Edu - Assistant Professor of Special Education - 524973

Department/Organization
212701 - Special Ed and Multiple Abilities
Rank
Assistant Professor
Position Summary
The University of Alabama, College of Education seeks an innovative individual for a non-tenure earning Research Assistant Professor position to join and work with Dr. Kristine Jolivette and the Project CLIMATE research team which is affiliated with the Department of Special Education, Department of Educational Studies in Psychology and Research Methodology, and Center of Community-Partnerships.
Detailed Position Information
The University of Alabama, College of Education seeks an innovative individual for a non-tenure earning Research Assistant Professor position to join and work with Dr. Kristine Jolivette and the Project CLIMATE research team which is affiliated with the Department of Special Education, Department of Educational Studies in Psychology and Research Methodology, and Center of Community-Partnerships.

The Research Assistant Professor will focus their efforts on improving facility climate and youth behaviors as an equitable research team member on Project CLIMATE led by Dr. Kristine Jolivette. The Research Assistant Professor will lead diverse partner instructional discussions and trainings, solicit partner voice through focus groups, analyze qualitative data, support iterative development of curricula and materials, and co-disseminate findings. This position provides opportunities for the Research Assistant Professor to continue employment post Project by securing external funding through grant writing to support their research interests related to systems-involved populations and settings with ongoing involvement and supports of Dr. Jolivette's team.

The focus of this Research Assistant Professor position is to work fulltime within an interdisciplinary research team led by Dr. Kristine Jolivette as an equitable partner on a federally-funded project, Project CLIMATE (Improving the climate of restrictive school settings in juvenile justice facilities and residential treatment centers). Project CLIMATE aims to improve the climate of our partner facilities across 4 states through implementation of adapted low-intensity, evidence-based strategies to preventatively address youth problem behaviors during education/facility programming, to improve youth outcomes, and to assess effectiveness and feasibility. The Research Assistant Professor will be involved in several aspects of Project CLIMATE including: a) co-leading virtual and in-person delivery of instructional protocols (social learning, behavioral de-escalation, function-based logic, addressing noncompliance) to facility staff, youth, guardians/family members, and/or community members at-large supporting youth habilitation and rehabilitation; b) co-leading qualitative analyses and interpretations; c) supporting iterative development of curricula and materials; d) facilitating focus groups/interviews; e) data entry; and f) co-leading dissemination activities.

The Research Assistant Professor's documented interests, research activities, and applied work/training experiences must align with the aims of Project CLIMATE, this youth population, and juvenile justice and residential treatment facility settings. A Research Assistant Professor with behavioral pedagogy and the ability to a) efficiently and immediately establish credibility within these settings based on prior work and research experiences; b) navigate social dynamics and encourage high-rates of engagement across project partners; and c) create innovative micro-professional development opportunities for and across Project CLIMATE partners is sought.

The Research Assistant Professor will work with all team members across Project CLIMATE activities assuming additional roles and responsibilities based on interest, leadership skills, and needs. Travel (air/drive) to facilities across states monthly will be required.

This is a grant funded appointment through 9/30/2025 with continuation contingent on performance and available funding for future years for other projects.
Minimum Qualifications
The applicant must a) hold a terminal (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) in special education with emphasis and pedagogy in the area of emotional and behavioral disorders by the first day of employment; b) have a qualitative methodology certificate or at least 15 credit hours in qualitative methodology focused on interviewing, focus groups, and theory; c) have at least 3 years of applied experiences (i.e., working within residential treatment centers, juvenile justice facilities) working directly with systems-involved youth; d) identify as an applied interventionist in their research focus in these settings and with this population; e) have a peer-review publication history of empirical articles with these settings and with this population; f) have a history of providing professional development to adult learners; and g) be able to travel monthly to carry-out activities.

Search Initiation Date: Immediately. Only an electronic interview is required.

Expected Starting Date: Now
Preferred Qualifications
The applicant will have a) a primary interest in improving the lives and educational conditions provided to systems-involved youth in restrictive settings; and b) prior grant management history.
Instructions and Required Materials for Application
All required documents must be submitted via the UA Portal (incomplete set of documents will not be reviewed or considered): Cover Letter detailing how the required qualifications are met with specific examples linked to the aims of Project CLIMATE, youth population, settings, and prevention focus Vita Official Transcript with conferred Ph.D. or Ed.D. degree from an accredited university (by start date) Official Qualitative Certificate documentation (if not on official transcript) List of One Professional Recommendation from a person familiar with your experiences and pedagogy per the aims of Project CLIMATE and required qualifications to include only their name, phone, and email with a brief description of relationship Two Sample Publications showcasing involvement with the population and setting per Project CLIMATE A brief overview of future goals and research ideas as well as skills wanting to strengthen related not only to this Project but other related projects to support system-involved youth outcomes and experiences
About the Division/College/School
For over 150 years, the College of Education has been dedicated to developing professionals with the expertise needed to advance the intellectual and social conditions of all learners. By effectively preparing graduates to pursue their pedagogical and scholarly endeavors, the College of Education aims to lead Alabama in teaching, scholarship, advocacy, and service. Our faculty's research, teaching, and service is widely recognized through their securement of external funding, national awards, professional organization leadership, established centers and offices, and outreach to the local, state, and national communities. Faculty in the college are free to pursue their passions, partner with the local communities, and excel in their many pursuits of academia.

The College of Education consists of six academic departments and 29 high-caliber programs, including opportunities that enable students to earn specialized degrees in teacher education, exercise science, and educational neuroscience. Through a robust offering of main campus options, online degrees, and certification programs, the College is poised to accommodate any learner. The College of Education is also home to the No. 1 competitive adaptive sports program in the nation, UA Adapted Athletics, and proudly supports their successes at their state-of-the-art facilities. With teaching, research, and outreach efforts that serve the local community and beyond, the College of Education continues to expand its footprint in both the world of academia and in our global society.

The College of Education is committed to advancing opportunities for all of its community members, including increasing and retaining faculty, staff, and students from a range of backgrounds and areas of expertise, creating a culture that welcomes a vibrant and global college community, and providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to develop competencies that support these efforts. For more information on the College of Education's commitments and efforts, please visit our website: https://education.ua.edu/
About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure's 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation's premier universities, UA offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America's Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine's list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review's list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., "The Alabama Research Institutes"), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation's most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.
Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants to and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. "EEO is the Law" https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_files/employers/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf