POSITION SUMMARY:

The Center for Home-Based Child Care Research at Erikson Institute in Chicago is seeking a post-doctoral Research Fellow whose research focuses on early care and education policy. The Fellow will be responsible for performing research and project coordination duties on a variety of policy-relevant research studies related to supporting the supply and quality of home-based child care. The fellow will work closely with the Home-Based Child Care Research Team’s PIs and research staff.
This is a 12-month, full-time (negotiable) fellowship; extension may be possible based on the availability of future grant funding. The earliest start date is October 1, 2025, and application review will begin in July, 2025 and will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The fellowship can be fully remote or hybrid in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to competitive salary and full benefits, the Fellow will be given time to conduct independent research of their own. Opportunities for teaching may be available if of interest.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Post-doctoral fellow: A doctoral degree (or ABD) in early childhood education, human development, psychology, public policy, public health, social work, or a related field.
• Knowledge of early care and education policies, systems, workforce, and/or landscape; familiarity with home-based child care (licensed family child care and/or family, friend, and neighbor care) strongly preferred.
• Experience interacting with economically, culturally, and linguistically diverse communities.
• Extensive experience collecting, managing, and analyzing quantitative and/or qualitative data using relevant software (e.g., Stata, SPSS, R, Nvivo, Dedoose).
• Excellent verbal communication and academic writing skills; experiencing translating research for a general audience preferred.
• Willingness and flexibility for weekend or evening data collection activities as needed, with flex time granted.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and management skills.
• Ability to work independently and with groups.

TO APPLY, PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATION MATERIALS IN ONE PDF THAT INCLUDES: (1) COVER LETTER DESCRIBING YOUR RESEARCH INTERESTS, TRAINING EXPERIENCE, AND GOALS, (2) CV/RESUME (3), WRITING SAMPLE, (4) NAMES AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR TWO REFERENCES.

Erikson is open to individual candidates from all backgrounds and experiences. Candidates should apply whether or not they feel that they meet all the requirements or qualifications for the position. We are looking forward to having exciting conversations with engaging candidates and will welcome your application.

• Support protocol development, participant recruitment, and quantitative/qualitative data collection (primarily by phone and/or Zoom).
• Conduct qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis in collaboration with other team members, including both PIs and research assistants.
• Assist with the development and dissemination of literature reviews, policy scans, reports, journal articles, presentations, and other products.
• Attend weekly team meetings and regularly communicating with team members, research partners, and community members (including policymakers, administrators, home-based child care educators, families).
• Perform other duties as assigned.