PhET Postdoctoral Position in Physics Education Research in Middle School Science:
The Physics Education Technology (PhET) Project within the Physics Education Research group at the University of Colorado at Boulder has postdoctoral position available. The PhET Team develops interactive simulations for teaching and learning physics, creates activities that couple with the simulations, and makes all of these resources freely available to educators and students on the web. Research is a major component of the PhET Project, and focuses on understanding aspects of design and use that lead to increases in student learning and student engagement.
The new NSF project focuses on development and research on interactive simulations for middle school science. The primary responsibilities of the successful applicant will be to 1) carry out and publish research on sim design and use with middle school students and 2) to develop new simulations with an expectation to lead the development of about 5 simulations per year. (No programming experience needed - PhET hires professional programmers). Other responsibilities include training teachers on use of PhET simulations through PhET workshops at local and national meetings, and supporting other PhET-related work where needed.
More information on PhET can be found at: http://phet.colorado.edu
More information about the PER group @ Colorado is at: http://per.colorado.edu
Eligibility: We will consider graduates in physics education research, in science education (with strong physics background), or in traditional areas of physics research or science education who are interested in shifting their focus to physics education research. Prior experience working with middle school students is a plus. We are looking for someone to start by January 2011 (or earlier), but will consider waiting until a June 2011 start date for strong candidates. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.
Closing Date: Review of applications will begin on Sept. 20 , 2010, and continue until the position is filled.
Please email notification of interest and any questions to:
Katherine.Perkins@colorado.edu
