Postdoctoral Associates in the Center for Children and Families (CCF)

Florida International University is a top public university that drives real talent and innovation in Miami and globally. Very high research (R1) activity and high social mobility come together at FIU to uplift and accelerate learner success in a global city by focusing in the areas of environment, health, innovation, and justice. Today, FIU has two campuses and multiple centers. FIU serves a diverse student body of more than 56,000 and 290,000 Panther alumni. U.S. News and World Report places dozens of FIU programs among the best in the nation, including international business at No. 2. Washington Monthly Magazine ranks FIU among the top 20 public universities contributing to the public good.

Postdoctoral Associates in the Center for Children and Families (CCF)

The Center for Children and Families (CCF): https://ccf.fiu.edu/ at Florida International University (FIU) is recruiting full-time, Post-doctoral Research Associates for one-year appointments with the possibility of extending to two or three years. The CCF is a university Preeminent Center focusing on child and adolescent mental health and has 38 faculty members, 7 current postdocs, and more than 80 graduate students and 480 undergraduate students involved in faculty research programs. Most of the Faculty (https://ccf.fiu.edu/about/team/#role%5B%5D=Faculty&query) have Ph.Ds. in clinical child psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or developmental psychology. The Center is closely affiliated with the FIU Psychology Department, housing the Department’s APA-approved doctoral program in Child and Adolescent Clinical Science. It also serves as the primary research hub that contributes to the Department’s #2 ranking in the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development rankings in amount of external research funding. CCF faculty hold more than $98M in grants from federal agencies (e.g., NIMH, NICHD, NIDA, NIAAA, IES, NSF) and community/state agencies (e.g., Florida Department of Health, The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade, Children’s Services Council of Broward County).

The CCF is located at Florida International University, a very high research activity (R1) and Hispanic-serving institution in Miami, with a fully integrated satellite laboratory led by faculty members in Buffalo, New York. The CCF has extensive relationships with the Miami-Dade Public Schools, the fourth largest school district in the U.S. and many community agencies in Miami. The CCF also has a close affiliation with and extensive funding from The Children’s Trust, the largest funder of children’s services in Miami-Dade County.

The CCF research environment is robust and offers 26,366 square feet of research and clinical space that includes an active clinic serving children, teens, and families with mental health problems (more than 1500 families per year), 23 research/clinical rooms and 5 large group rooms all equipped with one-way windows and/or cameras, 6 medical examining rooms and direct access to a high-performance 3T Siemens Magnetom Prisma MRI magnet and multiple EEG systems. In addition to extensive facilities, the CCF has a designated data management group, a designated grants management group, a communications and design team, and an administrative team. In addition to faculty, postdocs graduate students and staff, the CCF employs 5 full time clinicians, a part-time child psychiatrist and front- and back-office staff in its clinic. The Buffalo satellite office is located in Amherst, NY and consists of a 3000 square foot clinical research site that serves as a workspace for postdoctoral associates, study clinicians, and research assistants as well as a meeting space for participants in research projects. The FIU CCF-Buffalo has access to all the collaborators and resources available at the main FIU site and provides an additional Northeastern community for research projects.

Interested candidates are encouraged to identify and send inquiries to a prospective Faculty mentor: https://ccf.fiu.edu/about/team/#role%5B%5D=Faculty&query=. Areas of emphasis within the CCF include but are not limited to:

ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders;
Anxiety, depression, and suicidal behaviors;
Community-designed interventions;
Emotion regulation;
Early childhood education, early literacy, and school readiness;
Infant behavior problems;
Language development;
Learning, attention, and memory;
Neuroimaging and psychophysiology;
Parenting and parent-child interactions;
Passive sensing methodology;
Selective mutism;
Substance use;
Sleep;
Trauma and disaster-related psychology.
Many collaborations within the CCF bridge these areas, particularly at the intersection of clinical, developmental, and neuroscience. Candidates with interests across multiple areas are encouraged to apply.

General applicant requirements

Applicants should hold a doctoral degree in clinical, counseling, developmental, school or related field of psychology or neuroscience at the start of their appointment. Annual funding of is available contingent on qualifications and experience. FIU provides an excellent benefits package.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply to Job Opening ID 533368 at careers.fiu.edu and attach a cover letter, C.V., and research or professional statement. Candidates will be requested to provide names and contact information for at least 3 references who will be contacted upon submission of application. To receive full consideration, applications and required materials should be received by October 21, 2024. Applications should also be sent via email to the prospective mentor. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

FIU is a member of the State University System of Florida and an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access Affirmative Action Employer all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.