Postdoctoral Associate

Stony Brook University • Town of Brookhaven, NY

1d

About The Position

The Postdoctoral Associate will assist the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigators with the design, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of the funded Sloan Center for Strategic Change research project at Stony Brook University. The project aims to develop, implement, and support systemic institutional change to improve outreach, recruitment, admission, enrollment, and retention of disadvantaged doctoral students in seven STEM graduate programs. The role requires expertise in research methodology, project planning and management, research compliance and implementation, data organization and analysis, and research writing and publication.

Under the direction of faculty and staff, including the Dean of the Graduate School, faculty in Psychology and Chemistry, and leaders in inclusive education and diversity and inclusion, the Postdoctoral Associate will lead a psychosocial longitudinal research project that parallels a programmatic intervention. The research will examine the impact of a comprehensive mentoring program on graduate student engagement, student success, and STEM department-level outcomes. The incumbent will develop, implement, and manage project research protocols, coordinate with institutional partners, and help ensure research activities comply with human-subjects standards.

The role includes research project management; survey and assessment instrument development and administration; participant recruitment and retention; management and preparation of multilevel data; qualitative data collection and analysis; reporting and dissemination through sponsor reports, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed publications. The incumbent will also support program activities, events, grant development, and related administrative and communications work. Other appropriate duties may be assigned.

Requirements

• PhD or foreign equivalent in Psychology, Education, Science Assessment, or a closely related field.
• Experience developing survey instruments for social science research.
• Experience analyzing multilevel or longitudinal research data.
• Experience analyzing qualitative research data.
• Expertise presenting research findings to a variety of audiences.
• Expertise in research methodology, project planning and management, research compliance and implementation, data organization, cleaning and analysis, and research writing and publication.

Nice To Haves

• Expertise in social science research methodologies and data analytic tools.
• Experience developing and conducting evaluations or assessments.
• Experience with manuscript development and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience with STEM higher education initiative evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day components of the research project and keep activities on schedule, including recruitment, surveys, data cleaning, analysis, and reporting.
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant research literature and methods.
• Attend and lead meetings related to project goals and implementation.
• Compile and pilot-test survey instruments; design online surveys using Qualtrics or related software; and coordinate participant selection and survey distribution.
• Manage study participation logistics and address participant retention issues.
• Travel as needed to meetings and conferences to disseminate research findings.
• Ensure analyses use appropriate statistical tools and procedures.
• Develop and maintain a hard-copy and virtual library of scholarly sources and citations.
• Submit and update research compliance documentation, including human-subjects protocols and reports.
• Collect, secure, store, prepare, and structure data in accordance with the study’s analysis plan.
• Assist with qualitative data collection, including leading focus groups and interviews.
• Analyze data according to the study plan and report outcomes and models to the leadership team.
• Lead reporting to the granting agency and dissemination through conference presentations and peer-reviewed journal submissions.
• Create tables and other data visualizations for decision-making, reporting, and manuscripts.
• Provide technical, research, administrative, and writing support for grant proposals and attend grant development meetings.
• Support programmatic components of the project and create, market, and implement activities such as advisory board meetings, data-sharing events, and campus collaboration meetings.
• Provide administrative support for in-person and virtual workshops and events, including room scheduling, catering coordination, registration and assessment data processing, and management of an online professional-development calendar.
• Contribute website and social media content highlighting participation opportunities and project accomplishments.
• May supervise and mentor undergraduate research assistants.
• Perform other duties as assigned, consistent with the position’s rank and departmental mission.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree