Postdoctoral Fellow

Requisition #: A-139991-3

Status: Full Time

Type: Other

School: Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program: Department of Sociology

Location City: Baltimore

Location State: MD

Location Zip Code: 21218

Closing Date: Open until filled

To apply: apply.interfolio.com/139991

General Description

The Poverty and Inequality Research Lab (PIRL) at Johns Hopkins University is seeking applicants for one or more Postdoctoral Fellows to work with Director Stefanie DeLuca and the PIRL team on two mixed methods projects: one focusing on post-secondary trajectories at a community college, and another on understanding the mechanisms underlying the HAIL financial aid intervention at the University of Michigan. Both of these projects focus on post-secondary transitions and college and career decision-making. For the community college project, the Fellow will lead a team in conducting follow-up interviews, qualitative coding and analyses of our administrative dataset to describe community college student trajectories, and the mechanisms that lead to degree completion and employment. For the HAIL project, the post-doctoral fellow will conduct interviews with high-achieving, low-income students that received the HAIL scholarship at the University of Michigan. The Fellow will also conduct analyses of the interview data to learn what financial aid and other interventions need to provide to support the college transitions of low-income degree aspirants, as well as to understand the transitions of those students who may delay or forgo four-year enrollment in favor of sub-baccalaureate degrees or work experience.

The Postdoctoral Fellow(s) will conduct quantitative, qualitative and archival analyses, as well as lead a team of undergraduate and graduate students on fieldwork trips to conduct in-depth, open-ended interviews.

 The Poverty and Inequality Lab is a collaborative, interdisciplinary mixed-methods research center focused on policy-relevant scholarship in the areas of family, education, housing and neighborhoods. PIRL's other research projects include: studies of housing policies that increase neighborhood opportunity; a project qualitatively studying the determinants of social mobility in counties across the US; and a project examining how family, work and neighborhood conditions shape postsecondary educational plans.

The position is a one-year appointment with the possibility of a second year pending funding and work scope. The position has an anticipated start in July 2024, is full-time and fully funded with no teaching requirements. The fellows will be in residence at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

The post-doctoral fellow will work under the advisement of Stefanie DeLuca and will have the opportunity to coordinate research and collaborative projects through the assistance of managing a group of pre-doctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate research assistants to conduct coding and analyses of interview data. For more on PIRL, see https://otheramerica.org.

Qualifications

The postdoctoral fellowship is open to applicants who are up to three years post-PhD in sociology or related fields. Applicants with experience with qualitative or mixed methods are preferred, although some quantitative data analyses will be expected. Applicants should have strong research skills and a substantive background in areas of education, neighborhoods, social networks and social policy. Must have excellent communication skills and be able to work well as part of a team.

Application Instructions

Each application will be evaluated on the following criteria:

 -      The degree of fit of research interests

 -      Demonstrated record of scholarly work and quality of writing

 -      Strength of letters of support

The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristic. The university is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors that are irrelevant to the program involved.

Pre-Employment Information

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at [email protected]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu.

Johns Hopkins has mandated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as applicable. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/.

The following additional provisions may apply depending on which campus you will work. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.