Postdoctoral Fellow – Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute

Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute (TxBSPI), The University of Texas at Austin

Location:

Austin, TX

Reports to:

Dr. David Yeager

Appointment: 1 year

Salary: $65K

The Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute (TxBSPI) is an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to discovering and disseminating solutions that reduce barriers to economic mobility and well-being—starting in Texas and expanding globally. Our flagship projects focus on K-12 and post-secondary education, workforce development, and a growing range of topics including physical and mental health, political participation, and criminal justice.

TxBSPI emphasizes rigorous, cutting-edge research and translating findings into actionable policy and practice.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to join TxBSPI and contribute to high-quality research and publications based on ongoing NSF-funded projects and existing datasets. The Fellow will work closely with Dr. David Yeager and the TxBSPI research team, including a team of data scientists, to support analyses, interpret results, and develop manuscripts.

This role is writing-intensive, providing an early-career researcher with hands‑on experience leading manuscripts from analysis to submission while receiving mentorship and guidance from senior investigators. The Postdoctoral Fellow will also have opportunities to develop independent projects aligned with TxBSPI’s mission.

Ideal for candidates in education research, developmental/social psychology, quantitative sociology, economics of education, population studies, or related fields.

• Lead and co-author peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, and policy briefs derived from existing NSF-funded studies and longitudinal datasets.
• Collaborate with Dr. Yeager, data scientists, and research staff on study design, analysis plans, and interpretation of findings.
• Support and guide the analysis process, including interpretation and visualization of data, to facilitate manuscript development.
• Participate in workshops and trainings on research best practices, data analysis, and scientific writing.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to graduate students and research assistants, as appropriate.
• Attend and contribute to project meetings and discussions, helping advance team research goals.
• Perform additional related duties as assigned.

• Ph.D. in Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Education, Population Studies, Epidemiology, Neuropsychology, Computer Science, or related field, awarded within the last 3 years.
• Strong interest in quantitative research and scientific writing.
• Experience with statistical software, preferably Stata; familiarity with R or Python is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to produce or contribute to peer-reviewed publications or technical reports.
• Experience with longitudinal datasets or large-scale survey data preferred.

• Research experience in education, learning, cognition, or intervention studies.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary, collaborative research projects.
• Motivation to develop a publication record and build a research portfolio.
• Strong collaborative and communication skills, including experience mentoring students or junior team members.