Position Summary

The Lingo Lab in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University (directed by Courtney E. Venker, Ph.D., CCCSLP) has an opening for a 1-year post-doctoral fellowship in language development and autism. The position starts in August 2025 and may be renewed for a second year, based on performance.

The overall goal of the Lingo Lab is to better understand how autistic children and children with Down syndrome learn language and how best to support language learning in children who struggle. The Research Associate will be part of an NIH-funded study focused on how adult linguistic simplification affects language processing and word learning in autistic children and children with Down syndrome. The candidate will contribute to numerous aspects of the project, including data collection, data processing, visualization, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of results. The candidate will help supervise students and mentor junior researchers. The candidate will be involved in preparing conference presentations and writing scholarly manuscripts. To the fullest extent possible, the team will support the Research Associate in pursuing the scientific aspects of the project that best contribute to the development of their own independent line of research. Funding will be provided for participation in at least one conference per year.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Doctorate -Communicative Sciences and Disorders or equivalent

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. in Communicative Sciences and Disorders (or a related field) prior to starting this position.
• Applicants must show evidence of scholarly productivity in the form of articles and conference presentations.

Desired Qualifications

Prior research experience in language development and neurodevelopmental disorders is desirable. Preference will be given to applicants with in-depth data processing and statistical expertise (e.g., experience with R software, data aggregation, and multi-level mixed effects modeling).

Required Application Materials

Applicants should include a letter of interest and a current curriculum vitae with contact information for three references.

Special Instructions

Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Direct questions to: Courtney E. Venker, Ph.D., CCC-SLP cvenker@msu.edu

As an institution of higher learning, Michigan State University is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff in support of its educational mission. With this commitment, the University conducts criminal background checks and professional misconduct reviews of all applicants for employment in Executive Management searches for vice president and vice provost positions. 

Professional Misconduct Review 

A professional misconduct review is a prerequisite for a candidate to be selected for this position. Applicants will be asked to disclose whether they are subject to any pending investigation, findings or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Professional misconduct includes misconduct related to a person’s employment, including, but not limited to, theft, embezzlement, research integrity, discrimination, or harassment under civil rights laws and policies, including protected identity harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.), and retaliation. At the finalist stage, candidates will be asked to sign an authorization and release, which authorizes the University to contact the candidate’s current and former employers, for a period of 7 years prior to the date of application, related to any pending investigations, findings of responsibility and/or sanctions related to professional misconduct.  

The existence of professional misconduct history does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment. The University will assess the information, including any information provided by the candidate, in determining whether the candidate is fit for the position. The University may decline to hire a candidate based on the professional misconduct review. All records obtained from external employers will be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files. If an applicant fails to sign the authorization and release, the application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn.  

Review of Applications Begins On

06/02/2025

Website

https://comartsci.msu.edu/departments/communicative-sciences-and-disorders

Department Statement

The Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders has active research laboratories and multiple endowments to support student and faculty development. The Departments thriving undergraduate major and minor, MA, and PhD programs prepare students for successful clinical and research careers in speech-language pathology and related fields. The Department is housed within MSUs world-renowned College of Communication Arts and Sciences. The College provides excellent infrastructure for pre-award extramural grant submission, post-award grant administration, and information technology support for research and teaching.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.