POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
Postdoctoral Research Training in Autism Spectrum Disorders
The Director of the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project (JGCP), Dr. Brian Boyd (http://jgcp.ku.edu/brian-boyd), is currently seeking one Postdoctoral Researcher interested in developing expertise in behavioral interventions and outcome measures for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The position will be a full-time (100% FTE) research-dedicated fellowship of up to 2 years. The goal of the postdoctoral fellowship is to prepare trainees to develop an understanding of the content knowledge, methodological skills, and competitive proposal development skills necessary to conduct the next generation of applied and translational research to advance knowledge in the field of ASD and related neurodevelopmental disorders.
The Postdoctoral Researcher will receive training in grant proposal development, behavioral clinical trial design, outcome measurement and validation procedures as well as have access to extant, secondary databases containing a wealth of behavioral information and assessments on children with ASD. The trainee will be expected to contribute to the conduct of ongoing research projects, write manuscripts for publication, submit an external grant to attempt to secure independent funding, and disseminate work at professional conferences and meetings.
The trainee will be housed at the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project (JGCP), a community-based urban research facility affiliated with the Institute for Life Span Studies at the University of Kansas. The trainee will have access to other mentors to provide an environment that fosters collaboration, provides opportunities for networking, and expands research knowledge and training. Please note that all offers of employment are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the background check.
Continuation is dependent on yearly funding and satisfactory annual evaluations. The JGCP is located in the Children’s Campus of Kansas City Building, 444 Minnesota Ave, Suite 300, Kansas City KS 66101.
This position requires a two-year commitment.
NOTE: To be appointed at the Postdoctoral Researcher title, it is necessary to have the PhD in hand. Appointments made without a diploma or certified transcript indicating an earned doctorate are conditional hires and are appointed on an acting basis.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Fellows will be tasked with the following responsibilities:
- 50% - Work with Dr. Boyd and other identified mentors to design and complete research projects focused on applied and translational research relevant to individuals with ASD and related disabilities or delays. This could include analysis of existing data from completed behavioral clinical trials, the conduct and implementation of new studies focused on understanding the ASD phenotype or those designed to improve outcomes for children with ASD, helping to maintain active IRBs for projects, supervising study personnel, administering clinical assessments, collecting observational data in children’s schools or homes, and assisting in database entry and management as well as data analysis. (
- 15% - Assist with grant preparation activities including literature reviews, pilot studies, and grant application submissions in order to learn how to write a competitive application
- 15% - Produce professional research documents and communications for dissemination of findings to the larger community of researchers, submit to peer-reviewed journals and professional organizations for presentation at national conferences
- 5% - Attend agreed upon courses and seminars to increase knowledge in the content and methods foci of the postdoc
- 10% - Work with research mentor and other collaborators to prepare and submit a grant application for external funding
- 5% - Develop, maintain, and evaluate an annual Individual Fellow Plan (IFP) based on the Postdoctoral Researchers strengths, weaknesses, and interests that can be used to organize and evaluate individual progress in the training program
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- PhD in a discipline related to children’s learning, education, and development such as language/communication disorders, early intervention or early childhood special education, occupational therapy, applied behavior analysis, or the psychology disciplines (e.g., clinical, developmental, educational, school psychology, etc.).
- At least two years of doctoral or combined doctoral/postdoctoral experience conducting research related to studies of ASD or child development.
- Excellent writing skills as evidenced by quality of application materials, peer-reviewed publications, or submitted writing sample.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- At least one year of clinical experience providing direct services to young children with ASD or related disabilities or delays.
- Experience with advanced statistical software such as Mplus or R.
- Experience with the conduct of community-based research (i.e., research conducted in children’s homes, schools or communities)
- Experience with statistics and quantitative methods (e.g., latent class analysis, growth modeling)
- Publication in peer-reviewed journals.
- Strong oral communication skills as evidenced by work and/or education experience and interview process.
FTE: 100%
SALARY: $55,000 annually, plus university benefits.
DEADLINE: Review of applications begins on May 29, 2018, and continues as needed to fill the position.
Start date: July 2, 2018.
HOW TO APPLY: Please submit an online application at the following link: https://employment.ku.edu/staff/11936BR. Additionally, a cover letter, vitae, professional writing sample (e.g., publication, dissertation) and contact information for three professional references is required. In the cover letter, please indicate how you see this particular training experience helping advance your professional skills and goals in the conduct of research in ASD.
CONTACT INFORMATION: For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Brian Boyd at 913-735-2603, email, brianboyd.@ku.edu For questions about the application process, please contact Diana Skill at 913 735 2612, dskill@ku.edu
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