Postdoctoral Fellowship in Practical Theology
Yale Divinity School
Anticipated Appointment Dates: July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025.
Yale Divinity School exists to address the most pressing issues facing humanity in the 21st century. We engage this challenge through scholarship of the highest caliber and through the cultivation of faith. It is this potent, unique combination—faith and intellect—that makes our school powerfully relevant and ideally positioned to take on the challenges of the future.
The mission of the Divinity School is to foster the knowledge and love of God through rigorous scholarly inquiry, the preparation of students for lives of transformative service, the promotion of broad inclusivity and diversity in our communal life, encounter with the sacred through music and the arts, and the advancement of the sustainability of the earth. Traditionally and primarily Christian in character, the school welcomes persons of all faiths and those of no faith.
Conectere is an interdisciplinary project to support secure Christian parenting and caregiving, through research and resource development. Conectere resources parents and caregivers in culturally attentive ways of relating with children, so that the sharing of faith and values is complemented by secure relational practices – a combination shown by research to make faith transmission across generations most effective. The project is funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and led by an interdisciplinary team of scholars at Eastern Mennonite University and Yale Divinity School.
The Conectere Initiative seeks a postdoctoral fellow in the area of Practical Theology, Christian Education, Youth Ministry, or a related field with experience researching parents and care givers’ central role in the faith development of children.
Mentoring:
The candidate will report to and be mentored by the co-principal investigator of Conectere and Associate Professor of Religious Education, Almeda Wright for the duration of the fellowship. They will also collaborate with the Conectere team of researchers, both at Yale and at Eastern Mennonite University. This will afford them opportunities for further mentoring from others in the field of practical theology and counseling.
Training:
The postdoctoral fellow will participate in the research activities of the Conectere grant initiative on Christian Parenting and Secure Attachment. They will be trained in qualitative research design, execution of research plans, interpretation/scoring of data, and training/supervising student researchers. They will also be trained in the theories and practices of secure attachment and participate in internationally led trainings on how to facilitate groups of parents and caregivers who want to lean into these practices. The postdoctoral fellow will work with the co-PIs to begin to create parenting groups in Connecticut, Virginia, and other areas as needed. The postdoctoral fellow will also assist the co-principal investigators in writing research reports and presenting research findings at a relevant academic conference.
Education:
Eligible candidates must have a Ph.D. in practical theology (or related field) completed within the last 5 years or have a scheduled dissertation defense date in spring semester 2024. The expectation is that the successful candidate will already have some research experience and demonstrated interest in faith development and parenting/caregiving broadly understood and will use the postdoctoral fellowship as an opportunity to enhance this research trajectory while learning alongside of a dynamic team of scholars and practitioners.
As part of the integration of their research and training, the postdoctoral candidate will teach one course per semester at the master’s level at Yale Divinity School, starting in Fall 2024, for a potential total of three courses during the post-doctoral fellowship. The appointment is for 18 months, starting July 1, 2024. The successful candidate must live within commuting distance of Yale Divinity School (This is not a remote position and all teaching at Yale Divinity is conducted in person).
Review of application materials will begin February 15th, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled.
Interested candidates should submit the following: 1) Cover letter outlining specific experiences relevant to teaching and researching faith development and parenting; 2) Curriculum vitae; 3) Transcripts (official or unofficial); 4) Names and contact information for three references; and 5) Sample syllabus from previous or proposed course related to this position. Materials should be mailed or submitted electronically to the almeda.wright@yale.edu.