The University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development's Center to Promote Effective Youth Development (Youth-Nex ) is seeking highly qualified applicants for a one-year Postdoctoral Research Associate position, with the possibility of extension for up to two years based on an annual basis dependent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funding. The candidate will be asked to support research projects on school mental health, including the Virginia Partnership for School Mental Health (VPSMH) and the Evidence-Informed Mental Health Prevention, Assessment, Collaboration, and Treatment Services in Middle Schools (E-IMPACTS).

Responsibilities:

• Coordinating data collection and analysis activities.

• Developing and disseminating mental health resources for in-school and out-of-school practitioners.

• Facilitating training activities and communities of practice for school-based practitioners.

• Collaborating with school divisions and university partners on systems-level issues.

• Run advanced quantitative analyses using statistical software.

• Generate research questions for analysis utilizing quantitative and qualitative data collected.

• Lead and co-author papers for submission to peer-reviewed journals.

• Communicate research findings at key conferences.

• Contribute to submission of federal and private grant proposals

• Support the team with data cleaning and project management tasks as needed.

• Other tasks may be assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Doctoral degree

Preferred Experience:

• Ph.D. in school psychology, counselor education, school social work, school nursing or related discipline.

• Delivering school mental health services, especially in high-need school divisions.

• Equity in the provision of school-based mental health services.

• Translational research and implementation science and/or experience with systems-level consultation.

• Developmental and mental health needs of young adolescents and/or working with middle school (grades 5-8) students.

• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication.

• Emerging research agenda focus on school mental health, equity, early adolescence, or well-being.

• Content expertise in some of the following areas: rural and/or urban K-12 school settings, school climate, multi-tiered systems of support, positive behavior support, social emotional learning, implementation science, rural school mental health, school-based intervention, teacher professional development and coaching, classroom management, and implementation/coaching supports.  

• Methods expertise in one or more of the following areas: Survey data analysis; research-practice partnerships; conducting applied research in school settings; implementation of cluster and student randomized controlled trials. 

• Administrative expertise: Proficient with Box, Google Suite, Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Zoom, Qualtrics or similar survey data collection tools, and ability to learn new software quickly and introduce new useful applications and platforms to the team.​ 

Physical Demands: This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job occasionally requires local and regional travel to schools for recruitment and coaching, and walking some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

Anticipated Hiring Range: $55,000 to $60,000 (commensurate with qualifications). For more information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and https://hr.virginia.edu/benefits .

Application

Please apply through Workday , and search for ‘'Postdoctoral Research Associate in School Mental health, Youth-Nex". Complete an application online and attach:

• Cover letter

• CV/resume

• Two publications/writing samples

• Statement of research interests

• Contact information for three references who can comment on your scholarly accomplishments and promise.

Submit all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field, alternatively you can merge your materials together and submit as one. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile. Applications that are missing materials will not receive full consideration.

Research Associates are appointed annually, and continuation is dependent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funding.

For questions about the position, please contact Youth-Nex , and for questions about the application process, please contact Margaret Weeks

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.