CURA – Post-Doctoral Associate

Position description

The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is hiring a full-time Postdoctoral Associate in Urban and Regional Affairs. The postdoctoral position is a temporary scholarly appointment. The Associate will carry out advanced independent and/or directed research related to issues of housing, community development, land use, racial equity, and other issues of interest to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area or the Upper Midwest region. The duration of the postdoctoral appointment will be either one or two years as negotiated with the successful candidate. 

Research projects for the Postdoctoral Associate will be generated in any of the following ways: 1) an issue of importance in the region decided upon by the leadership of CURA in consultation with program staff, 2) Requests for Proposals that are offered by local organizations and agencies, and 3) the Associate’s own interests as they relate to the mission of CURA.

We are especially interested in candidates with experience in engaged, community-based research, and experience in working with community partners in the conduct of research. We are also interested in candidates who have experience with different media including film and video as a means of communicating research findings and relating research-based stories. The ideal candidate would be one who combines interest and experience in engaged research with innovative media experience.

The Executive Director, as the responsible faculty member, will establish the professional objectives and performance standards for the incumbent and will make annual evaluations. The incumbent will conduct research and ensure that all research is appropriately conducted following the policies and procedures of the University of Minnesota.

To be classified at this level, the incumbent must not have been professionally employed in their specialty subsequent to the receipt of the doctoral or other appropriate terminal degree. Prior assignment as Teaching or Graduate Assistant or Post-doc is permitted. 

Duties assigned to this title will require an in depth knowledge of a specialized field, process, or discipline and may involve organizing and implementing complex research plans, the development of methods of research, testing and data collection, analysis and evaluation, and writing reports containing descriptive, analytical and evaluative content. The duties will require the exercise of independent discretion and judgment in carrying out research activities within the predetermined research scope and methodology.

Principal Duties and responsibilities:

1. Conduct community-based and engaged research on developments in the rental housing market and among organizations within the tenants’ movement in the Twin Cities and Minnesota.

2. Production of post-research products (using film or video or other media technology) to disseminate findings and to communicate to a wider audience about the topics and issues relating to the rental housing market and the tenants’ movement in the Twin Cities and Minnesota.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in urban planning, public policy, sociology, political science, or a related social science field;
• Experience in research related to housing policies and conditions, tenant-landlord relations, or housing movements;
• Experience with community-engaged research;
• Experience in writing up research results for publication.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience with film or video production;
• Experience in presenting research findings in public venues and to funders;
• Knowledge of Twin Cities housing issues;
• Success in publishing research results in highly regarded journals.

About the Department

CURA is an applied research and technical assistance center that helps the University of Minnesota fulfill its land grant and urban missions by connecting faculty and student resources with nonprofit organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, local governments, and state agencies in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area and throughout Minnesota. CURA supports research and publishes policy-oriented research based reports on a wide range of urban and regional issues. The Postdoctoral Associate will work with other program leaders to develop and carry out CURA’s research agenda. 

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on tendersglobal.net