Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Kansas, United States

Updated: 6 days ago
Location: Lawrence, KANSAS

30624BR

Bureau of Child Research


Position Overview

The Postdoctoral Research Program at the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project (JGCP) is recruiting one postdoctoral researcher interested in developing expertise in translation of research into practice to improve outcomes for individuals with Autism-Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD) in school/post-secondary settings. This postdoctoral position is a full-time (1.0 FTE), 1-year, research-dedicated fellowship.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will have the opportunity to participate in over six federally funded research projects, gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct rigorous research. During the fellowship, postdoctoral researchers will work alongside experts and peer mentors to design and implement independent research studies culminating in peer-reviewed publications and presentations. Fellows will benefit from research-practitioner partnerships and mentorship in advanced statistics. The skills gained from this experience will prepare fellows to obtain external funding for their own independent research program.

This position may be a hybrid of on-site work or fully remote work as decided by supervisor.

Due to complex state employment laws, the University of Kansas may be unable to hire fully remote workers for this position outside of Kansas. Specifically, we cannot currently offer employment to candidates residing in the following states: California and Delaware. We appreciate your understanding and invite interested individuals from eligible states to apply.

Fellows will achieve the following competencies through development of knowledge and expertise in:

Competencies in ASD/EBD Content Areas.

  • Produce systematic literature reviews and meta-analytic syntheses to examine and establish evidence-based practices.
  • Conduct individualized research focused on individuals with ASD and/or EBD in school settings using principles of implementation science.
    • Competencies in Research Skills and Knowledge.
  • Gain familiarity with the Institute of Education Sciences’ Standards of Excellence in Education Research (SEER).
  • Apply SEER to engage in rigorous experimental single case and/or randomized controlled trial designs.
  • Employ Multilevel and Longitudinal Modeling Analysis techniques for school-based research data.
    • Professional Skills

    .

  • Acquire strategies to write grants and manage research projects.
  • Develop methods and skills to effectively disseminate research.
  • Establish and monitor career development goals to create a strategic career development plan.

    • Location and Commitment.

    The program is at the JGCP, a community-based urban research facility affiliated with the Institute for Life Span Studies at the University of Kansas and the Children’s

    Campus of Kansas City. JGCP (http://www.jgcp.ku.edu ), located in Kansas City, KS although some of the mentoring and research may take place in Lawrence, KS or in fully remote mentoring arrangements.

    This position requires a one-year commitment and if hybrid a commitment to the location within the Kansas City-Lawrence, KS area. Granting agency requires that candidates for this position be either U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents. Postdoctoral Researchers must have completed their doctorates prior to their appointments. Please note that all offers of employment are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check.

    NOTE: To be appointed at the Postdoctoral Researcher title, it is necessary to have the PhD in hand.  Appointments made without a diploma or certified transcript indicating an earned doctorate are conditional hires and are appointed on an acting basis not to exceed six months.  Upon verification of degree the appointment will be extended to its full duration.


    Job Description

    • 40% - Affiliate with a Research Faculty Mentor and their research program to collaborate with this research team in the conduct of applied research with individuals with ASD/EBD. Participation will include attending weekly meetings and conducting a complementary intervention study.
    • 20% - Complete grant preparation activities for IES and other agencies, including literature reviews, pilot studies, and grant applications in order to learn how to write and submit a competitive application.
    • 15% - Attend/monitor agreed upon courses and seminars to increase content and methodological knowledge that is the focus of the project.
    • 10% - Produce and submit professional research documents and communications disseminating findings to the larger community of special education, such as peer-reviewed journals, and national conferences of professional organizations.
    • 10% - Use ASD/EBD relevant measurement tools (i.e., ADOS-2, ADI-R) to identify and evaluate the impacts of ASD/EBD on educational participation and academic performance.
    • 5% - Develop, maintain, and evaluate an annual Individual Fellow Plan (IFP) based on the Postdoctoral Applicant’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests to organize and evaluate one’s individual progress in the program.

    Position Requirements

    Granting agency requires that candidates for this position be either U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.

    This position may be a hybrid of on-site work of fully remote work as decided by supervisor.


    Required Qualifications

  • PhD in special education or discipline related to education and development such as language/communication disorders, applied behavior analysis, or the psychology disciplines (e.g., quantitative, child, developmental, educational, school psychology, etc.).
  • Two years experience conducting research studies with at-risk children or adolescents or children/adolescents with disabilities in school settings as evidenced by application materials.
  • One-year experience working directly with individuals in a school-based and/or post-secondary transition setting as evidenced by application materials.
  • Excellent writing skills as evidenced by quality of application materials, peer-reviewed publications, dissertation, and writing sample.

    • Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience that required working directly with children with/at risk for ASD/EBD in a public-school setting and/or post- secondary transition setting, as evidenced by application materials.
  • Experience that required working with statistics, statistical software, and quantitative methods (e.g., growth modeling, Mplus or R), as evidenced by application materials.
  • Research experience including implementation of (a) single subject experimental design studies, or (b) experimental group design studies, as evidenced by application materials.
  • Doctoral coursework that included advanced statistics courses, as evidenced by application materials.
  • Work history that required the uses of traditional and digital information/communication technologies in research, as evidenced by application materials.
  • Publication in peer-reviewed journal in the field of special education, psychology, applied behavior analysis or related fields, as evidenced by application materials.
  • Strong oral communication skills as evidenced by work and/or education experience.

    • Contact Information to Applicants

    For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Howard Wills at hpwills@ku.edu
    If you have questions about the application process, you may contact Diana Skill at dskill@ku.edu


    Additional Candidate Instruction

    In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

    • Cover letter
    • Resume
    • Professional writing sample (e.g., publication, dissertation)
    • Contact information for three professional references who can speak to your experiences and qualifications are required.

    In the cover letter, please indicate how you see this particular training experience helping advance your professional skills and goals with conducting translational research in schools or post-secondary transition settings. Also, please include paragraphs describing what you would like to accomplish in each of the following domains:

  • Research on individuals with EBD and/or ASD
  • Methodological skills and knowledge.

    • Only complete applications will be considered.

    Application review begins Monday, June 9th, 2025 and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.


    Advertised Salary Range

    60,000


    Application Review Begins

    09-Jun-2025


    Anticipated Start Date

    13-Jul-2025


    Limited Term End Date

    12-Jul-2026


    Primary Campus

    Juniper Gardens Area


    Employee Class

    U-Unclassified Professional Staff


    Work Schedule

    8:30 am –5:00 pm, Mon-Fri


    Conditions of Employment

    Contingent on Funding, Limited Term


    Work Location Assignment

    Hybrid


    Disclaimer

    The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and is the Title IX coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.


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