EER POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your CV. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position, and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position. 

Please Note: This is a 1-year position, with the potential of renewal for up to three years

The University of Michigan College of Engineering and Center for Academic Innovation seek a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with expertise in educational research and statistical analysis and an interest in leading research on best practices to support equitable and inclusive teamwork and collaboration in educational contexts. Within this domain, the postdoc will be responsible for research on two funded projects related to teamwork in engineering and will be able to identify and establish new research projects to be pursued. The ideal candidate should have experience with both quantitative and qualitative research, including some combination of learning analytics, statistical analysis, qualitative analysis, and data management expertise. The ideal candidate should also bring a flexible and iterative approach to research, being able to determine and execute appropriate methods for the questions at hand. A personal commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive higher education system is essential. The role can start as soon as Fall 2021 or as late as Fall 2022, depending on the successful candidate's timeline. The postdoctoral research fellow will work under the supervision of Dr. Robin Fowler and Dr. Becky Matz.

Michigan Engineering’s vision is to be the world’s preeminent college of engineering serving the common good. This global outlook, leadership focus, and service commitment permeate our culture. Our vision is supported by a mission and values that, together, provide the framework for all that we do. Information about our vision, mission, and values can be found at: strategicvision.engin.umich.edu/.

The University of Michigan has a storied legacy of commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The Michigan Engineering component of the University’s comprehensive, five-year, DEI strategic plan—along with updates on our programs and resources dedicated to ensuring a welcoming, fair and inclusive environment—can be found at: www.engin.umich.edu/...lege/about/diversity.

• Partner with faculty, staff, and student collaborators across U-M to investigate students' experiences with teamwork across the university and particularly in introductory engineering courses
• Develop thoughtful research questions, leading research, synthesizing insights, and providing recommendations based on those evaluations
• Facilitate cross-partner communication

• PhD in Engineering Education, Education, Statistics, Information Science, Engineering or a related field
• Demonstrated ability to independently plan and conduct research projects and write up results
• Demonstrated ability to create clear and accessible data visualizations from complex, large scale data sets
• Recognition of complex challenges faced by different populations of students and by field
• Ability to decipher and organize large amounts of data
• An analytical mindset with strong communication and problem-solving skills
• Ability to translate complex problems clearly and in non-technical terms
• Understanding of institutional data sets in higher education
• Ability to thrive in a highly collaborative environment
• Ability to produce actionable insight for the Center and the University broadly through research

• 2+ years of working with educational data
• Previous experience with survey research and handling missing data
• Expertise in statistics and modern computational methods for analysis (e.g., Python, R)
• Experience with experimental methods
• Experience with causal inference methods
• Experience with academic research around educational innovation, including journal and conference publications

Excellent benefits are available, for details, see https://hr.umich.edu/benefits-wellness/benefits-enrollment/benefits-enrollment-eligibility/benefits-eligibility and AHR PostDoc page (https://hr.umich.edu/working-u-m/my-employment/academic-human-resources/benefits-postdoctoral-research-fellows)

COVID-19 vaccinations are now required for all University of Michigan students, faculty and staff across all three campuses, including Michigan Medicine, by the start of the fall term on August 30, 2021.  This includes those working or learning remotely.  More information on this policy is available on the Campus Blueprint website or the U-M Dearborn and U-M Flint websites.