Postdoctoral Training Opportunity: STEM Education and Computational Thinking
Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) seeks applicants for a postdoctoral trainee in the learning sciences. The goal of the National Science Foundation-funded project is to broaden participation in computing fields, increase student interest in STEM fields, and bring STEM curriculum more in line with science as it is practiced in the 21st century. Toward these aims, SESP develops, implements, and evaluates computational activities for high school STEM classrooms. The project focuses primarily on under-resourced schools and underrepresented youth to improve the equity of and access to the highest quality educational materials.
This position provides opportunities for in-depth qualitative and quantitative research in schools. Successful candidates will be comfortable conducting research in school and classroom environments and coordinating with teachers and administrators. The candidate will be part of a collaborative research team of faculty, postdocs, students, computer programmers, modelers, and curriculum developers in learning sciences and computer science. This is a dynamic and vibrant collaborative environment comprised of faculty, postdocs, students, computer programmers, modelers, and curriculum developers.
The candidate will co-supervise the work of graduate students and staff, publish research papers, contribute to grant writing and materials development, work closely with implementing schools, and help shape the overall scope and direction of the research. There will be close mentorship from the co-PIs (Uri Wilensky and Michael Horn) as well as opportunities to learn from other truly outstanding senior scholars and practitioners. Fellows will fully participate in the research laboratories: the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling (CCL) and the Tangible Interaction Design and Learning (TIDAL) Lab.
Successful candidates will have a doctorate in learning sciences or a related field (e.g., science education, computer science education), strengths in research methods, a science background, good communication skills, experience with classroom-based research, and strong writing skills. Preference will be given to applicants with expertise in computational learning and work with middle or high school teachers and students.
Start date is as soon as possible, and the expected duration of the postdoctoral fellowship is two years with possibility of renewal for a third. To apply, please send a cover letter, CV, sample publications, and names and contact info for three references to ct-postdoc@ccl.northwestern.edu. Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
Northwestern is located in an attractive lakefront community adjacent to Chicago. For more information about the School of Education and Social Policy, please visit their website. Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.