Postdoctoral Research Associate, Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment (TYDE), University of Virginia

The University of Virginia's Grand Challenge on Digital Technology and Healthy Youth Development is seeking highly qualified applicants for a two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate position.

We are inviting applicants for a post-doctoral fellow who will take a leadership role in the Promoting Healthy and Supportive Experience in Schools (PHASES) Laboratory (PI: Lora Henderson Smith) and contribute to projects focused on developing and implementing digital mental health interventions and prevention solutions. The post-doc will support the implementation of two currently funded research projects "Bridging Gaps in Youth Mental Health: A Digital Solution for Connecting Schools, Emergency Departments, and Families" (funded by TYDE) and "Adapting SAFETY-A to Support Students Returning to School after Mental Health Emergency Department Visits" (NIMH K23 Award). The scholar will support the piloting of a mobile application with the different user groups and engage in data collection and data analysis as we gather feedback to inform future iterations of the app. They will also support dissemination efforts as well as grant-writing efforts to pursue additional funding to develop the fully functional HIPAA and FERPA compliant app. They will also help with finalizing adaptations and piloting the adapted version of SAFETY-A and overall program implementation (e.g., training school mental health professionals, collecting data, analyzing data). The postdoc will receive interdisciplinary mentorship from Dr. Smith and colleagues and clinically trained scholars will have the option to be provided with supervision for intervention implementation and support, if desired for licensure.

TheTYDEpost-doctoral program will provide up to 2 years of funding for a post-doctoral researcher to work with UVA faculty mentor Dr. Lora Smith Hendersonon projects related to digital technology and youth mental health. The fellowship will include a 12-month salary ($60,000-$65,000 based on experience) and benefits for up to 2 years as well as professional development activities and programming for the post-doctoral fellows. Postdoctoral fellows funded by TYDE will be expected to participate in the TYDE community, including works-in-progress meetings, professional development workshops and trainings, and conferences/events.

Education: Applicants will have earned a Ph.D. by August, 2026. The discipline of the Ph.D. is open but focus of the applicant's scholarship should be related to healthy youth development and digital technology.

Required Experience and skills:

• Applied experience working with children, families, and mental healthcare providers,
• Experience with data collection,
• Mixed methods data analysis experience,
• Developing knowledge of digital mental health interventions, and
• Expertise with Microsoft Office, a data analysis software (SPSS, R, STATA, etc.), Qualtrics, and other research-related programs.

Preferred experience and skills:

• Experience with interdisciplinary, collaborative research.
• Experience supervising and mentoring research assistants.
• The ability to collaborate with and lead a team of undergraduate and graduate researchers.

For more information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits.This role can consider sponsorship for J1 and F1 visas only.

To Apply:

Application Schedule

• Interviews will begin Spring 2026.
• Start date is flexible but aimed for August 2026.

Application Instructions:

Please apply through the UVA job board and search for R0078885. Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV

• Cover letter, please indicate your skills and experiences that prepare you to work on the project.

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all the required documents will not receive full consideration. The selected candidate will pass a criminal background check.

References will be completed via UVA's standardized process SkillSurvey. Five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process.

For questions about the application process, please contact Michele Jarman, Academic Recruiter.

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please visit UVA Charlottesville and Beyond and Embark.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Click here to read more about UVA's commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.