Postdoctoral Fellow III

Overview

The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services (CEHS) at Utah State University (USU) invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow with interest and expertise contributing to research, scholarship, and pedagogy focused on access and accessibility in STEM (broadly defined). The fellowship, supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) institutional postdoctoral training grant, will provide 18 to 24 months of mentored training focused on enhancing access and accessibility to STEM across multiple disciplines. Critically, upon completion of the fellowship period with adequate performance (evaluated multiple times per year using a 360-degree review procedure), the fellow will receive an offer to become a tenure-track assistant professor within the college.  

 

The postdoctoral training period will provide scaffolded research opportunities with a primary and secondary mentor across two departments in the college. Participating departments in this program include: Human Development & Family Studies, Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences, Kinesiology & Health Science, Psychology, the School of Teacher Education & Leadership, and Speech & Hearing Sciences. Examples of existing projects and potential mentors within these departments can be found here (https://cehs.usu.edu/faculty-employment). In addition to collaborative work, the fellow will receive professional development funds each year to support their own independent line of research and travel to attend professional conferences.    

 

Responsibilities include engagement in ongoing projects, development of new research projects, manuscript preparation, conference presentations, project management, grant proposal training and submission, and instruction of at least one course across the 18 to 24 month training period. Importantly, training for all responsibilities will be explicitly provided as a part of the fellowship curriculum.

 

Per NSF regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.

 

Compensation:

• $70,000 (firm) per year during the postdoctoral fellow period

Timeline:

• Fellowship will start no later than January 1, 2026; earlier start dates are available and preferred

• Pending adequate performance in the postdoctoral fellow role, faculty position will begin August 1, 2027

Questions about the positions can be directed to Drs. David Feldon (david.feldon@usu.edu), Professor of Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences and Associate Vice Provost of the School of Graduate Studies, and Shawn Whiteman (shawn.whiteman@usu.edu), Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Interim Dean of the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.

Responsibilities

• Engagement in ongoing research projects, including data analysis and manuscript writing
• Development of an independent research program focused on access and accessibility in STEM
• Completion of training in grant writing and subsequently submit an extramural proposal
• Work as a part of a collaborative team
• Mentorship of graduate and undergraduate research assistants
• Effective communication with fellowship training mentors
• Instruct at least one undergraduate or graduate course in primary discipline

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Earned Ph.D. in Communication Disorders, Education, Human Development/Family Science, Kinesiology, Learning Sciences, Psychology, or related field by the time of the appointment and no more than 24 months prior to the appointment
• Research agenda related to STEM access and accessibility with relevance to at least two departments within the USU Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
• Demonstrated productivity in terms of published peer reviewed journal articles and/or scientific conference presentations focused on access and accessibility in STEM
• Ability to work in a team environment and to work without direct supervision
• Commitment to a research career in an academic research setting
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Advanced methodological training or proficiency (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies)

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach:

Curriculum Vita (including items in preparation) to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV” 

Cover letter (maximum length: 3 pages) that describes your resear