Postdoctoral Associate

Job Summary/Basic Function:

Wright State University’s Center for Civics, Culture, and Workforce Development is launching a transformative initiative—Civic Foundations:
Equipping K–12 for America’s Next 250 Years—to strengthen civics instruction and engagement across a 16-county region of Southwest Ohio. The initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s American History and Civics Education National Activities grant. The Civic Foundations project will deliver in-person civics seminars for K–12 educators, produce civic-education resources, and host immersive summer camps for students. The program’s mission is to elevate teacher knowledge, instructional quality, and student civic participation—answering the urgent call to rebuild civic understanding and strengthen democratic engagement as America approaches its 250th anniversary.

The Center is seeking up to two Postdoctoral Associates to assist in developing and administering the Civic Foundations initiative. Candidates should have an expertise in either Political Science, Political Theory, Economics, American History, Constitutional Law, or closely related fields. These are full‑time positions. The contract term is one year, renewable for up to two years. The desired start date is July 1, 2026.

The Center for Civics, Culture, and Workforce Development at Wright State University is dedicated to advancing civic literacy, democratic participation, and workforce readiness through innovative education, professional development, and community engagement. As Ohio’s only civic center founded voluntarily by a university, the Center serves as a regional hub for evidence‑based civics instruction, credentialing, and leadership development.

• Ph.D. in History, Political Science, Economics, or a closely‑related field.
• Ability to teach foundational civic principles, U.S. founding documents, and constitutional themes.
• Able to work effectively with K‑12 teachers, school administrators, and university staff across a multi‑county region.
• Capacity to facilitate large‑scale, in‑person workshops and summer camps.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and willingness to implement feedback mechanisms.

• Demonstrated expertise in American civics.
• Experience teaching foundational civic principles, U.S. founding documents, and constitutional themes.
• Experience developing and delivering curriculum for professional development seminars.
• Ability to create and support interactive online learning modules.
• Ability to create standards‑aligned lesson plans, interactive activities, and multimedia resources for educator workshops.
• Skilled in managing logistics, classroom setup, AV support, and participant engagement for events with up to 180 educators or 150 students per session.