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Cluster Hire of Six Post-doctoral Positions in Latino/a Education and/or Health Disparities Across the College of Education

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Cluster Hire of Six Post-doctoral Positions in Latino/a Education and/or Health Disparities Across the College of Education
University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin, College of Education, is recruiting a cohort of six Post-Doctoral Fellows who have a common research agenda to reduce disparities in education and health of the Latino/a population. The appointment will be for two years and the successful candidates will be part of UT-Austin's prestigious Provost's Early Career Cohort Fellowship Program, designed to train early career scholars across diverse disciplines to be successful, independent, tenure-track Assistant Professors at UT Austin or elsewhere. (More information on this program can be found here.)

The College of Education is working to Reimagine Education and has identified three signature impact areas of focus: Advancing Equity and Eliminating Disparities in Education and Health; Attending to Place and Context; and Thriving Through Transitions and we seek scholars whose work will support these impact areas. (More information on Reimagining Education can be found here.) In particular, we recognize that the growth of the Latino/a community is driving demographic shifts across the country, including in Texas where more than 40% of all state residents are Latino/a. This demographic reality increases the urgency of critically examining disparities in education and health outcomes for the Latino/a community, particularly given that 21% of this population lives below the poverty line and nearly 53% of Texas public school students are Latino/a - three-quarters of whom are labeled as economically disadvantaged by the Texas Education Agency. We are addressing these disparities through a multi-level strategy.

One aim is to develop a cluster of faculty across departments who can target these disparities with at least three new tenure-track, assistant professor positions approved to be advertised in 2022 with a start date in Fall 2023. In preparation for these hires, we are recruiting six post-doctoral fellows who will have a unique opportunity to develop research expertise that will make them strong candidates for these positions.

Examples of specific areas of research interest include:
1.A qualitative approach to understand the physical culture and experience of physical activity in Latino/a communities.
2.A quantitative approach to physical activity to reduce health disparities in Latino/a communities.
3.Programs/services that support Latino/a students' post-secondary access and success (e.g., in STEM fields, graduate education, the professoriate, etc.),
4.Leveraging culturally-based family strengths to support bilingual Latino/a students.
5.Supporting Latino/a families with children with special needs in rural areas, or families who might not participate in school and community activities because of fear of deportation or language barriers (e.g. the use of educational technology).
6.Examination of psychological and social contextual factors associated with education and health disparities among Latino/a population, and development and testing of interventions to reduce these disparities in the context of higher education, K-12, and/or community settings.

The Early Career Fellows Program is specifically designed to launch scholarly research programs that will address the most urgent educational and health disparities impacting Latino/a populations. To support this development, successful candidates will hold an appointment in and be supported by a mentor in a home department as well as an appointment in and be supported by a mentor in the Texas Center for Equity Promotion, an interdisciplinary research center whose mission is to support and conduct high quality, applied research, disseminate evidence-based information, and train future professionals regarding the nature, origins, contexts, effects and elimination of inequalities in education and health.. Specific training opportunities will occur in each setting, along with a host of activities within the broader, University-wide Early Career Fellows Program. These include funding for pilot studies and travel, the potential for collaboration on federally-funded research projects, peer reviewed publications and presentation, and a series of professional development activities.

The College of Education, ranked among the top 5 public colleges of education in the country, promotes the shared values of equity, excellence, innovation, empowerment, community-focus, and endeavors to bridge research and practice. We view inclusiveness and excellence as interconnected in the work of our faculty. The College of Education is particularly interested in and values candidates who have experience working with diverse and underserved populations, and show a demonstrated commitment to improving access and conditions in educational and health settings for children, adults, families, schools, and communities.

Required Qualifications:

Ph.D. at the time of appointment relevant to the area of research.

Record of publications in alignment with the proposed area of research.

Proposed research with a high potential for securing extramural research funding.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Review of applications will begin February 1, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.
Applicants should upload the following items to the Interfolio system:

Cover Letter with contact information

Full C.V.

Research Statement that includes research accomplishments and future research direction that addresses Latino/a education or health disparities along with a list of potential mentors of interest. The COE faculty directory can be found here.

1-3 representative publications, submitted manuscripts, or writing samples.

Letters of recommendation from 3 references.


Apply Here: http://apply.interfolio.com/81898


UT Austin is an equal opportunity institution that is committed to recruiting, supporting, and fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students. Qualified applicants from underrepresented communities are highly encouraged to apply.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Shannon LaFevers at slafevers@austin.utexas.edu. Questions about the positions can be directed to the chair of the search committee: Dr. John Bartholomew at jbart@austin.utexas.edu.

To apply, visit http://apply.interfolio.com/81898

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