Research Scientist, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL)

University of Virginia•Charlottesville, VA

2d•$75,000 - $90,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) housed within the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the UVA School of Education and Human Development seeks to hire a Research Scientist with an analytic focus to leverage and disseminate data related to early childhood education access and quality and children’s school readiness skills. With direction from the Principal Investigators (Whittaker, Williford), the incumbent will oversee key aspects of VKRP, conduct literature reviews, conduct statistical analyses, and disseminate research to meet the goals of the project. This position will assist in analysis and reporting needs as well as using data for systems improvements to help our team offer high-quality and equitable birth-to-five experiences for children across Virginia. VKRP is a partnership between the University of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Education, and school divisions across the Commonwealth. VKRP partners with Virginia Literacy Partnerships to provide a comprehensive picture of students’ skills in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. VKRP uses a web-based assessment and reporting system, which provides critical data about young children’s school readiness skills in the areas of literacy, math, social skills, and self-regulation. The primary focus of this position is to effectively oversee key aspects of this initiative and to manage, analyze, and report on research and policy questions by leveraging large datasets that span early childhood settings and include data on children’s school readiness skills in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. The incumbent will work with the Principal Investigators to analyze data; to write reports, manuscripts, and other products; and to disseminate findings. The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated, efficient, individual with a history of excellent work ethic, attention to detail, high levels of organization, ability to juggle multiple deadlines, and work both independently and collaboratively. In addition, the person will find motivation in our shared mission of improving early education for all children.

Requirements

A Doctoral degree in a related field. A Master's degree may be considered in lieu of a terminal degree when accompanied by significant relevant experience.
This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers.
The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

Nice To Haves

A Ph.D. in education, psychology or related field
Deep experience in early childhood education and development.
Publication record and experience with the peer-reviewed publication process.
Experience with large-scale data and running analysis.
Familiarity with and ability to prepare reports and briefs to be disseminated to diverse audiences.
Ability to meet deliverables on a structured timeline
Ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

Oversee key aspects of VKRP.
Support data cleaning; lead analyses; produce policy-relevant reports; co-author manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications; and disseminate findings for diverse audiences including VDOE, school divisions, schools/program, and research audiences (e.g., reports, peer reviewed manuscripts, research briefs).
Collaborate within and across research projects, giving and receiving feedback on processes and products to produce high-quality reports and publications.
Check-in weekly with the PIs to discuss progress and research findings and products
In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.