Postdoctoral Researcher

Position Information

General Information Position Number POST40 Working Title Postdoctoral Researcher Division Academic Affairs Department College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (Col) Work Unit Political Science & Public Administration Work Location Fretwell Building Vacancy Open To All Candidates Position Designation Post Doc Employment Type Temporary - Part-time Hours per week 40 Work Schedule Varied based on research needs Pay Rate $55,000 per year Minimum Experience / Education The Postdoctoral appointee must have recently (within the last eight years) been awarded a Ph.

D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.) Departmental Preferred Experience, Skills, Training / Education : Ph.D. in Political Science, Economics, Public Policy, Geography, or a closely related Computational or Social Science discipline.

Strong research interest in migration and skills in quantitative data analysis in R are required. Preference is given to applicants with demonstrated skills in one or more of the following areas : data management, survey methodology, multilevel regression, causal inference, machine learning, geospatial analysis.

Preference is also given to applicants with research interests in one or more of the following areas related to the project : conflict and cooperation, political economy, political psychology, state capacity, social preferences.

Duties and Responsibilities We invite applications for a postdoctoral research position in migration with strong data analysis and management skills to work on a multi-year project on Collective Shocks and Social Preferences led by Professors James Walsh and Alexander Kustov in collaboration with Professors Michael Ewers and Beth Whitaker, and hosted by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The project aims to examine how people’s social preferences such as altruism and trust can be affected by negative collective shocks such as wars, natural disasters, or economist disruptions.

To address this question, the project aims to create a comprehensive cross-national time-series dataset on various shocks and preferences at the subnational level.

The postdoc would directly support expanding this research agenda by collecting data and investigating how negative collective shocks influence migration and how migration shocks influence social preferences.

The postdoctoral position is a full-time research-focused role to lead the construction of the migration dataset for the project. The role includes :

• Leading the efforts to construct the original dataset, including cross-national surveys on migration preferences and administrative data on migration flows.
• Supporting the new Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies.
• Dedicating time to personal research as part of the position.
• Conducting and publishing high-quality research and preparing grant proposals in close collaboration with and under the guidance of project leaders.
• Participating in the broader intellectual life of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, and the interdisciplinary Public Policy and Data Science programs.

A Postdoctoral Fellow (""postdoc"") is a professional apprenticeship designed to provide recent Ph.D. recipients with an opportunity to develop further the research skills acquired in their doctoral programs or to learn new research techniques, in preparation for an academic or research career.

In the process of further developing their own research skills, it is expected that Postdoctoral Fellows will also play a significant role in the performance of research at the University and augment the role of graduate faculty in providing research instruction to graduate students.

A Postdoctoral Fellow works under the supervision of a regular faculty member, who serves as a mentor to the Fellow, and it is expected that the faculty mentor will impart the realities, and variety, of scientific careers, and will encourage experiences outside the laboratory to broaden postdocs’ aspirations.

Within the confines of the particular research focus assigned by that faculty member, the Postdoctoral Fellow functions with a considerable degree of independence and has the freedom (and is expected) to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of appointment.

Thus, the role of Postdoctoral Fellows is clearly differentiated from full-time technical employees.

Postdoc appointments are characterized by all of the following conditions :

• the appointee was recently (within the last eight years) awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.);
• the appointment is temporary;
• the appointment involves substantially full-time research or scholarship;
• the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a full-time academic and / or research career;
• the appointee works under the supervision of a faculty member; and
• the appointee has the freedom and is expected to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of appointment.

Other Work / Responsibilities Necessary Licenses or Certifications