Postdoctoral Fellow

The Poverty and Inequality Research Lab (PIRL) at Johns Hopkins University is seeking applicants for one Postdoctoral Fellow to work with Director Dr. Stefanie DeLuca and Dr. Richard Settersten at Oregon State University on a new project to examine the role of alternative credentials in the postsecondary education, talent development, workforce transitions and economic mobility of learners and workers of all ages.

This full-time, fully funded position starts in July 2026 as a one-year appointment, with the possibility of a second year depending on funding and work scope. No teaching is required. The fellow will be based at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, with occasional supported travel to Oregon for collaboration.

The Fellow will work under the advisement of Drs. DeLuca and Settersten, coordinating research with the assistance of pre-doctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate research assistants to collect survey data and/or conduct in-depth open-ended interviews, and to code and analyze data. The Postdoctoral Fellow will conduct quantitative, qualitative and archival analyses, using a range of social scientific methods. These methods include qualitative data collection and analysis through semi-structured interviews, structural micro-econometric modeling and estimation, and statistical analysis of large-scale administrative data.

Although not the focus of this Fellowship and subject to funding, the Fellow may have the opportunity to work on other ongoing projects at PIRL in collaboration with Dr. DeLuca as well as economist Dr. Nicholas Papageorge, Associate Director of PIRL, and economist Dr. Raj Chetty, Director of Opportunity Insights at Harvard University. Ongoing project topics include how the trajectories of community college students shape degree attainment and employment outcomes, housing policies to increase neighborhood quality and residential choice, the responses of high-achieving low-income students to financial aid, and trends in economic mobility.

The Fellow will also benefit from the larger PIRL and JHU community as well as Oregon State University's College of Health. PIRL is a collaborative, interdisciplinary mixed-methods research center focused on policy-relevant scholarship in the areas of family, education, housing and neighborhoods. For more on PIRL, visit https://otheramerica.org.

Each application will be evaluated on the degree of fit of research interests and match to qualifications, demonstrated record of scholarly work and quality of writing, and strength of letters of support.

The postdoctoral fellowship is open to applicants who are up to three years post-PhD in sociology, economics, education, human development, social policy or related fields. Applicants who have experience with qualitative or mixed methods are preferred; experience with quantitative data analyses is required. Applicants must possess strong research skills and experience in areas of inequality, education, and workforce development. Strong communication and teamwork skills are essential.

Applicants should submit a letter of interest, CV, a 10-page writing sample, and names of three (3) references. The priority review deadline is January 15, 2026. The application portal will remain open until the position has been filled.

Salary Range

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

Total Rewards

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Pre-Employment Information

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Background Checks

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification.

EEO is the Law:

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Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. This change does not apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/.

The following additional vaccine requirements may apply, depending upon your campus. Please contact the hiring department for more information. The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.