Science Research Curriculum Integration Specialist

Riverdale Country School • Bronx, NY

4d • $80,000 - $110,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Riverdale Country School’s Middle and Upper School Science Department seeks a practicing, Ph.D.-level scientist to serve in a newly created leadership role. The specialist will support the Director of Science Research and the Science Department Chair in integrating research skills across the Grade 6–12 science curriculum, connecting classroom theory with real-world discovery through a cohesive progression of skills, concepts, and content.

The role extends the Lisman Laboratories Science Research Program’s model of authentic, sustained scientific inquiry so that every student engages with research throughout their academic progression. The specialist will help prepare students to evaluate scientific claims in media, civic, and personal contexts and develop inquiry skills such as asking productive questions, interpreting ambiguous information, and revising thinking in response to new evidence. The position combines curriculum development, teaching, faculty collaboration, student mentorship, summer programming, partnership development, and program logistics.

Riverdale is a Pre-K through Grade 12 independent all-gender school in New York City. It describes its educational approach as combining academic excellence, high challenge and high support, interdisciplinary learning, research, and experiential education, within a diverse and inclusive community.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in a scientific discipline such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, or a related field.
• Experience in grant-funded research and a history of peer-reviewed publications.
• Ability to simplify complex professional scientific workflows while preserving scientific integrity.
• Interest and aptitude in creating educational content and scaffolding technical tasks for non-experts.
• Strong influence-without-authority skills and ability to collaborate collegially with faculty to implement change.
• Strong organization and project-management skills, including managing symposium logistics, grant deadlines, and laboratory budgets.
• Genuine enthusiasm for working with Middle and Upper School students and belief in their capacity for high-level inquiry.
• Flexibility to thrive in a new and evolving role, curiosity about pedagogical and scientific frontiers, and inventiveness in addressing challenges.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, including making access to scientific research equitable for all students.

Nice To Haves

• Experience mentoring high school, undergraduate, or graduate students.
• Experience with interdisciplinary teaching or learning, such as connecting Environmental Science with Ethics or Data Science.
• Familiarity with laboratory safety management and research budgeting.
• Experience with molecular ecology, genomics, conservation biology, and field-based research, including sample collection, field instrumentation and sensor deployment, and specimen handling.

Responsibilities

• In collaboration with the Director of Science Research, audit the existing Grade 6–12 science curriculum and identify opportunities to integrate authentic research.
• Translate complex laboratory protocols into age-appropriate, modular learning experiences.
• Teach one to two sections of science coursework using inquiry-based pedagogy that emphasizes discovery over rote memorization.
• Partner with teaching faculty to co-design and co-teach research units, providing technical expertise to enhance classroom experiments.
• Lead a summer research intensive in which students pursue longer-term projects.
• Facilitate communication about short-term equipment needs and long-term facility or space upgrades that support the research program.
• Maintain a centralized database of summer research and internship opportunities for the school community.
• Use professional connections to strengthen and expand student internships and collaborative opportunities with research institutions and consortia.
• Mentor students in grant writing and guide them in applying for external research funding.
• Direct the annual Science Research Symposium as a showcase of student intellectual contributions.

Benefits

• Shuttle service to and from the 242nd St/Broadway subway station, with limited stops near specified Manhattan transit hubs; a shuttle from the Henry Hudson Parkway/246th St bus stop may also be available if needed by the community.
• Professional-development budget for conferences, skills training, and onsite training.
• Eligibility for Frankel Fellow enrichment grants, also called “passion grants.”
• Stipends for coaching, affinity-group facilitation, advising clubs with significant out-of-school time, and chaperoning trips.
• Full-time teaching faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after 10 years of employment.
• Subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Flexible spending account for health-related expenses using pre-tax dollars.
• Eligibility to join the Defined Contribution retirement plan through TIAA; the school contributes 7% of an employee’s annual salary to their retirement account.
• Generous time-off policy for staff, in addition to vacations afforded by the school calendar.

What This Job Offers

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