The Center for Astrophysics combines the resources and research facilities of the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory under a single director to pursue studies of those basic physical processes that determine the nature and evolution of the universe. The Science Education Department (SED) develops curricula and materials that reflect current scientific and educational philosophy. SED staff includes education researchers, scientists, teachers, and graduate students who collaborate to identify and address the needs of science teachers and students in elementary, secondary, and college science, with an emphasis on grades K-12.
Position Description
The Post-Doctoral Fellow will analyze an existing dataset and co-author research publications as a member of the large empirical research project “Outreach Programs and Science Career Intentions” (OPSCI). This project examines the role of outreach programs, out-of-school and in-school experiences, and other background factors in predicting the career intentions of about 16,000 students at 27 participating institutions across the United States. The fellow’s responsibilities include conducting literature searches and reviews pertaining to the OPSCI project, developing testable hypotheses, conducting statistical data analyses to test these hypotheses, and writing the results in publishable form, under the guidance of, and in co-authorship with, senior members of the research team. The Fellow’s efforts will focus on modeling students’ career intentions at the beginning of college, based on their different experiences with outreach programs and out-of-school activities from middle school through high school, using techniques such as hierarchical linear modeling, logistic regression, propensity weighting, and factor analysis.
Requirements
Doctoral degree in a social science, education, science/math education, or engineering education. Evidence of publication productivity in peer-reviewed journals. Strong literature review and statistical skills.
Duration
One year, Full-time, starting September 1, 2015
Contact
Please email cover letter and CV to Gerhard Sonnert, PhD
OPSCI@cfa.harvard.edu
