Postdoctoral Associate in Early Literacy Research and Development

State University of New York at Buffalo; New York (NY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Well-being and success enhancements

Opportunities for scholarship

Interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship

Job summary

The State University of New York at Buffalo is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Associate in Early Literacy Research and Development. This role involves coordinating multidisciplinary research to advance early literacy education through AI tools, collaborating with faculty and team members, and contributing to project dissemination.

The ideal candidate will hold a doctorate in a related field, possess strong organizational and communication skills, and demonstrate expertise in early literacy development and research. The position is fanatical about equity and community responsiveness in educational settings.

Qualifications

• Earned doctorate by 8/1/26 in literacy or reading education.
• Demonstrated expertise in early literacy development.
• Experience conducting education or literacy research.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage tasks.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate literacy-related research and development activities.
• Assist with the design and implementation of research studies.
• Conduct or support qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary project team members.

Skills

Early literacy development

Organizational skills

Qualitative research

Quantitative research

Interpersonal communication

Collaborative teamwork

Education

Earned doctorate in literacy or related field

Job description

Postdoctoral Associate in Early Literacy Research and Development

Position Title Postdoctoral Associate in Early Literacy Research and Development

The University at Buffalo (UB), The State University of New York (SUNY), invites applications for a Postdoctoral Associate to join the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI (CELaRAI), an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funded national research and development (R&D) center supported.

CELaRAI (LinkedIn: CELaRAI) is a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary initiative focused on advancing responsible artificial intelligence (AI) for early literacy education, particularly for children in kindergarten through grade 2. CELaRAI brings together researchers across AI, learning sciences, early literacy, and AI ethics to design, study, and scale innovative AI-powered tools that support early literacy development.

The Postdoctoral Associate will support the multidisciplinary R&D project. The position is ideal for a scholar with expertise in early literacy and interest in collaborative research at the intersection of literacy, educational technology, and classroom implementation.

The Postdoctoral Associate will play a central role in coordinating literacy-focused research and development activities, supporting study implementation, collaborating with interdisciplinary partners, and contributing to dissemination products. This position requires strong organizational skills; research expertise; experience assessing and teaching literacy with young children; and the ability to work across research, design, and school partnership contexts.

Primary Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day literacy-related research and development activities for the project
• Support the design and refinement of literacy tasks, prompts, scaffolds, and instructional supports related to decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
• Assist with the design and implementation of research studies in school and classroom settings
• Coordinate data collection, organization, and management across project activities
• Conduct or support qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed-methods data analysis
• Prepare research materials, protocols, summaries, and project documentation
• Supervise and support graduate and undergraduate research assistants, as needed
• Collaborate with faculty and interdisciplinary project team members across literacy, learning sciences, and technology-related areas
• Participate in regular project meetings, planning sessions, and cross-team coordination
• Contribute to manuscripts, conference presentations, technical reports, grant proposals, and other dissemination products
• Support communication and relationship-building with school and community partners
• Assist with iterative design and refinement processes based on classroom feedback, user data, and research findings

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong understanding of early literacy development and evidence-based instruction
• Ability to translate literacy research into developmentally appropriate research and design recommendations
• Ability to work independently while also contributing effectively to collaborative team-based work
• Attention to detail and the ability to maintain high-quality research documentation
• Commitment to equity-oriented and community-responsive research and development

Expected Contributions

The Postdoctoral Associate will contribute to a dynamic project designed to improve literacy outcomes for young children through research-based innovation. The position offers opportunities for scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, mentorship, and participation in large-scale project development and dissemination.

Benefits

• Our benefits, where we prioritize your well‑being and success to enhance every aspect of your life.

This position is based on grant funding and will be reviewed year to year up to 3 years.

Minimum Qualifications

• An earned doctorate by 8/1/26 in literacy or reading education, child development, early childhood education, learning sciences, or another closely related field, with specific expertise in early literacy
• Demonstrated expertise in early literacy development, assessment, and instruction, especially in one or more of the following areas: decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and/or comprehension
• Experience conducting education or literacy research in schools, classrooms, or other applied learning settings
• Experience with qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed-methods research design, data collection, and analysis
• Evidence of scholarly writing and dissemination, such as peer-reviewed publications, reports, dissertations, or conference presentations
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks, timelines, and collaborative projects
• Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with faculty, teachers, school partners, and research assistants

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in K–2 literacy research, instruction, and/or intervention design
• Experience with design-based research, iterative development, improvement science, and/or user-centered design
• Experience supporting teacher professional learning, instructional coaching, and/or classroom implementation of interventions
• Experience supervising graduate or undergraduate research assistants
• Experience with educational technology, AI-supported learning tools, speech/language data, and/or digital literacy research
• Experience working with multilingual learners, low‑income students, and/or historically underserved student populations
• Experience collaborating on interdisciplinary research teams.

Physical Demands

Driving Requirements: This position does not require driving a university owned vehicle.

Salary Range

$60,000 - $65,000

Work Hours

8:30am – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday, may involve some evenings or weekends occasionally, and traveling to local schools or to the CELaRAI subaward sites (e.g., North Carolina).

Campus

As Assigned

Additional Salary Information

The salary range reflects our good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible compensation at the time of posting, the role and associated responsibilities, and the experience, education, and training of the selected candidate.

Background Check Notification

Employment in this position will be contingent on the university’s verification of credentials and any other information required by federal or state law, and University at Buffalo policies, including the completion of a criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

UB is an AA/EOE and welcomes all to apply including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Arrangements will be made if an applicant has a disability in order to provide access to the application, interview and selection process upon request. Reasonable accommodation requests must be made in a timely manner by email at [e-mail] or by phone [phone].