"Postdoctoral Fellow"

About Drexel University

Located in the heart of Philadelphia, Drexel University is a world‐class, comprehensive, R1 research institution and a global leader in experiential education. For more than 100 years, our renowned Cooperative Education (co-op) program has enabled students to gain professional work experience before they graduate, setting them apart from their peers.

Committed to becoming the nation’s most civically engaged university, Drexel supports engagement along three dimensions: research and academic programs that directly benefit communities, business practices that support equitable local and regional economic development, and public service by students, faculty, and staff. Our engagement is long‐term, multigenerational, and fundamental to the University’s mission, heritage, and future.

At Drexel, we are devoted to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment that promotes healthy lifestyles and is based on integrity, trust, and respect. We center equity, inclusion and belonging, and incorporate an anti‐racism approach to our strategic plan, organizational systems, policies and structures.

Drexel offers its highly engaged faculty and professional staff a comprehensive and world‐class benefits package that includes generous vacation and paid time off as applicable (including civic engagement days), up to an 11% 403(b) Retirement Plan match with immediate vesting, and remote and flexible work options for many roles. Our exceptional medical plans include domestic partner and fertility assistance and our award‐winning A Healthier U wellness program. In addition, faculty and professional staff at Drexel enjoy free tuition for themselves and their dependents for Drexel degree programs, certification, and non‐certification programs. And as part of the tuition offering to employees, Drexel participates in a tuition exchange program for dependents with other higher education institutions. These are just a sample of our extensive benefit offerings. Please see this Benefits Brochure for more information.

Suspension of Drexel University's Contribution into 403(b) Retirement Plan

As communicated on Oct. 10, Drexel University is suspending its contributions to employee retirement plans for calendar year 2025 as part of its multi-year plan to build financial resilience. Drexel is continuing to monitor the situation and will share updates as they become available for calendar year 2026.

Job Summary

Drs. McGhee Hassrick and Vivanti from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute are recruiting for a postdoctoral fellow for the Autism Research Communication Consortium (ARCC), a three-year grant recently funded by the Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA), to conduct autism research about social network communication support interventions for autistic students, their families and community supporters. Candidates will be working at the Drexel Autism Institute, which is a multidisciplinary institute emphasizing public health science approaches. Candidates will lead, design, develop, conduct, and communicate research often with a wide range of collaborators. They will receive mentoring on research with an emphasis on autism intervention, social networks and communication supports. Independence to pursue their own lines of research/ service/ learning/ outreach/ teaching will be encouraged.

Essential Functions

• Lead ARCC Community Advisory Board recruitment, facilitation and administration.
• Plan and host the ARCC conference in Philadelphia.
• Co-lead the development of social network intervention for autistic K-12 students, their families and school and community supporters.
• Lead mixed methods research project implementation by supervising and participating in recruitment, consent, enrollment and data collection for autistic K-12 students, their families and school and community supporters.
• Lead manuscript writing, table making etc. to support the dissemination of research findings.
• Use Sharepoint, maintain meticulous and well-organized records (i.e. recording notes for all meetings in notebook, completing all tracking information for project implementation, engaging in timely internal and external communications, project management (creating detailed project SOPs), and all other aspects of the job.
• Lead administrative and Internal Review Board (IRB) processes for ARCC grant.
• Contribute to a collaborative and interdisciplinary work environment
• Maintain excellent research group citizenship
• Supervise junior staff
• Execute strong organizational skills
• Practice outstanding written and oral communication abilities
• Contribute to the intellectual environment of the institute
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a PhD or Doctorate in the social sciences
• Experience working both independently and under direction
• Expertise in community-engaged research
• Some experience with autism intervention and qualitative and quantitative social network research

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated capability in intervention science, demonstrated scientific writing skills, and successful ability to pursue funding

Physical Demands

• Typically sitting at a desk/table

Location

University City - Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt, grade K. Compensation for this grade ranges from $54,630.00 to $81,940.00 per year. Please note that the offered rate for this position typically aligns with the minimum to midrange of this grade, but it can vary based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.

Applicants are encouraged to explore the Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on Drexel’s compensation framework. For information about benefits, please review Drexel’s Benefits Brochure.

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

A review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.

Advertised: Sep 3 2025 Eastern Daylight Time

Applications close: Oct 4 2025 Eastern Daylight Time