Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame seeks a postdoctoral research associate to work on a new research-practice partnership focused on the formation of mathematics specialists for Catholic schools, Catholic School Teacher Leadership (CASTLE). The CASTLE program is supported by three University of Notre Dame partners, the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunity, the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, and the Office of Digital Learning. The postdoctoral fellow will work with Christine Trinter and faculty and staff housed within the Institute and the above-mentioned university partners.

The CASTLE research-practice partnership aims to develop a collective leadership model in K-8 Catholic schools through the formation of mathematics specialists. The goals of the program are to strengthen academic achievement in mathematics, increase the quantity and quality of collaboration within and across schools, deepen spiritual formation in teachers and leaders, and integrate faith and reason in the mathematics classroom. Our research agenda investigates multiple dimensions of these goals and is being studied through a mixed methods approach including a randomized control trial, social network analysis, and qualitative methods.

The nature of this research-practice partnership offers the postdoctoral research associate the opportunity to teach graduate level courses in the program, conduct research with a team of university faculty and staff and engage in all aspects of this praxis-oriented project.

The ideal candidate will have an interest in one or more of the following areas: Catholic education, elementary mathematics education, the formation of elementary mathematics specialists, and/or research-practice partnerships. The primary roles of the postdoctoral associate are to serve as an instructor of record for elementary mathematics education and/or teacher leadership graduate-level courses, and lead the collection, organization, analysis, and dissemination of survey, student interview, activity tracking, and student achievement data from the 46 participating schools.

The postdoctoral associate filling this role will be encouraged to take advantage of the many benefits of university employment including enrolling in coursework to gain new knowledge and skills to help prepare them for the next level in their career path, engage in non-credit bearing programs such as grant writing workshops, teaching workshops, and/or professional development initiatives geared toward post-doctorate scholars.

Salary will be commensurate with the NIH postdoctoral pay scale.

A doctoral degree is required (prior to the start date) in mathematics education, educational leadership, or related field. We are especially interested in someone who is sociable, organized, detail-oriented, and resourceful, with a passion for research but also a passion for programmatic service to schools.  Ability to work both independently and as part of a team is a must. Preferred qualifications include: experience teaching PK-8 students; demonstrated commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion; experience supervising and coordinating others; strong research skills; strong writing skills; and the desire to follow best practices for open and reproducible science. Must be able to represent the projects to diverse audiences. This position is for one year with renewal for an additional year possible. The start date is flexible, but ideally by July 1, 2023. Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2023 and will continue until a strong match is found.

Interested candidates should send a CV, a research statement, a teaching philosophy statement, preprint/reprint of the one paper you are most proud of, and names of at least two recommenders (reference letters will be requested from short-listed applicants) to Christine Trinter at ctrinter@nd.edu.