Postdoctoral Fellowship in Quantitative Methods, Education Research, and Data

The Education Policy Initiative (EPI) seeks candidates interested in deepening their knowledge of education research, policy topics, data, and quantitative methods for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship. EPI will hire up to two postdoctoral fellows to begin as soon as possible, in the summer or fall 2026.

EPI is composed of researchers engaged in understanding and evaluating education policies at the local, state, and national level. Additionally, EPI conducts much of its research in partnership with education agencies. For example, EPI operates the Michigan Education Data Center (MEDC), a secure data clearinghouse that helps researchers to use Michigan's administrative education data to answer critical questions and improve outcomes for students. Moreover, EPI is beginning a large-scale federally-funded evaluation of Michigan's universal school meals program. This fellowship will build upon the training of the postdoctoral researcher in the use of rigorous statistical and econometric methods, as well as sophisticated coding and data science techniques to build, document, disseminate, and analyze large administrative data sets. The postdoctoral fellow will train under cross-disciplinary faculty in the use of quantitative methods to evaluate important educational outcomes

Prospective fellows should be interested and have experience in applied education research. Fellows will work in the context of state research practice partnerships (RPP), utilize various programming languages to build and enhance administrative data sources, and conduct quantitative research in collaboration with scholars at EPI. Depending on the interests of those hired, fellows will receive close mentorship from professors Kevin Stange, Katherine Michelmore, and Natasha Pilkauskas. Fellows will also have the opportunity to work with and learn from other Ford School faculty, such as Brian Jacob, Christina Weiland, Sarah Cohodes, full-time EPI staff, and other EPI affiliate faculty.

The focus of one postdoctoral fellow will be to work with EPI researchers in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education's (MDE) Office of Nutrition Services. This fellow will help to assess the impact of a statewide school meals program on student achievement, attainment, and social well-being outcomes. Under the supervision of faculty mentors, the fellow will clean, merge, and assemble large administrative K-12 data sets, which they will use to conduct quasi-experimental analyses of the impacts of statewide free meals, using techniques such as difference-in-differences and student fixed effects models. This fellow will have an opportunity to write and present results to state partners, as well as in academic venues. The fellow will also contribute to the broader mission of the MEDC by cleaning, documenting, and proposing enhancements to the state's education data.

The focus of the other postdoctoral fellow will be to utilize various data science and coding techniques to work with the MEDC team and (i) enhance statewide data sets, (ii) enhance documentation available to researchers across the country, and( iii) propose and contribute to new data dissemination tools. The postdoctoral fellow will clean, explore, and analyze data related to topics of high interest to the state, such as higher education (affordability, student success, transfer, workforce alignment), early childhood education, and/or K-12 literacy. The fellow will work regularly with partners from the State of Michigan's Department of Education (MDE), Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI), and Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) to understand their research priorities and ways in which statewide education data can be used to answer policy relevant research questions. The fellow will, therefore, have ample opportunity to develop relationships with education partners to support their specific research interests.

The fellowship is designed to last up to two years. The postdoctoral fellowship may be renewed after the first year, contingent upon strong fellow performance and available funding.

The University of Michigan (U-M) is home to a dynamic community of researchers, with ample opportunity for professional development—via participation in seminars and trainings, as well as through exposure to high-profile speakers. Moreover, EPI strives to foster an inclusive work environment that is home to scholars with a wide range of backgrounds and research interests. We do so by bringing in a diverse set of speakers who do research directly on inequality in education, encouraging trainings and collaborations across campus, surveying community members about our seminar culture, and self-evaluating ways to make our research⁠—from start to finish⁠—more equitable. We are interested in recruiting applicants with diverse backgrounds and life experiences and from a diverse pool of academic disciplines and PhD institutions.

This is a two-year postdoctoral fellowship beginning in the summer or fall of 2026 with a competitive salary. EPI strongly prefers to hire a candidate who is willing to work from U-M's Ann Arbor campus, but is potentially open to exceptional remote candidates.

Qualifications

Applicants must have completed their PhD in a relevant social science discipline prior to beginning the fellowship, have an interest in researching education and receiving further mentorship and training in quantitative methods, and have academic research experience in public policy, education, economics, sociology, public health, or other similar social science fields. The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Application Process and Deadline

EPI will accept applications submitted online using this form. Complete applications include a 2-3 page statement of interest, writing sample (job market paper or recent publication authored / co-authored by the applicant), CV, and two letters of recommendation (with the names and contact information for these references). EPI will begin reviewing applications on July 27th, 2026, and will continue to review applications until the position(s) is/are filled. EPI anticipates starting screening interviews in the first week of August. EPI would like the fellow(s) to begin as soon as possible.