Research Assistant or Associate Professor

ASSISTANT or ASSOCIATE RESEARCH PROFESSOR in PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH METHODS

FAMILY RESILIENCY CENTER

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES

 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

WE TRANSFORM LIVES.

Everything we do is designed to improve the quality of life of the people in the state of Illinois, across the nation, and around the world. We discover, develop, translate, and disseminate knowledge to address societal concerns and train the next generation of experts and leaders in a way that empowers them to expand the boundaries of science to higher levels of understanding and influence.

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.

The Family Resiliency Center (FRC) and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications for an Assistant or Associate Research Professor in Participatory Research Methods.

We seek a promising or established scholar specializing in participatory research methods and transdisciplinary research to co-develop, implement, and sustain the community-based participatory research portfolio of the Center. During its recent strategic planning process, the Center’s transdisciplinary participatory research culture was identified as a major strength to continue to build upon over the next several years. To this end, this position prioritizes (a) working in close partnership with community and youth collaborators to evaluate current and direct future research agendas; (b) pursuing external funding for participatory initiatives; and (c) strengthening the transdisciplinary participatory culture through cross-discipline and cross-sector networking and collaboration.

Content focal area is open but priority will be given to applicants who have demonstrated knowledge and success in empirically studying one or more of the following topical areas: (1) Family, child, youth, and community health; (2) Risk, resilience, and thriving; (3) Arousal and emotional and cognitive regulation; (4) Mindfulness and wellbeing. Methods expertise in addition to participatory research (e.g., longitudinal data analysis; improvement, evaluation, or implementation science; biostatistics; data science; dissemination science) is an advantage for applicants.       

Major duties will include:

• Co-develop and co-facilitate participatory projects (20%)
• Co-lead advisory boards (community, youth, leadership) (20%)
• Co-develop and co-lead professional development and community-centered training opportunities that fit the mission and vision of the Center and HDFS department (20%)
• Author creative and translational materials for dissemination (e.g., Building Blocks; TED talks; community briefs; podcasts) (10%)
• Supervise and mentor undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, specialists, assistants, and junior team members involved in participatory activities (10%)
• Prepare and submit research grants through the Family Resiliency Center and with other Center collaborators (20%)

A successful candidate will have:

• Multiple years of experience working with inter/transdisciplinary teams, diverse community partners, school-aged and transition-aged youth
• Working knowledge and application of participatory team science
• Success working on externally funded projects (as co-I or PI)
• Quantitative, qualitative, mixed, or biosocial methods skills
• Initiative, characterized as a self-starter
• Passion for applied and translational research
• Long-term research career goals
• Excellent communication skills
• Growth mindset

Education and Experience Requirements:

• A doctorate in human development and family studies, public health, community health, behavioral economics, developmental psychology, social psychology, epidemiology, or affiliated fields is required. Applicants must have degree in hand by start date.
• Supervisory and mentoring experience with undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral associates.
• Specialization in participatory research (examples may include but are not limited to: portfolio of participatory research projects; completed PR coursework; PR course instructor; lead of workshops or other training opportunities).

The successful applicant will be initially associated with currently funded projects and initiatives. Overtime, the Research Professor will lead and co-lead new efforts. At assistant rank, this position will be reappointed annually dependent on funding and programmatic needs of the department and Center. At associate rank, a multiyear (up to three years) initial appointment is customary. The University of Illinois supports promotion in rank for research professors (see policies #25-26 at https://provost.illinois.edu/policies/provosts-communications/). Although formal course instruction is not a required for this position, course instruction opportunities may be available after the first full year within the position if of interest to the candidate.

The University of Illinois recently revised its promotion evaluation criteria to recognize and value community engaged research. Further, university commitment to the Community-Campus relationship with a compact, internal funding initiatives, and new diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and positions demonstrate how the University of Illinois supports the Family Resiliency Center’s and department of Human Development and Family Studies’ participatory vision, mission, purpose, and core principles. 

The Family Resiliency Center is an inter- and transdisciplinary research, education, and outreach center housed in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) and College of Agricultural and Consumer Sciences (ACES). We have tremendous resources in the Center and department and across campus that are leveraged to promote rigorous, inter-disciplinary, transdisciplinary, and culturally-relevant research, teaching, and outreach. The Center currently supports over 30 affiliates and 11 disciplinary units.

Position: Twelve-month, full time, benefits-eligible, non-tenure track position. Rank will be determined based on years of experience and successful external funding record. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience. 

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter, current CV, research statement, diversity statement, two representative publications, and names and contact information of three references to https://jobs.illinois.edu/. For further information regarding this position, please visit our web page https://hdfs.illinois.edu, or contact Search Committee Chair, Dr. Brent McBride (brentmcb@illinois.edu).

Applications received by January 7, 2022 will receive priority. Applicants may be interviewed before the apply by date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after the apply by date. The search will remain open until filled. The position is available immediately following the application date.  We anticipate the position beginning early 2022; the exact start date is negotiable.

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