Postdoctoral Research Associate, Digital Technology and Healthy Youth Development, University of Virginia

The University of Virginia’s Grand Challenge on Digital Technology and Healthy Youth Development is seeking highly qualified applicants for up to three two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate positions.

We are inviting applicants for postdoctoral research associates who would support a project related to the Grand Challenge’s focus on digital technology and youth (ages 11-25) mental health.

The Grand Challenge aims to foster a collaborative, interdisciplinary community conducting cutting edge research about both the impact of digital technology on healthy and unhealthy youth development, and its potential to advance intervention and prevention solutions.

Projects aligned with this Grand Challenge advance understanding of the role of digital technologies in healthy development, and the ways that generation and dissemination of digital mental health programs can help address the youth mental health crisis.

Postdoctoral research associates will have a primary position with one of the three research teams listed below, with specific responsibilities as assigned by the faculty mentor(s) on a Grand Challenge related project.

Postdoctoral research associates will also receive interdisciplinary mentoring and professional development through the Grand Challenge and may have the opportunity to collaborate on other Grand Challenge affiliated projects, as well as to potentially develop their own projects.

Professors Sophie Trawalter (Batten / Policy), and Noelle Hurd (Psychology) seek postdoctoral candidates with research interests at the intersection of race, racism, digital technology, intervention science, and / or youth development, and with advanced statistical training.

The successful candidate will join a project examining interventions aimed at increasing White students’ ability and willingness to challenge anti-Black online racism with the goal of improving campus racial climate at predominantly White institutions (PWIs).

In addition, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop their own independent research and build collaborations.

Implications from this work can inform a variety of fields including Psychology, Policy, Media Studies, and Communications.

The Program for Anxiety, Cognition and Treatment (PACT) Lab, under the direction of Bethany Teachman, Ph.D, in collaboration with the Sensing Systems for Health Lab , under the direction of Laura Barnes, Ph.

D. seeks a postdoctoral research associate who will have the opportunity to work on a range of projects, with a particular focus on increasing engagement among teens and emerging adults with our mobile apps that are designed to reduce anxiety.

The team investigates cognitive processes that contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety and related disorders, and we use mobile assessment methods and digital interventions to reduce anxious thinking and increase access to mental health services.

Specifically, the position will involve developing and testing novel approaches to better personalize our training programs and offer feedback to users.

Applicants with research experience in digital mental health using qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are especially encouraged to apply.

Dr. Jingjing Li and Dr. Steven L. Johnson seek a postdoctoral research associates to join their dynamic research team to explore the intersection of Generative AI and the quality of online mental health information and social support for young adults.

• postdoctoral research associates will play a pivotal role in multiple phases of research, including extracting, categorizing, and analyzing large-scale datasets in online behaviors;
• integrating insights from psychology, education, youth development, and information systems; designing and implementing controlled experiments;

conducting focus groups with youth; and, assisting in developing recommendations for policymakers. As this research is at the intersection of digital technology, youth development, and youth mental health, the position is open to candidates with a Ph.

D. (at time of start) who have relevant research backgrounds and interests. The position offers a unique opportunity to bridge technical innovation with societal needs, shaping future policies and interventions to support healthy youth development in the digital age.

Ideal candidates for this position must demonstrate :

• Research interests in issues of adolescent development and mental health, impact of digital technology on adolescent health and well-being, potential use of digital technology as a tool to promote adolescent mental health.
• The ability to synthesize a research literature.
• The ability to knowledgably apply qualitative and / or quantitative research methods.

Postdoctoral research associates funded by the Grand Challenge will be expected to participate in the Grand Challenge community, including works-in-progress meetings, professional development activities, and programming including trainings, conferences, and other events.

Education : Applicants have earned a Ph.D. by the appointment start date. The discipline of the Ph.D. is open but focus of the applicant’s scholarship should be related to healthy youth development and digital technology.

Required Experience and skills :

• Conducting applied or translational research related to digital technology and youth mental health
• Specific skills will differ based on needs of individual research projects but may include : quantitative and / or qualitative data management, quantitative and / or qualitative data analysis, grant writing, research team management
• Specific experiences will differ based on needs of individual research projects but may include experiences with : data collection via wearable devices, design and use of digital apps aimed at youth, data collection in schools or other youth-serving settings, lab-based data collection, digital ethnography, implementation science, large scale secondary data sets

Preferred experience and skills :

• Experience with interdisciplinary, collaborative research.
• Experience supervising and mentoring research assistants.
• The ability to collaborate with and lead a team of undergraduate and graduate researchers.

The postdoctoral research associates are a 12-month salary ($60,000-$65,000 based on experience) and benefits for up to with the possibility of renewal for an additional 12 months contingent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funding.

For more information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu / benefits .

To Apply :

Please apply through the UVA job board and search for R0060356 . Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs'.

Complete an application online with the following documents :

Cover letter, within your cover letter, please indicate which research team you would like to be considered to work with and indicate your skills and experiences that prepare you to work on their affiliated project.

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission.

Applications that do not contain all the required documents will not receive full consideration.

References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process SkillSurvey. Five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process.

For questions about the application process, please contact Ashley Cochran, Senior Recruiter at .

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please visit UVA Charlottesville and Beyond and Embark .

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.

We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.