CU Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences encourages applications for an Education Researcher for Organizational Change. The Research Associate (RA) will assist with several research and evaluation projects in STEM higher education, with emphasis on gathering, analyzing, and reporting qualitative social science data from varied sources including interviews, focus groups, documents, field notes, questionnaires, and ethnographic observation. Grant funding for the position is secure for at least 3 years. The primary project involves a mixed-methods study of organizational change processes in higher education, especially change projects targeted to more equitable experiences of STEM faculty (see this link for a description).
Ethnography & Evaluation Research (E&ER) specializes in research and evaluation studies of education, career paths, and organizations in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The research unit is 100% grant-funded. To learn about our work, visit this link.
The RA will serve as project coordinator and researcher for a qualitative research study of organizational change processes in higher education, examining projects that seek to ensure equitable work experiences for STEM faculty. Project coordination work includes:
Identifying and gathering source documents for institutional change initiatives.
Soliciting and tracking study participation for interviews and focus groups.
Communicating with study participants.
Preparing materials for online meetings.
Maintaining the project calendar and website.
Managing study data and analysis.
Research tasks include:
Coding transcripts and documents for qualitative analysis.
Analyzing and interpreting coded qualitative data.
Reading and summarizing research articles.
Preparing conference presentations.
Contributing to analysis and writing of research reports and articles.
The RA may also assist with other collaborative research and evaluation projects related to STEM higher education, such as initiatives related to instruction and equity. This work may use qualitative and quantitative data from varied sources such as surveys, classroom observation, and online databases, and qualitative data from focus groups, interviews, and workshop observations.
Supervising research assistants.
Organizing and maintaining research databases.
Organizing travel and logistics for field work.
Processing research and travel expenses through the university system.
Periodic overnight travel may be required (2-4 trips per year).
The position is intended as a full-time position, but we will consider requests for a part-time appointment at 70% time or greater.
The position begins in late 2021 or early 2022 and is not tied to the academic year. Funding for the project is secure for at least 3 years.
Remote, on-site, or hybrid work arrangements are possible.
The salary range is $62,000-$72,000 per year (full time). The final offer within the salary range will depend on experience and will be pro-rated for less than full-time work.
We offer opportunities to
Work with well reputed scholars on a project of research and practical importance.
Strengthen research, collaborative, and organizational skills in working on large-scale research projects.
Work in an encouraging, team-focused environment.
Participate in professional development on and off campus.
Doctoral degree in social science, education, or STEM field.
Experience in research or evaluation in education or social science field.
Strong qualitative research skills including interviewing, thematic coding of text data.
Familiarity with human subjects research ethics and IRB protocols, including CITI certification.
Willingness to learn new technical skills and research literature.
Any of the following additional qualifications will be helpful to the work and valued by our team:
Research background in organizational change, higher education systems, or similar complex social systems.
Experience in quantitative data analysis, e.g. descriptive and inferential statistics, modeling.
Experience with survey design tools such as Qualtrics.
Educational, work, or life experience in diversity and equity issues.
List of references: 3-5 persons who can knowledgeably comment on your professional qualifications, with full contact information including email and phone. Do NOT submit letters of recommendation unless you are specifically asked to do so.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Full consideration will be given to applications completed by November 19, 2021.
Posting Contact Name: Sandra Laursen
Posting Contact Email: sandra.laursen@colorado.edu