How to Apply

Please submit a pdf of your CV when applying to this job opening using this online management tracking system.  In addition, applicants should submit a statement of interest describing your relevant background and skills, a current CV, and two publications or other writing samples -- these should be emailed to Dr. Carl Lagoze (clagoze@umich.edu).  Please also request two letters of reference be sent directly to Carl Lagoze (clagoze@umich.edu) from scholars who know your work.

Job Summary The Living Research Synthesis Infrastructure (LRSI) project at the University of Michigan Schools of Education and Information is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join the project. Moving beyond conventional printed research syntheses, an LRSI is a dynamic social/technical environment - focused on a particular research initiative or problem space - in which researchers and other education professionals collaborate to develop actionable knowledge from research evidence and identify needs for new research.  Through a process of participatory research and design, the project will develop a prototype LRSI focused, reflexively, on using research to improve practice in educational contexts.  Research in the project will involve working with a variety of stakeholders – including researchers, intermediaries, practitioners, and policymakers – to understand the possible utility of an LRSI and its role in existing and developing research practices; designing and deploying a working, iterative prototype (leveraging existing software components); and formatively evaluating the prototype(s) with attention to its social/technical nature as articulated by the principles of infrastructure theory.  The project is funded for three years by the Spencer Foundation and is led by faculty members in the School of Education and School of Information. In addition to the co-PIs, the research team will include, another postdoctoral fellow, graduate research assistants, and a group of esteemed scholars from a variety of fields who will serve on advisory and steering committees and support us in engaging of diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities* The postdoc will be an equal member of the research team, expected to assume the lead role in the design and development of components of the LRSI prototype, and also to assist with  other aspects of the project including recruiting participants, conducting interviews, coding interviews and field notes, and communicating with the rest of the project team. The postdoc will be expected to contribute substantially to publications resulting from the project, including acting as first author on some and as a secondary author on others.

Required Qualifications* Applicants should have a PhD in Information Science, Science and Technology Studies, or a related field.  An ideal candidate will have a strong technical background with deep appreciation and knowledge of the social context of technical artifacts and how they shape and are shaped by co-existing socio/cultural norms.  The technical background should include programming in a high-level language (e.g., c#, Java, JavaScript, etc.), basic database (SQL and NoSQL) design and administration, and installation and maintenance of software services in a Linux virtual machine environment.   The candidate should also be familiar with formal methods of evaluating technical artifacts using methods and theories from computer-supported cooperative work, human-computer interaction, science and technology studies, and infrastructure studies.

Work Locations The postdoctoral fellow will have office space at the University of Michigan School of Education with other members of the LRSI team and will be expected to contribute to the intellectual life of the School.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline The position begins on 7/1/19 and is funded through 12/31/21 (with the possibility of a few month extension if resources permit).  Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2019. Research Fellows will be hired for a one year term that is renewable pending funding and performance.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.