Postdoctoral Scholar

Penn State University • University Park, IL

8d

About The Position

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health and Human Development at The Pennsylvania State University invites applications for a full-time, one-year Postdoctoral Scholar appointment in the AAC Language and Bilingualism Lab. The AAC Language and Bilingualism Lab focuses on research examining language development for children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods to communicate, including those who are bilingual/multilingual. The postdoctoral scholar will serve as a research collaborator, with substantial responsibility for advancing ongoing projects, shaping new lines of inquiry, and coordinating lab activities in collaboration with the Principal Investigator.

Requirements

• Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Special Education, Applied Linguistics, Psychology, or a closely related field by the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated expertise or a clearly articulated research agenda related to AAC, bilingual or multilingual language development, and disability studies
• Experience leading qualitative or mixed-methods research projects
• Evidence of initiative, independence, and collaborative leadership in research settings
• Experience working with families, schools, and multilingual communities
• A strong commitment to equity-oriented, family-centered research and practice
• A record of scholarly writing and dissemination or clear potential for publication productivity

Nice To Haves

• Experience with participatory or action research, AAC system design, translanguaging frameworks, and/or Spanish language proficiency is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to advancing and coordinating ongoing research projects within the the Lab
• Take intellectual leadership to the refinement of research questions, study design, and analytic approaches related to monolingual and bilingual AAC
• Lead qualitative and mixed-methods data collection and analysis related to bilingual AAC assessment, intervention, and implementation
• Coordinate collaboration with school partners, families, and community stakeholders
• Oversee IRB protocols, timelines, and research logistics across multiple projects
• Contribute to the development and evaluation of family coaching and professional learning resources
• Contribute to the conceptualization and evaluation of digital and online training tools for professionals and caregivers
• Lead and co-author manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and presentations for national and international conferences
• Contribute substantively to the preparation of external funding proposals
• Provide day-to-day supervision and mentorship for graduate research assistants and student collaborators
• Support the ongoing development of lab structures, workflows, and documentation to sustain research productivity

Benefits

• Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.
• For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree