Police Training Innovation & Research Strategist - Police Training Institute

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

About The Position

The Police Training Innovation & Research Strategist provides strategic leadership for the Police Training Institute’s research, instructional innovation, and evidence-based training initiatives. The position leads the Police Training Innovation & Research Initiative by building partnerships, research capacity, funding opportunities, and innovative approaches that translate research into practical improvements in police training. The Strategist helps position PTI as a national leader in evidence-based police training and innovation. The role develops a long-term research agenda and infrastructure, manages interdisciplinary research teams and research compliance, conducts and oversees varied research studies, pursues external funding, and disseminates findings. It also evaluates and implements instructional systems and emerging educational technologies, including virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality simulations, adaptive learning, and learning analytics. The Strategist teaches recruit, in-service, instructor development, and specialized courses; designs evidence-informed curricula and scenario-based learning; develops instructional materials and assessment tools; and integrates research into academy-wide educational initiatives. The position also builds partnerships across the university and with law enforcement, public safety, government, community, foundation, industry, and professional organizations, while supporting research dissemination and student curricular and research opportunities. This is a 49% part-time, 12-month Academic Professional appointment and is not benefits eligible. The budgeted salary range is $34,300 to $41,650 annually. The expected start date is as soon as possible following the conclusion of the search.

Requirements

Master’s degree in education, learning sciences, instructional design, educational psychology, criminal justice, public administration, communication, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience designing and delivering instruction for adult learners.
Demonstrated experience conducting applied research, program evaluation, or educational assessment.
Demonstrated experience developing curriculum, instructional materials, or educational programs.
Demonstrated project management and organizational leadership experience.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with academic researchers, law enforcement professionals, policymakers, and community stakeholders.
Ability to build and sustain interdisciplinary research programs.
Ability to translate scholarly research into practical instructional innovations.
Knowledge of adult learning theory and ability to apply it when designing effective learning experiences.
Ability to evaluate educational technologies and emerging instructional approaches.
Ability to manage multiple complex initiatives while balancing strategic priorities and operational responsibilities.
Knowledge of external funding opportunities and grant development processes, and ability to establish and maintain collaborative partnerships.
Ability to promote innovation, collaboration, and evidence-informed decision-making.

Nice To Haves

Doctorate completed or in progress in education, learning sciences, instructional design, educational psychology, criminology, public policy, communication, or a related field.
Experience working within law enforcement, public safety, military, or other professional training environments.
Experience designing mixed-methods or experimental research.
Experience securing or managing externally funded research projects.
Experience publishing scholarly or practitioner-focused research.
Experience implementing AI-supported educational technologies or simulation-based learning environments.
Experience supervising graduate assistants, student researchers, or interdisciplinary project teams.
Demonstrated success building collaborative partnerships across academic and practitioner communities.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a long-term research agenda focused on police training, communication, decision-making, procedural justice, officer wellness, instructional effectiveness, and adult learning.
Build sustainable research infrastructure to support priority research initiatives and long-term program growth.
Manage interdisciplinary research teams of university faculty, graduate students, research assistants, PTI instructors, and external collaborators.
Design and oversee qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and experimental research studies.
Establish data governance practices, longitudinal research datasets, research protocols, and documentation.
Manage Institutional Review Board submissions and research compliance activities.
Produce scholarly publications, technical reports, conference presentations, practitioner publications, and research briefs.
Identify external funding opportunities and lead competitive grant proposal development.
Translate research findings into evidence-based recommendations for improving police training.
Evaluate, design, and implement instructional systems, assessment tools, and performance feedback technologies.
Develop technology-mediated learning experiences that improve recruit learning and instructor effectiveness.
Lead the design, implementation, and evaluation of virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality simulation environments.
Develop adaptive learning pathways, personalized instruction, and learning analytics systems that provide actionable performance insights.
Pilot and evaluate innovative instructional models and collaborate with university researchers and industry partners to develop, test, and validate educational technologies.
Scale successful innovations into academy-wide instructional practice.
Teach recruit, in-service, instructor development, and specialized training courses.
Design evidence-informed curricula grounded in adult learning science, instructional design, and performance-based education.
Develop scenario-based learning that promotes critical thinking, communication, decision-making, and professional judgment.
Create instructional resources, assessment instruments, performance rubrics, and learning materials.
Conduct curriculum mapping, instructional analyses, and alignment studies; consult with instructors to strengthen curriculum and instructional practice.
Develop online, hybrid, and technology-enhanced learning experiences.
Integrate research findings into curriculum design, instructional practice, and academy-wide educational initiatives; evaluate emerging approaches and recommend improvements.
Develop partnerships with University of Illinois faculty, research centers, and interdisciplinary research teams.
Build collaborative relationships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
Manage partnerships with ILETSB, public safety organizations, and national professional associations.
Engage community organizations, government agencies, foundations, and industry partners in collaborative research and innovation.
Create graduate and undergraduate curricular and research opportunities that strengthen PTI’s research enterprise and prepare future police training researchers.
Represent PTI in regional, state, and national collaborative initiatives advancing evidence-based police training.
Support dissemination of PTI research through conferences, workshops, publications, and practitioner engagement.