Postdoctoral Research Associate in Inclusive Undergraduate Education

Available Title(s):

306-YN_FACULTY - Postdoctoral Research Associate

Business Title:

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Inclusive Undergraduate Education

Employee Type:

Faculty (+) (Fixed Term)

Time Type:

Full time

Position Term:

12 Month

Position Details:

The Opportunity:

The Transformational Change Initiative (TCI), within the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President at Washington State University (WSU), has a Postdoctoral Scholar position available. The TCI is a portfolio of programs focused on increasing student access, participation, and life-long success.

You will work closely with Dr. Erika Offerdahl and collaboratively with Institutional Research to identify research questions and hypotheses, evaluate appropriate research approaches (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods), execute complex statistical analyses, and contribute to the dissemination of results to university leadership and in peer-reviewed venues. 

You will identify appropriate research designs to monitor progress toward and document programmatic outcomes; collect, manage, and analyze data; and provide actionable, data-driven insights to inform programmatic activities. You will assist with managing a research team and mentoring graduate students. The postdoctoral scholar will analyze data and co-write papers.

More information about the TCI programs can be found at Transformational Change Initiative – About the Initiative Homepage (https://provost.wsu.edu/transformational-change-initiative/about-tci/).

The position is located in Pullman, WA, with the option for remote work, depending on experience.

Required Qualifications:

• PhD at time of hire.

• Demonstrable skills in oral and written communication (including a publication record).

• Experience and/or knowledge in one of the following: social behavioral sciences, learning sciences, educational psychology, public health, or similar field.

• Advanced experience with Excel including pivot tables, macros, VLookup, etc.

• Experience with data dashboards and/or data visualization tools such as Tableau and Power BI.

• Experience with data mining or utilizing relational databases to extract data for business reports.

• Statistical analytical skills and competency using statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R).

• Strong data visualization skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Skilled working both as an independent researcher and as part of a research team.

• Previous engagement in interdisciplinary research.

• Experience with student success or educational transformation initiatives.

• Ability to work in a team environment and manage multiple concurrent projects.

• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

• Qualitative research experience.

• Experience using qualitative research software (e.g., MAXQDA, NVivo 14, ATLAS.ti)

Additional Information:

Area/College: Office of the Provost

Department Name: Transformational Change Initiative

Department Link: Transformational Change Initiative

City, State, Zip: Pullman, WA 99164

Annual Salary: $55,000 - $60,000 | In accordance with RCW 49.58.110 , the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate’s current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position. WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation and optional supplemental retirement accounts. For a more detailed summary of benefits offered by WSU for Faculty please review the summary of benefits for WSU Faculty and Total Compensation

Overtime Eligibility: Overtime Eligible

FTE: 100%

Temporary Position Details: The initial appointment is for one-year with the possibility to extend, should both parties agree. Renewal is dependent on the need for extension and/or if additional funding is secured to extend employment.

Posting Close Date: Applicants must submit their completed application by Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

Background Check: This position has been designated by the department to require a background check because it requires access to children or vulnerable adults as defined by RCW 74.34 , engages in law enforcement, requires security clearance, interacts with WSU students in a counseling or advising capacity, has access to personal identifying and/or financial information, unsupervised access to university buildings/property, or other business-related need.  A background check will not be completed until an initial determination of qualification for employment has been made.

Application Instructions:

All applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application.

External candidates, please upload all documents in the “Resume/CV” section of your application. Internal WSU candidates, please upload all documents in the “Resume/Cover Letter” section of your application.

• Documents may be submitted in one file or separate files.

• Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF if possible.

• Applicants will be requested to provide contact information for professional references within the online application.

• Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.

Required Documents:

• Detailed curriculum vitae

• Cover letter explicitly addressing the qualifications for the position

• Research statement

• Contact information for three professional references

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EDUCATOR AND EMPLOYER. Members of ethnic minorities, women, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era, recently separated veterans, and other protected veteran, persons of disability and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply.

WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521 (v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or [email protected] .