Research Assistant Professor of Education (Early Childhood Education)

Description

The School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia seeks applicants for a Research Assistant Professor to join our team of early childhood education (ECE) researchers at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) with an affiliation in the Department of Human Services (EDHS).

We are looking for a scholar to join our center whose research focuses on understanding ways to promote all young children’s social and emotional development and mental health, and to prevent and address challenging behavior within early classroom settings. We are interested in researchers whose interests in these areas intersect with early childhood educator well-being, beliefs, and bias, teacher-child interaction quality, and use of curriculum with the goal of determining how to better support educators to facilitate positive outcomes for themselves and their young students. We define early childhood broadly from birth to third grade and are particularly interested in researchers who have interests and experience within infant and toddler settings.

The incumbent will work with faculty on current projects including statewide research, practice, and policy partnerships with the Virginia Department of Education including VKRP, LinkB5, VECC, and  STREAMin3. They may also be involved in other funded projects and teaching. The incumbent is expected and will be supported to develop a successful program of externally funded research as evidenced by publications in refereed journals and sponsored research.

This position is a hybrid role and will require the individual to collaborate with faculty and stakeholders on site in Charlottesville, VA, and other areas within the state of Virginia.

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job occasionally requires traveling to attend meetings, and programs.

This is a restricted position, and continuation is dependent on the availability of funding and satisfactory performance. 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications / Experience:

• Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Psychology, Education, or a closely related field.

Preferred Qualifications / Experience:

• A focus on children’s social and emotional development and mental health and preventing/addressing challenging behavior within early classroom settings (broadly defined as birth to third grade settings with some preference for interest in infant and toddler settings).
• Strong quantitative experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Two or more years of experience in planning and implementing applied, educational research (this could have occurred during graduate or post-doctoral training) that includes birth to third grade settings.
• A record of scholarship within the fields of applied education and/or psychology that shows potential for continued growth as an independent scholar with a successful program of research.
• Experience with sponsored research (e.g., experience with grant proposals, being part of an externally funded project team).

Application Instructions

To apply for the position please submit the following documents:

• Cover letter (please speak to your interests and qualifications for the position);
• Curriculum vitae;
• Research statement;
• Contact information for three references (name, email address, telephone number, and address). References will not be contacted until after interviews are conducted

The University of Virginia’s Mission Statement affirms its enduring commitment to a vibrant and unique residential learning environment marked by the free and collegial exchange of ideas; unwavering support of a collaborative, diverse community bound together by distinctive foundational values of honor, integrity, trust, and respect; and universal dedication to excellence and affordable access.

As part of your application, please describe your potential contributions to any aspect of this mission. Please focus upon your work skills and exp