Post-doctoral Fellow STEM Education

Mission:
At VCU, we Make it Real through learning, research, creativity, service and
discovery — the hallmarks of the VCU experience. A premier, urban, public
research university nationally recognized as one of the best employers for diversity,
VCU is a great place to work. It’s a place of opportunity, where your success is
supported and your career can thrive. VCU offers employees a generous leave
package, career paths for advancement, competitive pay, and an opportunity to do
mission-driven work.

Summary:
VCU’s School of Education (SOE) seeks a Postdoctoral scholar who embraces
diversity, equity and inclusion and will contribute to a climate that supports
students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. At VCU, we believe
different perspectives and expertise enhance possibilities and solutions. This
philosophy drives our recruitment process, so we welcome applicants with diverse
experiences and backgrounds, who will contribute to an already diverse
community of faculty, staff, and students.

This postdoctoral researcher position will contribute to ongoing collaboration
among scholars in educational psychology, science education, and K12 educators
on two NSF projects. These projects are focused on partnering with educators,
industry partners to create equitable access to STEM education through creating
and accessing ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities:
The prospective postdoctoral researcher will focus on scholarship (peer-reviewed
publications, conference presentations, reports to community stakeholders) and
lead research efforts to examine:

● The role of risk and protective contributors, stress and coping style on
STEM interest and attitudes.
● Investigate the role of robotics/AI on STEM learning science identity among
underserved youth.
● How to create and assess a comprehensive and robust STEM learning
ecosystem.

Required Qualifications:
● Ph.D. in educational psychology, STEM education or relevant field.
● Record of scholarly publications and presentations on topics related to
science teaching and learning, student discourse as a function of learning,
student motivation and engagement, and/or equity in STEM.
● Excellent mixed methods and/or quantitative skills.
● Strong interest in community, school and classroom-based research.
● Exceptional project management skills.
● Experience work with K12 stakeholders on university-school partnership
projects.
● Demonstrated work in advancing access, equity, and quality education for
learners from historically marginalized and underrepresented minority
populations living in poverty and/or the educators that serve them.

Preferred Qualifications:
● Prior work or interests in K12 public education.
● Experience pursuing external funding.
● Experience communicating (e.g., through writing, presentations) with
different audiences (research community, general public).

Required:
- Cover letter summarizing qualifications noted above
- Current curriculum vitae
- Names and contact information (phone number and email address) of three
individuals who may be contacted as professional references
- Two writing samples (published peer-reviewed journal articles are preferred,
but can also be in-progress works)

Requested Salary Range: $55-60K

Salary Range: $55,000- $60,000

Position Details:

Department: Research and Faculty Development
Employment Type: PD - Post Doc
Restricted Status: Yes
FTE: 100.00
Exemption Status: Exempt

Contact Information:

Contact Name: John Fife

Contact Email: fifeje@vcu.edu

Contact Phone: