Post Doc Research Associate

Open Date 12/17/2025

Requisition Number PRN
43854B

Job Title Post Doc Res Assoc

Working Title Post Doc Research Associate

Career Progression Track A00

FLSA Code Administrative

Standard Hours per Week 40

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Location Campus, Salt Lake City, UT (Hybrid options available; position is not remote)

Pay Rate Range DOE / DOQ

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Evaluation and Data Support for Youth Camp Initiatives. Support a multi‑year evaluation of the Character at Camp Initiative, a large grant‑making project from the American Camp Association that seeks to bolster camps’ capacity to support character development, broadly conceived. Play a key role in coordinating training and technical assistance for camp professionals, managing data collection processes, supporting conceptual design, and contributing to research translation and dissemination efforts.

Strong project coordination, data interpretation, and stakeholder engagement skills are essential.

• Full‑time, 12‑month appointment with potential for renewal; currently funded through 2029.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Target start date: between January and June of 2026.

• Develop and deliver training materials and presentations to prepare grantees for evaluation activities.
• Attend grantee cohort meetings to provide support and guidance.
• Lead training for camps focused on data use and interpretation for program improvement.

• Coordinate data collection efforts, including surveys and interviews, across multiple sites.
• Serve as a liaison with camps, ACA (American Camp Association), and other stakeholders to ensure smooth communication and logistics.
• Prepare and distribute evaluation materials to participating sites.
• Support data verification processes for accuracy and completeness.
• Contribute to process improvement efforts to enhance evaluation workflows.
• Support dashboard development and data visualization for reporting and decision‑making.

• Assist with instrument development and refinement, including survey instruments and observational tools.
• Help maintain project vision and coherence across components.
• Coordinate across project activities to ensure alignment and integration.
• Contribute to grant writing and proposal development.
• Support refinement and updating of the overall evaluation approach.

• Generate research projects synergistic with the larger research plan.
• Assist with interview case selection, conducting stakeholder interviews, and analyzing qualitative data using appropriate methodologies.
• Support instrument validation and psychometric analysis, clean and integrate datasets from multiple sources, and create and maintain codebooks and documentation.
• Contribute to dissemination efforts, including reporting to advisory boards and participating camps, preparing formal reports, engaging in academic publishing, and conference presentations.
• Help develop evaluation tools and resources.

• Ph.D. in Human Development, Developmental Science, Education, Psychology, Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, or related fields.
• Proficiency in data management and visualization tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, R, SPSS, Stata).
• Mixed‑methods research experience (qualitative and quantitative).

• Familiarity with summer camps or similar youth‑serving organizations.
• Experience developing training materials and facilitating workshops.
• Experience with program evaluation, especially in youth development or outdoor education settings.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic, multi‑stakeholder environment.

Background Check May require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

Equal Opportunity Statement: The University of Utah is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy‑related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106.

Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.