Visiting Researcher

Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar / Sabbatical Fellow / Part-Time Researcher (Child-Centered Play-Based Intervention Research and Assessments for School Adjustment)

Position Type: Half-Year Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar, Sabbatical Funding Opportunity, or Part-Time Visiting Research Associate

Start Date: Late January, 2025 (flexible)

Location: Rochester, NY, USA; Remote Options Available

Website: https://www.childrensinstitute.net/

Position Overview:

Children’s Institute, a non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Rochester, is seeking an early-career scholar to join our research team for up to 6 months to support the evidence production for Primary Project, a child-centered play-based tier 2 school adjustment intervention. This position has tremendous flexibility, including position type: half-year Visiting Postdoctoral Research Associate, Sabbatical Fellow, or Temporary Part-Time Researcher. We seek a scholar interested in collaborating on manuscripts in development, writing new manuscripts based on existing data, and/or designing new investigations that support the evidence base for Primary Project and/or its universal screening and socioemotional assessment tools. This position provides a unique opportunity for a postdoctoral or early-career researcher to immediately contribute to projects involving one or more of the following: randomized control trials, implementation research, identifying bona fide therapeutic elements, measurement invariance testing, sensitivity to change analyses, criterion validity testing.

This position reports to our Managing Director of Data and Science, on a new collaborative team with two Ph.D. researchers, evaluators, information analysts, and research assistants (graduate, undergraduate). Temporary full-time and part-time roles will be considered.  Remote, hybrid, or in-person work arrangements are possible. Position contingent upon funding availability.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Developmental, Community, or School Psychology, Early Childhood Education, Quantitative Psychology, Psychometrics, or a related field (completed or near completion).
• Empirical Research Experience in child-centered play, school adjustment, socioemotional preventive interventions, early childhood development, measurement development, or a closely related field.
• Strong Analytical Skills in quantitative &/or qualitative research methodologies.
• Effective Communication skills for collaboration with team members, internal and external researchers, and community stakeholders, including clear and professional correspondence with editorial teams.
• Writing & Publication Skills for submitting high quality manuscripts in English, with track records or potential for, contributions to the academic literature in child development or early intervention research.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity socioemotional adjustment assessment instruments
• Knowledge of statistical modeling syntax (e.g., R, MPLUS)
• Ability to manipulate data through reproducible code (e.g., R, Python)
• Strong initiative, organizational, and project management skills
• Ability to draft and revise manuscripts in a timely manner
• Strong publication record

Application Process:

Please submit the following materials via electronic mail (e-mail) to joseph.mcfall@rochester.edu:

• Letter of Interest (2-3 double-spaced pages max, including statement of research interests and relevant experience; PDF attached to e-mail)
• Curriculum Vitae (CV; PDF attached to e-mail)
• Contact Information for Three References (in body of email, or CV, or separate attachment)
• Sample Publication(s) or Research Papers (full-text PDF attached, if available; or hyperlink to full-text/abstracts in e-mail body)

Application Deadline: December 20, 2024; applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled.

Compensation: Salary or stipend, commensurate with position type, experience, and percent effort of a full-time equivalent position.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

The University of Rochester is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion to advance the University’s mission to Learn, Discover, Heal, Create – and Make the World Ever Better. In support of our values and those of our society, the University is committed to not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion/creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status protected by law. This commitment extends to the administration of our policies, admissions, employment, access, and recruitment of candidates from underrepresented populations, veterans, and persons with disabilities consistent with these values and government contractor Affirmative Action obligations.

CI provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.