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Applicants are invited to apply for a full-time postdoctoral position in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine conducting research and developing tools to support college-to-career transitions. The position is supported by the Strada Education Foundation. The postdoctoral fellow will be instrumental in advancing our understanding of student behaviors and effective practices in college-to-career transitions, aligning with the foundation’s emphasis on quality coaching and work-based learning. This research is a critical component of a larger research project and will lay the groundwork for the development and scaling of career tools, aiming to drive the field towards more equitable and robust solutions in school-to-career transitions. Through comprehensive research, the postdoctoral fellow will conduct in-depth analysis of career exploration, preparation, and impact of career services. This will include examining students' engagement with career centers as well as timing of engagement and factors influencing their job search and application strategies. The fellow will explore how students' use of career services differs by their academic pathways, such as major and year of study, and how mentorship or coaching can effectively intervene to improve the labor market outcomes of college graduates. Additionally, the research will also assess the effectiveness of career preparation activities and internships, exploring their contribution to skill development, career aspirations, and labor market success, thereby identifying critical strategies for facilitating smooth college-to-career transitions with a focus on promoting equity and efficiency.
The fellow will utilize the comprehensive UCI Measuring Undergraduate Success Trajectories (MUST) Project dataset, which offers an extensive overview of student experiences at the University of California, Irvine. This dataset includes administrative records, learning management system clickstream data, and detailed longitudinal data on a diverse cohort of approximately four thousand students, encompassing weekly surveys, performance assessments, employment, and postgraduate outcomes. A significant part of this research will involve analyzing student interactions with the Handshake career services platform, providing valuable insights into student career exploration, preparation, and internship or job applications. This analysis will allow the fellow to explore the effectiveness of career advisement and preparation in enhancing postgraduate success, especially among first-generation and minority students. Furthermore, the fellow will have the opportunity to compare these behaviors with data being collected from partnering institutions, including the Co-op experiential learning program at Northeastern University.

Initial appointment is for two years, with possibility of renewal based on performance and availability of funding. Anticipated start date can be July 1, 2024, or a date afterwards, contingent on the availability of the applicant.
Responsibilities include partner engagement, data analysis and production of comprehensive research reports, peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations as well as participating in a series of quarterly virtual convenings and an in-person convening (tentatively planned for May 2025).
Research tasks include:
● analysis of administrative, survey and other forms of project data;
● presenting findings at research and practitioner conferences and at community events;
● co-authoring publications with research team and partners;
● consulting with and mentoring teams of graduate and undergraduate students;
● coordinating and collaborating with project researchers and partners.
Requirements: Candidates must possess
● A Ph.D. in education, social, behavioral sciences or a closely related field by the time of appointment;
● A record of research productivity involving quantitative analysis of education experiences, trajectories or outcomes;
● Expertise in statistical software (e.g., R, STATA, or Python);
● Advanced expertise in academic writing and editing for peer-reviewed scholarly articles;
● Demonstrated ability to work well with others, including both receiving direction and providing direction;
● Expertise in collaborating with college administrators and leading research initiatives and teams.
● Experience in mentoring students and coordinating and leading research.
Desirable Qualifications:
● Experience working with survey and/or administrative data on undergraduate education.

Salary: The salary range is $64,480-$77,327 annually. See UCI postdoc salary scale: T023 postdoc.pdf

To Apply: Applications should be submitted online at https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF08894

Please include: (a) a cover letter explaining your relevant background, interest in this project, and your career goals following postdoctoral work, (b) CV, (c) one page summary of your doctoral dissertation, (d) 1-3 writing samples, and (e) names and contact information of three references (letters will be solicited only for finalists).

School: https://education.uci.edu/

QUALIFICATIONS
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Ph.D in education, social, behavioral sciences or a closely related field by start date of position.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Document requirements
● Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
● Cover Letter - Please provide a cover letter explaining your relevant background, interest in this project, and your career goals following postdoctoral work.
● One Page Summary of Your Doctoral Dissertation
● One to Three Writing Samples
Reference requirements
● 3 required (contact information only)

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.