Postdoctoral Fellow - Indoor Environment

Updated: over 1 year ago
Location: Fort Collins, COLORADO
Deadline: 14 Oct 2022

Posting Details
Posting Detail Information


Working Title Postdoctoral Fellow - Indoor Environment
Position Location Fort Collins, CO
Is this position eligible for hybrid or remote work? No
Research Professional Position Yes
Posting Number 202201415AP
Position Type Admin Professional/ Research Professional
Classification Title Postdoctoral Fellows
Number of Vacancies 1
Work Hours/Week 40
Proposed Annual Salary Range $54,000-$64,000
Employee Benefits
Colorado State University (CSU) is committed to providing employees with a strong and competitive benefits package that supports you, your health, and your family. Visit CSU’s Human Resources website for detailed benefit plan information for permanent full-time and part-time faculty and administrative professional employees in the following University benefit areas: https://hr.colostate.edu/hr-community-and-supervisors/benefits/benefits-eligibility/ & https://hr.colostate.edu/prospective-employees/our-perks/ .
Desired Start Date 12/01/2022
Position End Date (if temporary)
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 10/14/2022
Description of Work Unit
As one of the nation’s top public research universities, Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colorado, is a land-grant institution, with enrollment of more than 33,000 students. CSU offers 76 undergraduate degree programs, 114 graduate degree programs, 21 professional master’s degree programs, and a Professional Veterinary Medicine program. CSU’s world-class research and scholarship attract more than $400 million in research funding annually, putting the university among top federally funded public universities without a medical school. Colorado’s Front Range is a high-tech hub with companies such as Woodward, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, IBM, Intel, Keysight Technologies, Broadcomm, AMD, Xilinx, Ball Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman located in or near Fort Collins.
Fort Collins is an attractive community of approximately 170,000 located along the Colorado Front Range at the base of the Rocky Mountains, 65 miles north of Denver. The city is routinely recognized as one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. It consistently ranks high on quality of life measures by numerous publications; see https://www .fcgov.com/visitor/awards for the complete list. The city offers a pleasant climate with excellent schools and abundant cultural and recreational opportunities nearby. For more information on Fort Collins, check out the City’s website: www.visitftcollins.com.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) at CSU offers a curriculum that integrates exceptional classroom learning and in-depth engineering practice for an unparalleled educational experience. Made up of 43 faculty members, 10 staff members, 1,000 undergraduate students, and 125 graduate students, ME is one of the largest departments on CSU’s campus. State-of-the-art labs provide unmatched, hands-on experience to help undergraduate students conceptualize industry environments, and $11M in annual research funding provide groundbreaking opportunities focusing on health, materials, and energy, for graduate students to enhance their educational concentrations. Award-winning faculty offer industry and academic perspective, and equip each graduate with the tools needed to obtain leading positions in advanced technology fields. The Mechanical Engineering program at CSU includes majors in both Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering-Mechanical Engineering; both curriculum combine classroom learning with engineering practice. The department recently added specialties for Aerospace Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, offering undergraduate concentrations, a graduate certificate, a Master of Engineering (M.E.) with specialization, and a Master of Science (M.S.) with a specialized master’s thesis. Our goal is to give our graduates the engineering skills they need to obtain leading positions in advanced technology fields. Our students are integral members of our research groups and their thesis and dissertation topics focus on cutting-edge research. Further information about the Department can be found at www.engr.colostate.edu/me/.
The Bond research laboratory is located at the Powerhouse Energy Campus. Projects in the group integrate engineering science, social science, and Earth science to achieve better outcomes for human health and the environment.
Position Summary
The value of incorporating user feedback in the design of technological objects or systems is widely acknowledged. This feedback is typically gathered in situations designed by an engineer or other technologist. These situations may contain subtle cues about preferred choices or socially acceptable desires. Power differentials between the situation designer and the user may also lead to subconscious filtering.
The Mechanical Engineering Department at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to explore how personal awareness, development of self-efficacy, and discussion of societal network might lessen some of these limitations, lead to richer user feedback early in the technological or programmatic design phase, and potentially alter the ultimate outcome of technological adoption. The fellow / scholar should have experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as a keen awareness of ethical behavior in the context of physical and social interventions.
Activities will include, but are not limited to, observation and evaluation of interventions related to household energy; review and amalgamation of qualitative survey instruments; and interpretation of physical or quantitative measurements regarding change. The scholar would join a multidisciplinary team (mechanical engineering, public health, psychology) and work with both academic researchers and non-governmental organizations. The scholar would contribute to academic literature and develop a framework and best practices for integrating development in both resource and personal spheres.
Backgrounds that are potentially relevant include scholarship in psychology, anthropology, or human factors within engineering, although demonstrated versatility in methods is more important than the individual’s stated degree. Ability to investigate and assimilate literature in unfamiliar disciplines is essential. Applicants should have excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to work both independently and within a fast-paced multidisciplinary research environment, and comfort with conversing with academicians, community members, workforce, and policy makers. This is a one-year appointment with the option to continue for a total of three years based on performance.
Required Job Qualifications
  • Doctoral degree in psychology, anthropology, human factors within engineering, or another relevant field;
  • Experience conducting social science research, with reference to specific methods and tools used;
  • Strong interest in environmental health, public health, or public policy;
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills;
  • Ability to work independently and with a team and balance competing demands; and
  • Prior publication record (e.g., peer-reviewed literature, book chapters).
  • The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. by the start date. Mechanical Engineering will not provide visa sponsorship for this position. Will you be legally authorized to work in the U.S. by the proposed start date?
Preferred Job Qualifications
  • Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team;
  • Ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders;
  • Experience designing and conducting stakeholder inquiries such as focus groups; and
  • Experience using feedback from stakeholders to inform design of interventions.
Diversity Statement
Ability to advance the department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through research, teaching and outreach with relevant programs, goals and activities.

Essential Duties


Job Duty Category Data Collection and Analysis
Duty/Responsibility
  • Carry out tasks related to the conduct of the research study.
  • Develop and administer study protocols for review of existing literature, analysis, and synthesis of results.
  • Recommend research, and, if approved, execute additional investigations.
Percentage Of Time 80%
Job Duty Category Communication
Duty/Responsibility
  • Disseminate research findings in peer-review literature, book chapters, and through presentation of findings at professionalconferences, local workshops, and knowledge exchange with key stakeholders.
  • Develop research plans, summarize results, and present to the research team.
  • Develop opportunities for future research.
Percentage Of Time 20%

Application Details


Special Instructions to Applicants
Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, which addresses how education and professional experiences align with identified required and preferred qualifications of the position, a current resume or CV, a technical writing example, and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of three (3) professional references. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.
Conditions of Employment Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires)
Search Contact Tami Bond, [email protected]
EEO Statement
Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or pregnancy in its employment, programs, services and activities, and admissions, and, in certain circumstances, marriage to a co-worker. The University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity and equal access institution and affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.
The Title IX Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-1715, [email protected] .
The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, [email protected] .
The Coordinator for any other forms of misconduct prohibited by the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment is the Vice President for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, Co. 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, [email protected] .
Any person may report sex discrimination under Title IX to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education .
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.