Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Kansas, United States

Updated: about 2 months ago
Location: Lawrence, KANSAS

17853BR

Bureau of Child Research


Position Overview

The Postdoctoral Research Program at the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project (JGCP) is recruiting two to three postdoctoral researchers interested in developing expertise in translation of research into practice to improve outcomes for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD) in school/post-secondary settings. The postdoctoral position is a full-time (100% FTE), 2 year, research-dedicated fellowship.

Postdoctoral researchers will have the opportunity to participate in over ten federally funded research projects, gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct rigorous research. During the fellowship, postdoctoral researchers will work alongside expert and peer mentors to design and implement independent research studies culminating in peer-reviewed publications and presentations. Fellows will benefit from research-practitioner partnerships and mentorship in advanced statistics. The skills gained from this experience will prepare fellows to obtain external funding for their own independent research program.

Fellows will achieve the following competencies through development of knowledge and expertise in:

Competencies in ASD/EBD Content Areas.

  • Produce systematic literature reviews and meta-analytic syntheses to examine and establish evidence-based practices.
  • Conduct individualized research focused on individuals with ASD and/or EBD in school settings using principles of implementation science. 
    •  Competencies in Research Skills and Knowledge. 
  • Gain familiarity with the Institute of Education Sciences’ Standards of Excellence in Education Research (SEER).
  • Apply SEER to engage in rigorous experimental single case and/or randomized controlled trial designs.
  • Employ Multilevel and Longitudinal Modeling Analysis techniques for school-based research data.
    •  Professional Skills. 
  • Acquire strategies to write grants and manage research projects.
  • Develop methods and skills to effectively disseminate research.
  • Establish and monitor career development goals to create a strategic career development plan.
    • Location and Commitment.

    The program is at the JGCP, a community-based urban research facility affiliated with the Institute for Life Span Studies at the University of Kansas and the Children’s Campus of Kansas City. JGCP (

    http://www.jgcp.ku.edu

    ), located in Kansas City, KS although some of the mentoring and research may take place in Lawrence, KS.

    This position requires a two-year commitment and location within the Kansas City-Lawrence, KS area. Granting agency requires that candidates for this position be either U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents. The successful candidate must have appropriate authorization to work in the U.S. before employment begins. Postdoctoral Researchers must have completed their doctorates prior to their appointments. Please note that all offers of employment are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check. Continuation after one year also is dependent on yearly funding and satisfactory annual evaluations.


    Job Description

    RESPONSIBILITIES:
    The Postdoctoral Researcher will work with faculty mentors as follows:

    • 40% - Affiliate with a Research Faculty Mentor and their research program to collaborate with this research team in the conduct of applied research with individuals with ASD/EBD. Participation will include attending weekly meetings and conducting a complementary intervention study.
    • 20% - Complete grant preparation activities for IES and other agencies, including literature reviews, pilot studies, and grant applications in order to learn how to write and submit a competitive application.
    • 18% - Attend/monitor agreed upon courses and seminars to increase content and methodological knowledge that is the focus of the project.
    • 10% - Produce and submit professional research documents and communications disseminating findings to the larger community of special education, such as peer-reviewed journals, and national conferences of professional organizations.
    • 10% - Use ASD/EBD relevant measurement tools (i.e., ADOS-2, ADI-R) to identify and evaluate the impacts of ASD/EBD on educational participation and academic performance.
    • 2% - Develop, maintain, and evaluate an annual Individual Fellow Plan (IFP) based on the Postdoctoral Applicant’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests to organize and evaluate one’s individual progress in the program.

    Required Qualifications

  • PhD in special education or related discipline related to education and development such as language/communication disorders, applied behavior analysis, or the psychology disciplines (e.g., quantitative, child, developmental, educational, school psychology, etc.).
  • Two years minimum experience conducting research studies with at-risk children or adolescents or children/adolescents with disabilities in school settings as evidenced by application materials.
  • One year minimum experience working directly with individuals in a school-based and/or post-secondary transition setting as evidenced by application materials.
  • Excellent writing skills as evidenced by quality of application materials, peer-reviewed publications, dissertation, and writing sample.
    • NOTE:

    To be appointed at the Postdoctoral Researcher title, it is necessary to have successfully defended a dissertation and have completed all PhD requirements. 


    Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience working directly with children with/at risk for ASD/EBD in a public school setting and/or post-secondary transition setting.
  • Experience with statistics, statistical software, and quantitative methods (e.g., growth modeling, Mplus or R).
  • Research experience including implementation of (a) single subject experimental design studies, or (b) experimental group design studies.
  • Doctoral coursework that included advanced statistics courses.
  • Interests in the uses of traditional and digital information/communication technologies in research.
  • Publication in peer-reviewed journal in the field of special education, psychology, applied behavior analysis or related fields.
  • Strong oral communication skills as evidenced by work and/or education experience.

    • Contact Information to Applicants

    For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Howard Wills at hpwills@ku.edu or Dr. Brian Boyd at brian.boyd@ku.edu .
    For questions about the application process, please contact Diana Skill at dskill@ku.edu .


    Additional Candidate Instruction

    Review of applications will begin October 9, 2020 and will continue until a qualified applicant pool has been identified.
    Start date is tentatively set for month of August, 2021.

    Additionally, a cover letter, vitae, professional writing sample (e.g., publication, dissertation) and contact information for three professional references who can speak to your experiences and qualifications are required.
    In the cover letter, please indicate how you see this particular training experience helping advance your professional skills and goals with conducting translational research in schools or post-secondary transition settings.  Also, please include paragraphs describing what you would like to accomplish in each of the following domains: (1) in research on individuals with EBD and/or ASD, and (2) methodological skills and knowledge. 


    Advertised Salary Range

    $60,000


    Application Review Begins

    09-Oct-2020


    Anticipated Start Date

    23-Aug-2021


    Limited Term End Date

    22-Aug-2023


    Primary Campus

    Juniper Gardens Area


    Employee Class

    U-Unclassified Professional Staff


    Work Schedule

    8:30 am –5:00 pm, Mon-Fri


    Conditions of Employment

    Contingent on Funding, Limited Term


    Disclaimer

    The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity & Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 West Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY 9for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).


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