Postdoctoral Scholar in Sentencing Research and Policy

Postdoctoral Scholar in Sentencing Research and Policy page is loaded## Postdoctoral Scholar in Sentencing Research and Policy locations:
Penn State University Parktime type:
Full time posted on:
Posted Yesterday job requisition :
REQ #
** APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:*** ## CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please to complete the. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.* ## CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please to complete the Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.* ## If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete .

** Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see .
** This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.
** POSITION SPECIFICS
** The Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC) and Department of Sociology and Criminology at The Pennsylvania State University invite applications for a
** Postdoctoral Scholar
** position to begin July 1, 2026, with flexibility. The successful applicant will collaborate with the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (PCS)  on research related to sentencing guidelines, risk and needs assessment (development and validation of tools), pre-trial release, parole, and related topics.

A Ph.D. in criminal justice, criminology, sociology, economics, public policy, or a related field is required at time of appointment.

Preference will be given to candidates with advanced training in statistics, experience working with large administrative datasets, and/or an exemplary interest in applied research, and to those with research interests in courts or sentencing and with a knowledge of, or practical experience with, program evaluation.

Key responsibilities of the Postdoctoral Scholar will include collaborating with the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (Commission) staff to address legislative mandates; empirically assessing sentencing policy and/or conducting program evaluations (e.g., examining the effectiveness of state and county sentencing programs); working closely with criminal justice stakeholders; assisting in data collection and data management; preparing grant proposals, manuscripts, and conference presentations; and participating in graduate student  addition to Commission-specific projects, the scholar will have flexibility to conduct independent research related to sentencing, access to sentencing commission data and data from other criminal justice partners (e.g., Department of Corrections;

Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts; local probation offices), and opportunities for research collaboration with Penn State faculty.

The Postdoctoral Scholar position is fully funded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (). The Commission on Sentencing is a legislative agency responsible for advancing effective, humane, and rational policies that promote fairer and more uniform decisions at sentencing, resentencing, and parole. The Commission maintains a research and data analysis unit that undertakes research and evaluations of the effectiveness of various criminal justice programs and policies, conducts impact analyses, and serves as a clearinghouse and information center for the collection, preparation, and dissemination of information on Commonwealth sentencing, resentencing, and parole practices.

The Commission is affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Criminology at The Pennsylvania State University (University Park Campus) and maintains an active research partnership with the CJRC. The CJRC () has an outstanding portfolio of faculty affiliates, seed funding opportunities, and externally funded ongoing research projects. The Department of Sociology and Criminology is ranked among the top in the nation and provides graduate and undergraduate programs focused specifically on crime and the…