Postdoctoral Scholar: Curiosity & Character Development, Schooler META Lab, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences

Postdoctoral Scholar:
Curiosity & Character Development, Schooler META Lab, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences

META Lab at UC Santa Barbara seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to help lead a three-year, multi-institution initiative on cultivating curiosity as an intellectual virtue in higher education. The project, funded by the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University, integrates an evidence-based, app-delivered curiosity program into classrooms, wellness programming, and campus culture at UCSB and George Mason University (GMU). Building on published pilot work showing that curiosity can be trained and that it catalyzes broader positive development, the project asks how these gains scale, and how curiosity supports belonging and academic success among first-generation, Pell-eligible, and transfer students.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with participating faculty and campus partners (Health & Wellness, CITRAL, GMU's Center for the Advancement of Well-Being)
• Develop shared pedagogical and assessment materials
• Lead assessment design and data collection across student and faculty samples
• Conduct analyses of longitudinal, multi-time point intervention data
• Present findings at conferences and ECI convenings; lead and co-author publications

(required at time of application)

At the time of application, candidates must have completed all requirements for a PhD (or equivalent) except the dissertation. The PhD should be in psychology, education, cognitive science, or a related field

(required at time of start)

-1 year or more of quantitative training — multilevel modeling and longitudinal/repeated-measures designs preferred
-PhD must be conferred by the appointment start date

- Experience with applied or field-based intervention research a plus
-Excellent writing, organization, and collaborative skills; comfort working across research and student-facing teams

• Curriculum Vitae
  - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
  - Please describe research interests and fit

• 3 required (contact information only)

Applicants that are chosen for the shortlist will have letters of references requested.