UMass Boston Post-Doc Position - Efficacy Research Supporting Teachers of Autistic Students

19 Jan 2024    

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at UMass Boston  

  Position Description:The Post-Doctoral Research Fellow will join the UMass Boston team of an Institute of Education Sciences-funded, Initial Efficacy study, which is a two-site study located at UMass Boston (and the University of California Riverside (PI at UMass Boston: Abbey Eisenhower; Co-PI at UCR: Jan Blacher; Co-PI at Fairleigh-Dickinson University: Narmene Hamsho). The study’s goals including implementing an autism-focused professional development (PD) program for early elementary, general education teachers and evaluating the program’s efficacy in a randomized controlled trial design. This PD program, called Smooth Sailing, was designed with close consultation from teachers and autistic consultants, provides neurodiversity-affirming information and coaching, and equips teachers with strategies for fostering strong student-teacher relationships with their young autistic students.   

The Post-Doctoral Research Fellow will be responsible for program management responsibilities, including but not limited to, collaborating with teachers and schools, implementing the teacher-focused program, providing coaching to teachers, supervising graduate students to coach teachers, overseeing and conducting data collection efforts, working with advisory board members, and disseminating aspects of the program. This is a one-year, grant-funded position with the possibility of renewal for an additional 1-4 years. Preferred start date July-Sept 2024.  

Examples of Duties:   

• Under the supervision of the PI and in collaboration with the other identified key personnel, oversee all phases of the study; assist in providing coaching and delivering program modules to teachers; conduct classroom observations and child interviews; seek and incorporate input from consulting teachers, autistic adolescents and adults, and caregivers.  
• Collaborate with staff across multiple study sites and assist the site Principal Investigator (PI) in supervising undergraduate and doctoral students (primarily Clinical Psychology Ph.D. students) in the program.  
• Participate in weekly research team meetings and work with other staff to deliver the program.   
• Engage in analysis and writing of findings, as author or co-author when substantively involved, and in sharing results with stakeholder audiences.   
• Write and publish on existing datasets.   
• Perform other duties as assigned.   

Qualifications: PhD in School Psychology, Clinical Psychology, or Special Education, with training in autism and school-based interventions or teacher training, including extensive experience working closely with teachers or direct classroom experience, is required.   

Preferred Qualifications: Experience with intervention implementation, coaching/consultation with teachers, or program dissemination is preferred.   

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite.  
• Familiarity with statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, R)  
• Ability to work as a member of a team.  
• Ability to protect confidentiality of participant information.   
• Ability to provide leadership to others through example and sharing of knowledge and skills.  
• Ability to establish effective relationships with internal team members, teacher and parent research participants, and community members.   
• Strong oral and written communication skills.  
• Strong attention to detail.  
• Strong organizational skills.  
• Strong commitment to research ethics.  
• Strong commitment to customer service.  

Application Instructions:  

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three references.    

Salary Range: Commensurate with experience. This is a non-union exempt position.   

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.  

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HRDirect@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.  

Applications close: Feb 11, 2024, Eastern Standard time. Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.  

Please contact Abbey Eisenhower (abbey.eisenhower@umb.edu) with any questions.