Postdoctoral Researcher

The University of Texas at Austin • Austin, UT

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Strong Communities Lab in the Department of Sociology and the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin seeks a postdoctoral researcher to collaborate on multiple research projects concerning nonprofits, civil society, and strong communities. The Lab investigates how nonprofit organizations and government programs strengthen civic infrastructure in the United States. Its projects are typically multi-method, use novel administrative data, and apply computational social science methods. The researcher will work under the supervision of Lab Director Pamela Paxton and support high-quality research, lab operations, and the mentoring of graduate research assistants. The role includes opportunities to co-author publications with the principal investigator and research team, use Lab data for future research, and participate in professional development through the Population Research Center’s postdoctoral training program.

The position is currently funded for one year from the start date and is expected to continue until November 30, 2027. The anticipated start date is between January and June 2027, with the earliest start listed as immediate. Applicants must complete the PhD requirement before starting. Review of applications begins November 1, 2026, and continues until the position is filled.

Requirements

• PhD in sociology, nonprofit administration, political science, or a related discipline, received no more than three years before the start date.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work in a team environment, participate actively, and motivate others.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to work independently.
• Experience managing and analyzing quantitative data using sophisticated statistical or computer programming techniques.
• Proficiency in R or Stata.
• Ability to apply rigorous data analysis techniques to real-world problems.

Nice To Haves

• Proficiency with natural language processing and computational social science.
• Previous experience managing large datasets.
• Background in nonprofit scholarship.

Responsibilities

• Conduct project research, including quantitative data collection, extraction, coding, and analysis.
• Acquire and clean data and link databases.
• Produce visualizations and conduct statistical and computational analyses.
• Write up and present research results to academic and policy audiences.
• Publish manuscripts and articles based on analyses.
• Coordinate lab research, monitor research progress and publication, and participate in lab meetings.
• Oversee lab management and graduate research assistants.
• Mentor graduate research assistants and graduate students interested in the research field.

Benefits

• Professional development opportunities, including through the Population Research Center postdoctoral training program.
• Opportunity to co-author publications with the PI and team.
• Opportunity to use Lab data for future research.
• University benefits package; details are provided through the university benefits links in the posting.
• Retirement plan eligibility through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), with the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP), subject to stated eligibility conditions.

What This Job Offers

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