The University of Missouri College of Education and Human Development invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship position in the Prosocial Development & Education Research Lab . This Postdoctoral Fellow will work on the project Measuring Prosocial Behavior in Schools through a Virtual Reality Game: vSchool funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The project aims to develop and validate a school-friendly, game-based assessment of prosocial behavior for 4th - 6th grade students that can be used to evaluate behavioral and social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions. SEL interventions often aim to increase prosocial behavior, yet few SEL interventions actually measure increased prosocial behavior as an outcome. This is partly due to a dearth of measures of prosocial behavior that are validated, school-friendly, strengths-based (rather than deficit-based), and amenable to intervention. Our team includes forerunners in game-based measurement of social-emotional skills, prosocial experts, psychometrician, and game designers.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will collaborate with the team in development of the gameified assessment, quantitative data design, collection and analysis of data, and publication of findings, among other research duties as they arise. The fellow will gain experience working on a federally-funded, research project within a lab that has $16 million in federal funding for six projects focused on promoting prosocial education and positive classroom climate. The fellow will also have the opportunity to develop an independent line of research related to the study’s activities. The fellow should be committed to seeking and securing external funding, producing original research, publishing their work in highly ranked conference proceedings and journals (as appropriate), and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in research. The lab includes affiliated faculty, two postdoctoral fellows, four GRAs, and various UGRAs. https://education.missouri.edu/research/prosocial

Responsibilities:

• Lead weekly research team meetings
• Work with the project coordinator to ensure benchmarks are met on time
• Ensure quality control of assessment development
• Collect, organize, and analyze data 
• Recruit participant students and teachers
• Mentor graduate research assistants
• Co-author research publications and annual reports
• Develop future grant proposals

This position is 100% FTE and may start as early as May 2023. This is a 1-year position with the possibility of renewing up to 3 years.

Minimum Qualifications:

• An earned doctorate in educational or developmental psychology and assessment of social skills or related disciplines at the time of appointment.
• Experience in collecting, cleaning, and analyzing quantitative data.
• Experience in prek-12 students’ social and emotional development, and development/evaluation of assessments.

Candidates will be evaluated on:

• Strong professional writing skills, including research reports, peer-reviewed research articles, or other print and electronic publications.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate research results through talks at scientific conferences as well as to lay audiences.
• Facility with technology and online platforms for organizing teams and work spaces.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• K-12 teaching, counseling, or administration experience
• Experience conducting classroom observations
• Proficiency in English
• Prior federal grant experience
• Experience mentoring undergraduate students to conduct educational research
• Experience in collaborating as a member of a larger research team
• Proficiency with managing complex data sets and applying cutting edge data analysis techniques.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
• Comfort with technology use.

To Apply:  

• A letter of application that addresses the candidate’s interest in the work, overall qualifications for the fellowship, and an explanation of how this fellowship will help prepare the candidate’s future career interests and professional goals.
• A CV
• A writing sample
• List of three references

Beginning Review Date: Formal review of applications will begin January 3, 2023 and continue until the position is filled.

The University of Missouri is committed to postdoctoral development. Postdoctoral fellows across all disciplines are supported with campus professional development opportunities, research and teaching awards, and small grants programs. Postdoctoral scholars can also further their academic career preparation through the University of Missouri’s Preparing Future Faculty seminar program. For information about postdoctoral fellows at MU, visit: https://gradschool.missouri.edu/postdoctoral-education/

This position is eligible for University benefits.  The University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, and educational fee discounts.  For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at http://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits

Diversity Commitment

The University of Missouri is fully committed to achieving  the goal of a diverse and inclusive academic community of faculty, staff and students. We seek individuals who are committed to this goal and our core campus values of respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at 573-884-2577.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.

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