Postdoctoral Scholar, Criminal Justice Research Center

Postdoctoral Scholar – Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC)

The Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC) and the Department of Sociology and Criminology at The Pennsylvania State University invite applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar position to begin in the Fall of 2026, with flexibility.

This position focuses on innovative criminal justice research, with an emphasis on the connections between research, policy, and practice.

• Collaborate with faculty across multiple universities on a mixed-method study of pretrial detention, charge bargaining, racial and contextual disparity, and sentencing.
• Conduct descriptive and multilevel analyses of large administrative datasets.
• Perform site visits and conduct semi-structured interviews with stakeholders.
• Prepare local summary briefs and policy outreach materials.
• Assist in data collection, data management, and grant proposal development.
• Write manuscripts and prepare conference presentations.
• Participate in graduate student mentoring.
• Engage in independent research related to pretrial, prosecution, and sentencing.

• Earned a doctorate in the social or behavioral sciences by the time of appointment.
• Current Ph.D. candidate or scholar who completed the Ph.D. within the past two years.
• Advanced training in statistics and experience working with large administrative datasets.
• Proficiency with Stata, multilevel modeling, decomposition analysis, and/or semi-structured interviews.
• Demonstrated interest and experience in applied research on prosecution, pretrial, courts, or sentencing.

Current Penn State employees and students should apply internally through Workday. External applicants should click “Apply” and complete the online application. Include a letter of interest and CV; finalist candidates will be asked to provide recommendation letters.

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, and additional information can be found on the Postdoctoral Benefits page.

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.