Postdoctoral Research Associate - Environmental Psychology

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

The Graduate Center is the focal point for advanced teaching and research at The City University of New York (CUNY), the nation's largest urban public university. With over 35 doctoral and master’s programs of the highest caliber, the Graduate Center fosters pioneering research and scholarship in the arts and sciences and prepares students for careers in universities and the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. The Graduate Center’s commitment to research and scholarship for the public good is exemplified by its more than 30 centers, institutes, and initiatives, including its Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC), a 200,000 square-foot facility in upper Manhattan, designed to promote collaboration among scientists in five areas of global research and innovation: nanoscience, photonics, structural biology, neuroscience, and environmental sciences.

The Graduate Center (GC) benefits from highly ambitious and diverse students and alumni, who in turn teach hundreds of thousands of undergraduates every year. Through its public programs, the Graduate Center enhances New York City’s intellectual and cultural life.

The Environmental Psychology program draws upon interdisciplinary as the means to include the many necessary perspectives for understanding the interactions of people and place, while embracing the policy and design disciplines that share our environments--including our built environment, social settings, informational environments, and natural ones.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, the principal Ph.D.-granting institution of CUNY, announces a post- doctoral fellowship in Urban Studies, to be housed in the interdisciplinary Environmental Psychology Ph.D. Program. The Marilyn J. Gittell Visiting Professorship/Post-doctoral Fellowship is for a social science Ph.D. working on issues related to cities, social justice, political engagement and community mobilizations, social and economic policy, and democratic governance, both domestically and abroad. This is a 2-year fellowship (structured as a 1-year appointment with a 1-year renewal, presuming satisfactory performance).

The Gittell Collective works to honor the late CUNY professor Marilyn Jacobs Gittell and build upon her legacy. It especially supports junior scholars engaging in public scholarship (such as community-based and participatory research). Its current programming focuses foremost on infrastructures of care and capacity-building in and beyond CUNY and the public university writ large, through programs such as Public Scholar Book-Writing Workshops for first-time authors, Adjunct Incubator Grants, the Just Research Workshop Series for adjunct instructors, and issue-specific convenings across disciplinary and geographic boundaries.

The Gittell Post-Doctoral Fellowship program aims to prepare researchers committed to understanding and addressing critical issues in community-engaged research, especially in urban settings, for success in engaged and/or applied research. The Fellow will be expected to articulate and advance a research agenda based on the legacy of Marilyn Gittell's work and help administer activities sponsored by the Marilyn J. Gittell Endowed Chair in Urban Studies. The Fellow serves in a key leadership and programming position within the Gittell Collective (http://gittellcollective.gc.cuny.edu/) based at the Graduate Center.

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will report to the Gittell Chair in Urban Studies.

JOB DUTIES

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Independent research (70%): With the guidance from the Gittell Chair in Urban Studies, articulate and advance a research agenda in the legacy of the work of Marilyn J. Gittell. Research training will also include some support for travel to meetings related to the trainee's research interests. The Post-Doctoral Fellow may work towards disseminating a recently completed dissertation, and/or begin other research;
• Program Administration and Leadership (20%): Work closely with the Gittell Chair in Urban Studies, the Post-Doctoral Fellow is responsible for various administrative duties related to the Gittell Collective at the GC. These activities may include administering grant and fellowships, website maintenance, meeting facilitation, conference organizing, etc. This work includes institution-building and leadership in thoughtful visioning, framing, and implementation of Gittell-related programming;
• Education (10%): Engage in mentorship with Gittell graduate student fellows, and help student fellows acquire skills and knowledge required to conduct independent research and analysis of issues and problems related to urban studies and community-based research. The post-doctoral fellowship does not carry a teaching course load.

This position requires the incumbent to work on-site.

QUALIFICATIONS

Doctoral Degree in a related field and demonstrated research ability are required

• Candidates should have a Ph.D. in hand by August 2025 in Urban Studies, Critical Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, History, or a related field.
• Candidates who received their Ph.D. in 2021 at the earliest will be considered.
• Candidates who demonstrate scholarship or achievement, work independently in programming, able to mentor successfully, and able to cooperate with others for the good of the institution are preferred.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

$75,465 - $79,188. Salary commensurate with education and experience.

CUNY offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees and eligible dependents based on job title and classification. Employees are also offered pension and Tax-Deferred Savings Plans. Part-time employees must meet a weekly or semester work hour criteria to be eligible for health benefits. Health benefits are also extended to retirees who meet the eligibility criteria.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.