[Grad-postdoc-assn] Fwd: Four postdoc openings

[Scott Briggs]

FYI

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Libarkin, Julie <libarkin at msu.edu>
Date: Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 1:29 PM
Subject: Four postdoc openings
To: <GEOED-RESEARCH at list.msu.edu>


*The Luxford CER group in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at
Texas State University is seeking a postdoctoral researcher (Project 1,
Position 2).*

*New Postdoctoral Researcher Positions available in STEM Education
Research:*

We are advertising four postdoctoral-level positions related to
instructional change in undergraduate STEM. The positions are associated
with three recently awarded NSF grants: (1) “Building Capacity: Creating
Faculty-Student Communities for Culturally Relevant Institutional Change”
(2 positions); (2) “Furthering the Work of Undergraduate STEM
Transformation: Modeling Instructional Change Teams”; and (3) “Developing
Faculty Resources of Evidence-Based Practices that Improve Learning and
Equity in STEM.” One of the positions will primarily focus on programmatic
work and may involve synergistic research activities. The other three
positions will primarily focus on research and will involve synergistic
programmatic activities as appropriate.

Minimum qualifications for all positions are:

• PhD in a STEM and/or Education field

• Commitment to counteracting systemic inequities in STEM

• Motivation and ability to engage with diverse students and junior
researchers

• Motivation and ability to engage with STEM faculty

• Enthusiastic and motivated learner

Other desirable qualifications align with the responsibilities of each
position, as described below. Candidates who identify with underrepresented
minority groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

The salary for each position is between $50,000-$55,000 per year. Review of
applications will begin on November 20, 2019. Preferred start dates are
between January 1 and May 1, 2020. Initial appointments will be for one
year, renewable as funding remains available (3-5 years). We are willing to
explore the possibility of a remote work arrangement for projects #2 and
#3. However, relocation to San Marcos is preferred, and we cannot guarantee
that a remote arrangement is an option.

Interested candidates should submit a 1-3 page cover letter and a CV to
STEMEdPostdocs at txstate.edu. The cover letter should explain the candidate’s
interest in one or more of the positions and why they are a good fit for
the position(s), based on alignment with the required qualifications and
any other desirable qualifications (e.g., past experience relevant to the
job responsibilities). Candidates should clearly indicate in which
position(s) they are interested in their letter. The cover letter should
also specify a preferred state date and, if the candidate has not yet
received their PhD, when they expect to receive it. If the candidate is
requesting a remote work arrangement, this should also be specified in the
letter. The CV should include a list of professional experiences,
publications, and contact information for three professional references.
Shortlisted candidates may be asked to submit a writing sample and three
letters of recommendation.

Information about each position is detailed below.

POSITION-SPECIFIC INFORMATION

*Project #1: Faculty-Student Communities (NSF #1928696, PI Heather
Galloway, Co-PIs Eleanor Close, Alice Olmstead, Cynthia Luxford, and Li
Feng)*

During this five-year project, we aim to engage faculty and students across
Texas State University's College of Science and Engineering in workshops,
departmental self-assessments, redesign of lower division gateway courses,
and project-level decision making. Participating STEM departments will
receive intellectual, material, and logistical supports to empower
faculty-student teams in developing sustainable communities of practice
focused on culturally relevant instruction. The project will also involve
three research strands that focus on communities of practice among faculty
and students, STEM student trajectories at Texas State, and student
graduation rates and STEM workforce outcomes for Texas State and other
Hispanic Serving Institutions.

*Position #1*: The first position will be primarily focused on enacting and
managing the programmatic aspects of the project. This will include
expanding a well-established Learning Assistant program (
https://learningassistantalliance.org/
<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__learningassistantalliance.org_&d=DwMDaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=bTpQo6C_bwDiZFSgr8ADeg&m=y5VXL8V9bbVvqsFCtXuDFIdH2cLc4u3cbUYL0Vg98EY&s=BxHvNt0wM1wEutvbldfEFbN-FFspFSjtCM-LfH94ELU&e=>).
In collaboration with the rest of the project team, the selected candidate
will be expected to engage in programmatic activities such as: designing
and facilitating workshops for STEM faculty; facilitating conversations
within STEM departments about students’ perspectives on their courses;
designing and facilitating summer institutes and weekly preparation
meetings for faculty-student course redesign teams; teaching a STEM
pedagogy course for students; contributing to project-level meetings with
emerging faculty leaders from across the college; and performing other
management and administrative tasks as needed. Exact activities will vary
depending on the stage of the project. The selected candidate may also
engage in research activities related to faculty-student community
development. Co-PIs Close and Olmstead will be the co-advisors for this
position.

*Position #2*: The second position will be primarily focused on collecting
and analyzing various kinds of student data before, during, and after
course redesigns. The selected candidate will be expected to engage in
research activities such as: conducting and synthesizing the results of
focus groups with STEM students; gathering and analyzing institutional
student data; working with STEM faculty to collect and analyze qualitative
and quantitative student data using research-based assessments; amending
materials for institutional review board approval; and disseminating
results through publications and presentations. Exact activities will vary
depending on the stage of the project. The selected candidate will be
expected to co-mentor undergraduate research students as appropriate. The
selected candidate will also be expected to help faculty and students
interpret data, and to contribute to the implementation of workshops and
summer institutes. Co-PI Luxford will be the primary advisor for this
position.

*Project #2: Instructional Change Teams (NSF #1914857, Lead PI Alice
Olmstead, Western Michigan University (WMU) PI Andrea Beach, WMU co-PI
Charles Henderson)*

This project aims to develop empirically-based guidance for leaders who aim
to support teams working to improve undergraduate STEM courses. It builds
on a prior national-scale qualitative study led by the PI team
(NSF#1525393). During this three-year project, we will pursue a two-phased,
mixed-methods study to diagnose what factors lead to desirable outcomes for
instructional change teams. The postdoctoral research position will span
all aspects of the project. The selected candidate will be expected to
engage in activities such as: identifying and recruiting study
participants; conducting and analyzing interviews and focus groups;
reviewing relevant literature; developing and refining the survey
instrument; collecting and compiling survey data; preparing reports for
study participants; amending materials for institutional review board
approval; and disseminating results through publications and presentations.
The selected candidate will be expected to co-mentor undergraduate research
students at Texas State as appropriate. The selected candidate will also be
expected to collaborate remotely with PI Beach and a graduate student at
Western Michigan University to engage in quantitative research activities
such as: learning about and applying current survey development
best-practices; statistically testing the pilot instrument; analyzing
survey data; and synthesizing quantitative results for presentations and
publications. PI Olmstead will be the primary advisor for this position.

*Project #3: Faculty Resources (NSF #1928596, PI Ben Van Dusen, co-PIs
Eleanor Close, Robert Talbot, Jayson Nissen)*

This four-year project includes three strands of work that collectively
support STEM faculty at HispanicServing Institutions (HSIs) in
implementing, adapting and assessing evidence-based instructional
strategies that support equitable outcomes. We will interview HSI STEM
faculty; conduct workshops and provide resources supporting faculty in
conducting scholarship of teaching and learning; and use the LASSO database
to research potential bias in research-based assessments. The postdoctoral
research position will span all aspects of the project, with an initial
focus on the interview study. The selected candidate will be expected to
engage in activities such as: identifying and recruiting study
participants; conducting and analyzing interviews; reviewing relevant
literature; creating / amending materials for institutional review board
approval; and disseminating results through publications and presentations.
Exact activities will vary depending on the stage of the project. The
selected candidate will be expected to co-mentor undergraduate research
students as appropriate. The selected candidate will also have
opportunities to contribute to the creation and implementation of faculty
workshops at regional and national conferences. The postdoc will be
mentored by Eleanor Close (Texas State University) in collaboration with
Jayson Nissen (J. M. Nissen Consulting), Bud Talbot (CU-Denver), and Ben
Van Dusen (project PI, CSU-Chico).

ADDITIONAL JOB INFORMATION

Texas State University is a large, diverse Hispanic Serving Institution in
Central Texas, between Austin and San Antonio. The College of Science and
Engineering includes seven STEM departments and a growing number of
discipline-based education research faculty. Selected candidates will have
regular opportunities to interact with faculty, students, and other
postdocs who are engaged in education research (see, in particular,
http://txstper.wp.txstate.edu
<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__txstper.wp.txstate.edu&d=DwMDaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=bTpQo6C_bwDiZFSgr8ADeg&m=y5VXL8V9bbVvqsFCtXuDFIdH2cLc4u3cbUYL0Vg98EY&s=tmAVdTg5nMrZtPPth_zthU6DJ2YrNU0ILkRVb4Ahgt4&e=>
 and http://luxford.wp.txstate.edu/
<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__luxford.wp.txstate.edu_&d=DwMDaQ&c=nE__W8dFE-shTxStwXtp0A&r=bTpQo6C_bwDiZFSgr8ADeg&m=y5VXL8V9bbVvqsFCtXuDFIdH2cLc4u3cbUYL0Vg98EY&s=kEOxPLUocKS3yQ5RNYFV9vsmxEYjbCZv55nrHScJ8kE&e=>).
Interactions and cross-project collaboration among recent postdoc hires, as
well as participation in potential future grant-writing activities with the
project teams, will be encouraged. Please contact Eleanor Close (
eclose at txstate.edu), Alice Olmstead (alice.olmstead at txstate.edu), and/or
Cynthia Luxford (cluxford at txstate.edu) if you have questions about any of
the positions. Please email STEMEdPostdocs at txstate.edu to apply and if you
have general questions about the application process.








-- 
Scott Briggs
ASP Postdoctoral Program Specialist
NCAR Education and Outreach
Advanced Study Program
303-497-1607
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