Recruit

Position Purpose
The “Show Me the Data” Team, a group of cross-UC researchers at UC San Diego and UC Riverside, is inviting applications for a Full-Time Post-Doctoral Researchers for a 3-year term, to be based at UC Riverside. The postdoc will join a new project funded by a 5-year NSF I-USE Transformations grant (PIs: Melinda Owens, Richard Edwards; co-PIs: Claire Meaders, Annie S. Ditta). This project brings together researchers who are interested in understanding the ways in which university instructors make use of teaching observation data and how such data may be used to promote long-lasting changes in teaching of STEM courses (e.g., promote increased use of high-impact practices in the classroom). The Post-Doctoral Researcher will have the exciting opportunity to be housed within UCR’s XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning, and to collaborate with faculty and the Teaching and Learning Center at UC San Diego to build their skills in teaching observation protocols and faculty development.

The Post-Doctoral Researcher will be an active member of a team, working collaboratively with PIs Owens & Richards and co-PIs Meaders & Ditta, as well as the UCSD Post-Doctoral Researcher, and graduate and undergraduate students at both UCR and UCSD. The Post-Doctoral Researcher will work closely with the 2 campus research teams to coordinate with site PIs on: 1) developing survey instruments to assess meaning-making from teaching observation data, 2) receiving and providing training in the use of teaching observation protocols, and 3) coordinating teaching observations and pre- and post-observation interviews. The Post-Doctoral Researcher will take a lead role in data collection at UCR and will be available to support data collection at UCSD. The Post-Doctoral Researcher additionally will lead data analysis as data are collected. Time permitting, the postdoc will also be encouraged to develop and conduct independent research.

Essential Duties
· · Work collaboratively with the cross-campus grant leadership team.
· Liaise with 2 research teams: coordinating survey and interview construction, training and implementation of data collection (including participant recruitment).
· Lead data collection at home institution, including instructor interviews and classroom observations
· Lead a data analysis team
· Develop and conduct independent research, time permitting

Minimum Requirements
· · PhD in a STEM discipline, science or STEM Education Research, psychology, or a related discipline
· Experience or strong interest in faculty development
· Experience or interest in science education research
· Excellent written and oral communication skills
· Proficiency with quantitative statistical analysis
· Excellent organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications
· · Experience teaching using evidence-based teaching practices
· Knowledge of or experience using teaching observations in STEM Education (Instructor Talk, COPUS, DART, CDOP)
· Experience with teaching-related professional development
· Experience with survey construction and validation
· Proficiency with qualitative research methods
· Commitment to helping the University of California serve minoritized students

Start date: January 1, 2024 but negotiable

Modality: Mostly in-person, but remote work is possible for the first fall (2023)

Salary and Benefits: The annual stipend and benefits will be commensurate with University of California guidelines. The annual stipend starts at $64,480 per year and is based on post doc experience.

Application Instructions: Applicants should submit a cover letter that includes the names of 3 references, CV, Statement of Research, and Statement of Past/Present Contributions to Advancing Diversity and Inclusive Excellence. Please apply only to your preferred campus:

• UC Riverside: https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF01825 References will be contacted for letters separately. Review of applications will begin on October 24, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Questions can be emailed to Dr. Melinda T. Owens (mtowens@ucsd.edu) or Dr. Richard Edwards (redwards@ucr.edu).
 
Payroll Title(s) of Those Supervised: NA

Other Information:

*1. Working location: * 900 University Ave. Riverside, Ca - XCITE 133

2. Search committee: Melinda T. Owens, Richard Edwards, Claire Meaders, Annie S. Ditta

3. Special Requirements and Conditions:

Special Requirements - check all that apply:
☐Critical Position (Background Investigation REQUIRED for all Critical Positions)
☐Valid California Driver’s License Required
☐Public Driving Record Required
(Regular Driving/Class/Certificate)
☐Safety Sensitive Position – Drug Testing Required

Special Conditions of Employment:
☐Overtime
☐Shift Work
☒Travel
☒Travel Outside of Normal Business Hours
Other –
If Other, provide description:

** 4. Level of Supervision Received:** General Supervision

5. Essential Functions:

Essential Function % Time
Faculty participant management 2.5%

• Communicating with potential faculty participants at their institution about the study
• Obtaining informed consent from faculty participants
• Tracking participating faculty through components of the project
  Coordinating faculty interviews and observations 5%
• Schedule faculty interviews and observations
• Coordinate with the student workers to ensure that the appropriate classes are video-recorded or observed
  Developing & conducting faculty interviews 10%
• Develop protocols for faculty interviews for looking at observation protocol data and for showing them their own classroom observation data
• Conducting faculty interviews looking at observation protocol data
• Conducting “debriefs” with faculty to show them their classroom observation data
  Data management 5%
• Maintain research records on a password-protected drive
• Prepare or organize the preparation of de-identified data for rest of project team
• Maintain orderly records to facilitate the preparation of presentations or manuscripts
  Data analysis 70%
• Lead a team of student workers to clean the data and apply the classroom observation protocols
• Qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the results of classroom observation protocols and prepare them for faculty participants and project team
  Collaboration and Dissemination 7.5%
• Collaborate with other postdoctoral fellow and project PIs and co-PIs on the project as necessary
• Present interim results, as appropriate, at project team meetings, internal institution-specific meetings, conferences, and for publication
  

Active application date: October 10, 2023

Begin reviewing applications: October 24, 2023

Documents: Cover letter, CV, Statement of Research, Statement of Past and/or Planned Contributions to Advancing Diversity and Inclusive Excellence

Optional Documents: None

Planned search and recruitment efforts: In order to ensure diversity in the pool of applicants, advertisements will be posted both to listservs that are broad in their reach in the relevant field (e.g., APA Division 2–Teaching of Psychology; Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER), POD, the Chronicle), as well as listservs that reach populations typically underrepresented in academia (e.g., SPARK Society [https://www.sparksociety.org/jobpostings], Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) ).

Selection plan: Search committee members will review applications using a rubric. The top 3-4 candidates will participate in a virtual interview with the entire committee.

Selection criteria: PhD in a STEM discipline, science or STEM Education Research, psychology, or a related discipline; Experience with faculty development; Excellent written communication skills; Proficiency with statistical analysis; Experience in survey construction; Experience with teaching observation protocols

Specializations: Faculty development, STEM education

The University of California, Riverside is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. UCR is a member institution of the American Association of Universities (AAU) as well as the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU). Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.