Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunities
The Data Science Academy offers Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunities throughout the year. Below is a list of upcoming opportunities.
NC State Data Science Education Postdoctoral Fellowship
With data science growing as a career path, professional skill and component of literacy, the NC State Data Science Academy (DSA) is creating a model for training postdoctoral fellows that centers diversity, equity and inclusion. This program will bring together mentors with varied backgrounds, professional expertise and research interests with postdoctoral fellows from groups that are underrepresented in STEM and education (e.g. women, BIPOC) and may have limited experience in data science or education research.
The NC State University Data Science Academy (DSA) is hiring a cohort of four postdoctoral fellows for two year appointments funded by the National Science Foundation. We are seeking a cohort with varied backgrounds, professional experience and research interests to engage in Data Science education research focused on the ADAPT Teaching model.
All DSA courses are based on the All-campus Data science through Accessible Project-based Teaching and learning (ADAPT) model, which is designed to support all learners with low barriers to entry, multiple elements of choice and high probability of success. The DSA is expanding course offerings and its roster of instructors while launching an ADAPT model study.
The DSA will connect the four postdoctoral fellows with mentors who specialize in education research and can support them in developing their own research. Research and professional development activities will include: weekly mentor meetings, leadership development, teaching meetings, a data science education journal club, brown bag lunches, presentations, workshops and a data science education conference. Fellows may also access NC State professional development programs and funding for travel and professional memberships.
The postdoctoral cohort will have the opportunity to develop competencies in STEM research methods by building their own areas of focus in an ongoing research study to better understand the impact of the ADAPT course design model on student identity, affinity for data science and intent to pursue future courses, internships and data science-related jobs. The NC State Proposal Development Unit welcomes postdocs to shadow their proposal development teams as a professional development activity.
Goal
Through this fellowship, the DSA will create a model for training postdoctoral scholars in data science education research and successfully inducting them into the data science education and STEM-Ed research community. This model will be developed with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion to support specifically the training and professional development of women and other groups who are currently underrepresented in STEM and STEM education. As the postdoctoral fellows enter the workforce, this project can be expected to inform the induction of data science education research, curriculum development and student experience. The ADAPT course model, which will be continuously improved by research, can be adopted and studied at other institutions and in other disciplines.
Application Process
To apply for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity, you will need to visit the NC State Job board to complete your application. All materials must be submitted through the NC State jobs website to be considered for review. For additional information about the Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity and how to curate a successful application, please watch our recorded webinar.
Reviewing the Data Science Academy website and the materials linked from this page will assist you in preparing your application and other required documents.
We anticipate start dates for the position in late summer 2023. Anticipated salary is $70K/year.
Please email communication and questions to datascienceacademy@ncsu.edu with the subject line DSA Postdoctoral Program Inquiry. We look forward to hearing from you!
Minimum Education, Skills and Experience:
Equivalent education/experience can substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
- Applicants must have earned a doctoral degree prior to beginning the postdoctoral position. There is no restriction on when the degree was earned.
- At least 3 years of relevant teaching experience in high school, postsecondary level or as an instructional trainer.
- Relevant research experience.
- We encourage applications from a broad range of disciplines, including statistics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, policy, ethics, communications, arts and humanities, physical and social sciences, or related fields.
- Strong communication and writing skills.
- Demonstrated organizational skills.
Preferred Years Experience, Skills, Training, Education (qualified applicants may not have all of the following):
- Record of research or professional publication and presentation, commensurate with experience.
- Prior work in research projects with human subjects.
- Experience with accessibility practices in communication.
- Experience with project-based teaching and learning.
- Experience broadening participation in STEM education and STEM fields.
- Experience with data science, data science education and/or data science education research.
- Experience with quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis and communication tools.
- Demonstrated success working in collaborative teams.
Required Documents
- Cover Letter. In the letter, please explain how this postdoctoral position is a good fit for your research and professional goals.
- Contact Information for References
- Resume/CV that helps us connect your prior work experience with this postdoc. Please include any metrics you used to evaluate the success or impact of this prior work.
- 1-2 page research statement describing how your past research and teaching experience and future goals are aligned with the goals of the Data Science Academy and work you could do in this postdoctoral position. Broadening participation in data science is fundamental to the Data Science Academy. Please address this in your statement.
Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2222148 STEM Ed PRF: Mentoring a Diverse Cohort of Postdoctoral Scholars in Data Science Education Research.
Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material. are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.