Research Assistant Professor of Education (Early Childhood Education)

The School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia seeks applicants for a Research Assistant Professor to join our team of early childhood education (ECE) researchers at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) with an affiliation in the Department of Human Services (EDHS).

We are looking for a scholar to join our center whose research focuses on understanding ways to promote all young children’s social and emotional development and mental health, and to prevent and address challenging behavior within early classroom settings. We are interested in researchers whose interests in these areas intersect with early childhood educator well-being, beliefs, and bias, teacher-child interaction quality, and use of curriculum with the goal of determining how to better support educators to facilitate positive outcomes for themselves and their young students. We define early childhood broadly from birth to third grade and are particularly interested in researchers who have interests and experience within infant and toddler settings.

The incumbent will work with faculty on current projects including statewide research, practice, and policy partnerships with the Virginia Department of Education including VKRP, LinkB5, VECC, and STREAMin3. They may also be involved in other funded projects and teaching. The incumbent is expected and will be supported to develop a successful program of externally funded research as evidenced by publications in refereed journals and sponsored research.

This position is a hybrid role and will require the individual to collaborate with faculty and stakeholders on site in Charlottesville, VA, and other areas within the state of Virginia.

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job occasionally requires traveling to attend meetings, and programs.

This is a restricted position, and continuation is dependent on the availability of funding and satisfactory performance.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications / Experience:

• Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Psychology, Education, or a closely related field.

Preferred Qualifications / Experience:

• A focus on children’s social and emotional development and mental health and preventing/addressing challenging behavior within early classroom settings (broadly defined as birth to third grade settings with some preference for interest in infant and toddler settings).
• Strong quantitative experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Two or more years of experience in planning and implementing applied, educational research (this could have occurred during graduate or post-doctoral training) that includes birth to third grade settings.
• A record of scholarship within the fields of applied education and/or psychology that shows potential for continued growth as an independent scholar with a successful program of research.
• Experience with sponsored research (e.g., experience with grant proposals, being part of an externally funded project team).

Application Instructions

To apply for the position please submit the following documents:

• Cover letter (please speak to your interests and qualifications for the position);
• Curriculum vitae;
• Research statement;
• Contact information for three references (name, email address, telephone number, and address). References will not be contacted until after interviews are conducted

The University of Virginia’s Mission Statement affirms its enduring commitment to a vibrant and unique residential learning environment marked by the free and collegial exchange of ideas; unwavering support of a collaborative, diverse community bound together by distinctive foundational values of honor, integrity, trust, and respect; and universal dedication to excellence and affordable access.

As part of your application, please describe your potential contributions to any aspect of this mission. Please focus upon your work skills and experience. In doing so, you may choose to refer to your personal perspective, but the focus of our consideration is on your potential contributions through skills and experience, rather than personal opinions or beliefs.

For questions about this position, please contact the Search Chair, Amanda Williford, Professor of Education, at [email protected]. For questions about the application process, please contact Raj Seneviratne, Director of Faculty Affairs, at [email protected].

Charlottesville and central Virginia offer a distinctive community for both personal and professional activities. Charlottesville is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is consistently listed among the top cities in national rankings of the most desirable places to live. It offers a thriving community, highlighted by regular literary, film, musical, theatrical, and historical festivals. For more information about UVA and the surrounding area, please visit https://www.virginia.edu/aboutuva and https://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville.

Review of applications will begin on or about January 22, 2025 and will continue until the position is filled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physicians 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, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.

The University of Virginia offers confidential Dual Career Services to partners of incoming faculty candidates. To learn more, please visit dualcareer.virginia.edu

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