influence risk, instill resilience, and promote equity among youth and their families.
The initial appointment will be one year with the possibility of renewal for an additional year. The position involves work on several multi-method, large-scale longitudinal studies exploring how sociocultural and psychological factors influence youth’s identity development, academic learning, and socio-emotional well-being during middle childhood and adolescence. In particular, the postdoctoral scholar will work on multi-jurisdictional, longitudinal datasets to examine the individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors that mitigate or worsen the impact of school culture, family dynamics, peer networks, and pandemic-era school disruptions on youth’s academic adjustment and mental health. In addition, this work aims to support equity within elementary- and secondary-school settings by using an interdisciplinary, applied approach to better understand risk and resilience among 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.