Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at UCR

The School of Education (SOE) at the University of California Riverside (UCR) is committed to its mission to advance educational systems and practices which are driven by core values of equity, evidence, excellence, community, critical thinking, and compassion. Located in the Inland Empire, a racially and economically diverse region on Tribal lands, UCR is a land-grant public institution designated as a Hispanic-Serving, Minority-Serving, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. Within this context, we seek to hire a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow. This is a two-year post-doctoral experience split between research and clinical responsibilities.

Research:

As a Research Fellow, the post-doc will join the UCR team of an Institute of Education Sciences-funded, Initial Efficacy study, which is located primarily at UMass Boston and the University of California Riverside.

The IES study goals include implementing an autism-focused professional development (PD) program for early elementary, general education teachers and evaluating the program's efficacy in a randomized controlled trial design. This PD program, called Smooth Sailing, was designed with close consultation from teachers and autistic consultants, and equips teachers with strategies for fostering strong student-teacher relationships with their young autistic students. There will be opportunities for data analysis, writing and presentations, and mentorship from the PIs.

Examples of Research Duties:

Under the supervision of the PI and in collaboration with the other identified key personnel, the post-doctoral fellow will oversee current phases of the study, including, but not limited to:

• Collaborate with staff across multiple study sites and assist the site Principal Investigator (PI) in supervising undergraduate and doctoral students
• Participate in weekly research team meetings
• Assist in providing coaching of teachers
  
• Be responsible for contact with consulting teachers, autistic adolescents and adults, and caregivers, as needed
• Actively engage in analysis and writing of findings, as author or co-author when substantively involved
• Share results with stakeholder audiences

Clinical:

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will also join the UCR SEARCH Center team. SEARCH is the first free autism clinic within the University of California system. We focus on providing information, support, screening, and diagnosis for families of children in the Inland Empire of California. We are particularly focused on serving historically minoritized populations (e.g. Latinx and Spanish-speaking families, and those from under-resourced areas). Assessments are provided in Spanish and English.

The Post-Doctoral Research Fellow should have training in autism diagnosis, including experience administering the ADOS-2. The Fellow will be responsible for training graduate students in the ADOS-2, supervising assessments as needed, and overseeing clinical contact with parents and caregivers. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will be supervised in clinical activities by a licensed Clinical Psychologist, and in research activities by a Distinguished Research Professor.

Examples of Clinical Duties:

Under supervision of the SEARCH Director or co-Director, the Fellow will conduct the following:

• Conduct in-person diagnostic appointments, write psychological reports, and conduct feedback calls with parents (twice a week)
• Collaborate with staff and assist SEARCH Director in supervising undergraduate and doctoral students
• Participate in weekly research team meetings
• Share results with stakeholder audiences
• Write and publish on existing datasets as desired
  

Qualifications for this Post-Doctoral Fellow at UCR

Required:
PhD in Special Education, School Psychology, or Clinical Psychology, or related discipline. Training in autism and assessment experience with the ADOS-2.

Preferred:
Experience working closely with caregivers or teachers or direct classroom experience with young autistic children. Experience with intervention implementation, coaching/consultation with teachers. Experience working with historically underserved families is preferred. Bilingual in Spanish and English is strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite.
Familiarity with statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, R)
Ability to work as a member of a team.
Ability to provide leadership to others through example and sharing of knowledge and skills.
Ability to establish effective relationships with internal team members, teacher and parent research participants, as well as school/community members.

Strong oral and written communication skills.
Strong attention to detail.
Strong organizational skills.
Ability to protect confidentiality of participant information.

Strong commitment to research ethics.
Strong commitment to writing, presentation and professional development

Application Instructions:

UCR is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact: Victoria Anaya (vanaya@ucr.edu).

Please apply online at https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/JPF02214 with your resume, cover letter and list of three references by February 28, 2026. Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date and will continue until the position is filled.
Address questions to Dr. Jan Blacher (jan.blacher@ucr.edu)

Salary Range: See Table 23 [https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/represented-oct-2025-scales/t23.pdf] for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $69,073-$77,030.