POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE
The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, part of the Child Study Center at the Yale University School of Medicine, conducts research and teaches people of all ages how to develop their emotional intelligence. Our work focuses on (1) the development and impact of social and emotional skills among diverse populations, including education settings and organizations, and (2) the mechanisms by which social and emotional skills and training impact significant life outcomes.
We are looking for a Postdoctoral Associate to join our research team, working on a longitudinal study funded by the Youth Sport, Recreation and Wellness Fund to follow a large and representative sample of middle school students over time. The project will investigate the childhood predictors of physical and mental well-being/health and academic and career achievement, with special focus on the behavioral and mental health benefits of participation in youth sports and regular physical activity; emotional intelligence skills; access to social-emotional learning in school; and the role of emotionally supportive adult caregivers (parents, educators, coaches, and mentors).
The postdoctoral associate’s primary responsibility will be to manage and execute the major components of the project, including working with the project team and consultants on study conceptualization, measurement selection, and protocol set-up; school and participant recruitment, data collection, and analysis; and preparation of research articles and academic presentations. The position will include regular travel within the US to school sites, and opportunities for grant writing. Dr. Jessica Hoffmann, Director of Research, will serve as the primary supervisor. Dr. Marc Brackett, YCEI Director, will provide additional supervision and professional support.
Skills and Qualifications
- Doctorate (PhD or EdD) in psychology, education, or a related field
- Specialization or demonstrated interest in developmental psychology, adolescent development, emotional intelligence, and psychological assessment
- Strong interest in the role of sports and/or physical activity and mental health
- Demonstrated ability to work with school communities (educators, students, families), conduct school-based research, and maintain school relations
- Excellent statistics skills, including experience with longitudinal data analysis and multi-level modeling
- Excellent communication skills (e.g., writing research papers, giving presentations)
- Strong project management skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
- Interest or experience with neurophysiological indicators of well-being preferred but not required.
The anticipated start date is September 1, 2025.
To Apply
Please send a cover letter and CV to jessica.hoffmann@yale.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please have contact information available for three references upon request.
ABOUT THE YALE CENTER FOR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Emotions drive learning, decision making, creativity, relationships, and health. Our goal is to design effective approaches for supporting school communities in understanding the value of emotions, teaching the skills of emotional intelligence, and building and sustaining positive emotional climates in homes, schools, and workplaces.
We provide training to educational leaders, teachers, and school staff to support the systemic implementation of SEL (social and emotional learning) and foster those skills in all stakeholders in these communities, including in families and out-of-school time. We test and refine each element of our work, with the goal of leveraging emotions to create healthier and more equitable, innovative, and compassionate communities.
YCEI researchers actively work to be at the forefront of translational emotion science, building and evaluating tools to support students, teachers, and schools to thrive. We do this by conducting research on the science of emotions and emotional intelligence, evaluating programming aimed at fostering emotion skill development in children and adults, and advancing new practices in assessment and implementation science. We support the RULER Approach by providing continuous feedback to our content developers, testing and forwarding the evidence base for SEL, and measuring key outcomes including academic performance, relationship quality, school climate, and overall well-being.
Yale University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. Yale values diversity among its students, staff, and faculty and strongly welcomes applications from women, persons with disabilities, protected veterans, and underrepresented minorities.