RESEARCH FELLOW

Dr. Isis Settles, in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan (U-M), is inviting applications for a postdoctoral research fellow to contribute to a NSF-funded study on the role of an inclusive climate in academic STEM on career outcomes and attitudes of underrepresented scholars.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will join a collaborative, interdisciplinary NSF-funded mixed-methods project (Broadening participation of marginalized scholars in STEM: The longitudinal influence of early-career climate experiences on professional pathways). The overarching goal of this 5-year project is to increase understanding about the longitudinal effects of academic climates and the COVID-19 pandemic (CV19) on early-career STEM career outcomes (productivity and attitudes) and professional pathways, especially for scholars from marginalized groups. The Research Fellow will be primarily involved with a follow-up survey of early-career scholars that is the project's focus through summer 2026. (See below for details of responsibilities). 

This research is being conducted jointly by Dr. Isis Settles (Departments of Psychology) and Dr. Erin Cech (Department of Sociology) at the University of Michigan (UM) along with a team of scholars at Michigan State University (Drs. Kendra Spence Cheruvelil, Georgina Montgomery, and Kevin Elliott) and the University of Arizona (Dr. Leslie Gonzales). The postdoctoral researcher will be housed in the Department of Psychology at UM, and primarily advised by Dr. Settles with assistance from Dr. Cech. 

The postdoctoral research fellow will be housed in the Personality and Social Contexts program within the U-M Department of Psychology. Scholars working in this departmental program take a critical and often intersectional lens to research and scholarship, examining the roles of social context, power, and oppression in shaping individual life experiences. More specifically, the program focuses on how aspects of the individual (e.g., race, gender, traits, social identities) and the social context (e.g., sociopolitical dynamics, inequality, culture, families, organizations) affect their development, life experiences, and well-being. The postdoctoral research fellow will have the opportunity to be part of this vibrant intellectual community through academic and social activities (e.g., brown bag talks, colloquia, lab meetings). 

Project Name:
Broadening participation of marginalized scholars in STEM: The longitudinal influence of early-career climate experiences on professional pathways

The primary responsibility of the researcher will be to manage the survey research project at UM, which include:

Scholarly Duties (60%)

• Creation and management of a participant database
• Research survey development, administration, data cleaning, and data analysis
• Data management
• Manuscript preparation
• Scholarly presentations

Administrative Duties (20%)

• Creating and submitting human subject applications
• Website maintenance
• Report preparation
• Documentation of the research process

Human Resource Duties (20%) 

• Working with faculty at all institutions
• Coordinating scholarly activities across institutions
• Remotely overseeing the work of the graduate and undergraduate research assistants at all three institutions. 

Opportunities for training, professional development, and conference attendance will be provided and time will be allotted for the postdoctoral research fellow to complete any existing independent research projects (e.g., publication of dissertation data).