Post doctoral Research in Biology Education Research

Position Highlights

We are looking to hire a postdoctoral researcher for our NSF-funded project Tools for Teaching and Assessing Visual Literacy in Molecular Biology. 

This project aims to strengthen undergraduate biotechnology education through the development of students’ visual literacy skills, a critical competency for interpreting and communicating scientific information. The postdoctoral researcher on this project will be working with research team to develop, validate, and disseminate an open-access Visual Literacy Toolkit consisting of two integrated components: the Visual Literacy Assessment for Biotechnology and a suite of Visual Literacy Instructional Materials. Project goals include identifying common visual literacy challenges, developing a reliable and valid assessment of biotechnology visual literacy, and creating instructional materials that address documented learning needs. Assessment development will include textbook analyses, expert review, student think-aloud interviews, pilot testing, psychometric analyses, and validation studies. The instructional materials will be piloted and refined through classroom implementation and instructor feedback. The project will generate new knowledge about the visual representations that are most challenging for students, the misconceptions that persist across instructional contexts, and effective strategies for teaching visual literacy as a core scientific practice.

Job Summary:  The postdoctoral researcher will be involved in all aspects of the project but will primarily be working on the development, validation and testing of the Visual Literacy Assessment for Biotechnology (VLAB).  

The postdoctoral researcher will engage with a vibrant community of STEM education researchers, including faculty, post-doctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, who make up the Center for Advancing Scholarship to Transform Learning (CASTLE) at RIT.   The postdoctoral researcher will have the benefit of frequent interactions with all members of the RIT’s CASTLE, including weekly journal club and weekly work-in-progress meetings, both of which focus on STEM Education Research. Presently the CASTLE group is composed of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students from biology, chemistry, physics, math and engineering education research, plus Education Research-adjacent faculty who attend periodically. Postdocs will receive guidance and training in writing from their mentors as well as getting feedback on presenting from the entire CASTLE group.

The postdoctoral researcher will engage in weekly research meetings and will complete annual reviews with their mentor(s). Mentors will oversee preparation of publications and presentations that result from the work supported by the grant. Funds are available for the postdoctoral researcher to travel to conferences to present their research and network with other professionals in STEM Education. They will be encouraged to join one or more professional societies in their field of research. We will provide experience with grant writing by directly involving the postdoctoral research in proposals prepared by the mentors. Key aspects they will learn include identifying key research questions, defining objectives, describing approach and rationale, and constructing timelines and budgets. The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to teach or co-teach a course or a section of a course in their discipline if it aligns with their career interests and timing. They will have the opportunity to mentor undergraduate research students who may assist, part-time with their research during the academic year.

Our postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to take part in various professional development activities on the RIT campus. Our post-doctoral researcher will join our Access and Belonging series at RIT, to learn and practice research-based mentoring and teaching strategies. The researcher may also choose to attend workshops hosted by RIT’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Independently conducts research including, but not limited to, constructing hypotheses, design and planning of research studies, data management, model development, conducting experiments or assessments, analysis and interpretation of results, and evaluation of research techniques
• Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders
• Ensure compliance with institutional, sponsor, and regulatory requirements
• Disseminates and publishes research results in peer-reviewed journals, reports, meetings, workshops, and conferences
• Assists in the writing of grant proposals
• May assist in teaching classes
• May mentor and assist undergraduate and/or graduate students
• May assist in managing research laboratories
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to plan and execute research
• Knowledge of applicable research methods and analytical procedures
• Knowledge of research compliance and ethics
• Knowledge of publishing/reporting requirements
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills
• Demonstrated potential for original or collaborative scholarship
• Scientific writing skills demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications
• Ability to acquire accurate, reproducible data
• Critical eye towards consistency, reproducibility, and the scientific method in general
• Excellent project and time management skills
• Strong interpersonal and mentoring skills
• Advocate for safety and ethics in the workplace
• Ability to communicate findings and effectively work with sponsors and stakeholders

Minimum Education & Experience

• Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in a related field

Job Level Overview

N/A

FLSA Category

Work Location

Compensation

Application Materials

When you are ready to complete an application for this position please be prepared to submit the below requested information.  This will be required to ensure your application is processed in a timely manner.

Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.

Additional Details

In compliance with NYS's Pay Transparency Act, the salary range for this position is listed above. Rochester Institute of Technology considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as, market and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The hiring process for this position may require a criminal background check and/or motor vehicle records check. Any verbal or written offer made is contingent on satisfactory results, as determined by Human Resources. RIT provides equal opportunity to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, marital status, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran status or disability in its hiring, admissions, educational programs and activities. RIT provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York Human Rights Law, or similar applicable law.

If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the Human Resources office at 585-475-2424 or email your request to careers@rit.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.