Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Special Education: A Research to Practice Model, Juniper Gardens Children's Project, Kansas University Life Span Institute Centers, Lawrence, KS

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. The postdoctoral position is a full-time (1.0 FTE), 2 year, research-dedicated fellowship.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will have the opportunity to participate in over ten federally funded research projects, gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct rigorous research. During the fellowship, postdoctoral researchers will work alongside expert 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.

Applications from members of underrepresented groups are encouraged, noting the value that differences bring to our organization, students, staff, faculty, and community.

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

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.

This position requires a two-year commitment and 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. Continuation after one year also is dependent on yearly funding and satisfactory annual evaluations.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Postdoctoral Researcher will work with faculty mentors as follows:

• 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.
• 18% - 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.
• 2% - 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 and remote work as decided by supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. 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.).
2. Two years minimum experience conducting research studies with at-risk children or adolescents or children/adolescents with disabilities in school settings as evidenced by application materials.
3. One-year minimum experience working directly with individuals in a school-based and/or post-secondary transition setting as evidenced by application materials.
4. Excellent writing skills as evidenced by quality of application materials, peer-reviewed publications, dissertation, and writing sample.

NOTE: To be appointed at the Postdoctoral Researcher title, it is necessary to have successfully defended a dissertation and have completed all PhD requirements.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

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

FTE: 1.0

SALARY: $60,000 annually, plus health benefits.

REVIEW DATE: October 3, 2022

START DATE: Review of applications will continue until a qualified applicant pool has been identified. Start date is tentatively set for August 21, 2023.

HOW TO APPLY: For more information and to apply online, go to https://employment.ku.edu/staff/23480BR.

Additionally, a cover letter, vitae, professional writing sample (e.g., publication, dissertation) and 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: (1) in research on individuals with EBD and/or ASD, and (2) methodological skills and knowledge.

For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Howard Wills at [email protected]. For questions about the application process, please contact Diana Skill at [email protected].

*Funding source mandates that applicants must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The successful candidate must have appropriate authorization to work in the U.S. before employment begins.

Please note that all offers of employment are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the background check.

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 persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the