PSU Job #57825   -   Postdoctoral Scholar 

A postdoctoral scholar position funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the Department of Anthropology at The Pennsylvania State University is available beginning July 1, 2015. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development, writing, and assessment of the curriculum for a STEM-oriented, “genetics and genealogy” summer camp for underrepresented minority and underserved middle school students. The appointee will work with scholars, independent academic and artistic contractors, and camp instructors to write the main curriculum, supporting materials, and assessment instruments, and to develop instructional videos for camp instructors and campers. The team is looking for a colleague familiar with concepts such as culturally-responsive curriculum, educational gaming (such as board games, augmented reality games, or location-enabled mobile games), embedded assessments, and measuring youths’ informal science learning in out-of-school environments in ways that respect the summer camp experience. The ideal candidate will be familiar with federal and state laws relevant to educational research and genetic ancestry testing with minors, including HIPAA, FERPA, COPPA, and GINA, and have an understanding of relevant DHHS and FDA regulations. While primarily a curriculum development position, opportunities will exist for the appointee to engage in research related to the project. 

The postdoctoral scholar will become part of a vibrant research community that bridges departments in the Penn State Colleges of Liberal Arts, Education, Science, and Information Sciences and Technology, as well as cognate units at Harvard University, the University of South Carolina, and the American Museum of Natural History. In addition to cross-university colleagues, support resources available to the candidate include Penn State Gaming Commons, Survey Research Center, Teaching and Learning with Technology, Science U summer camp program, and the many Penn State museums and outreach units.  

Applicants must have a doctorate in education, the learning sciences, science, or social science by time of appointment. Prospective scholars should have an emerging research agenda/interest in one or more of the following areas: informal science learning, STEM education, evolutionary biology, human genetics, bioinformatics, the study of human biological diversity, and/or the ethics of human genetic ancestry testing. While residence in and/or relocation to the State College, PA area is preferred, a combination of telecommuting and on-site meetings could be arranged for the ideal applicant.

This is a fixed-term appointment funded for one year from date of hire; the position includes salary plus health insurance coverage. 

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, and names and contact information of three professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Apply online at https://psu.jobs/job/57825 

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.