Postdoctoral Scholar

Job Summary

THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK (CoSW) is a renowned leader in higher education. Our mission is clear: Through rigorous research, excellence in instruction, and steadfast service, the CoSW works to improve the human condition. Always, in all ways.

As the state’s flagship university, CoSW is committed to actualizing our mission through innovative, accessible academic programming. CoSW is home to several undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, including: Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice (traditional and online), Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (traditional and online), Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (traditional and online), Master of Science in Criminal Justice (online), Master of Social Work (hybrid and online), Doctorate of Social Work (online), Ph.D. in Social Work (traditional), and multiple certificate programs. In addition to Lexington’s main campus, we have a satellite campus at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

To continue to advance our support infrastructure for CoSW, we invite applicants for a 12-month Postdoctoral Scholar position to begin as early as July 2026 or August 2026.

This Postdoctoral Scholar position will support several active and expanding research and evaluation projects focused on juvenile justice, trauma-informed systems, child and family well-being, and community-based interventions. The Postdoctoral Scholar will play a critical role in ensuring timely and high-quality implementation of complex mixed-methods studies, supporting project deliverables, applying for external funding, completing publications, and supporting dissemination products.

The position will enhance the College’s research infrastructure by:

• Providing support in data management, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and manuscript development.
• Supporting proposal development for new external funding.
• Strengthening partnerships with state agencies and community organizations.
• Accelerating the production of peer-reviewed publications and translational products.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will:

• Plan, organize, coordinate, and participate in scientific research and evaluation projects.
• Work closely with principal investigators to manage research activities and, as appropriate, coordinate students and project staff.
• Lead and support data management, data cleaning, analysis, interpretation, and data visualization.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analyses.
• Prepare and edit reports, presentations, manuscripts, and other scholarly and translational products.
• Present research findings to professional, academic, and community audiences.
• Develop scientific products for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
• Contribute to the preparation of grant proposals and other external funding submissions.
• Engage with community and agency partners in interpretation and dissemination of findings.
• Support the development of their own scholarly trajectory aligned with CoSW research priorities.

Applicants are requested to submit the following:

• Letter of interest detailing applicant’s goodness of fit for the position, a brief discussion of research agenda, and relevant experience managing projects and applying for funding (upload as Cover Letter)
• Curriculum Vitae (upload as Resume)
• Research statement that summarizes applicant’s current interests, trajectory, and impact on the social work or criminal justice field (upload as Specific Request #1)
• Contact information for at least three professional references (upload as Specific Request #2)

Inquiries about the position can be emailed to ukcosw@uky.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

• Strong quantitative and/or qualitative analytic skills (e.g., Stata, SPSS, R, MPlus, NVivo, ATLAS.ti).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in team-based research environments.

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? : No

Preferred Education/Experience

• A defined research agenda related to one or more of the following: child or adolescent well-being, juvenile justice, trauma, mental health services, resilience, or community-engaged research.
• Established record of scholarly publications or manuscripts under review.
• Experience leading or managing research teams or complex projects.
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams and community or state agency partners.
• Experience with mixed-methods research designs.
• Experience contributing to or leading grant writing and proposal development.