Education Research Scientist, Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice (CRPP) [NIE]

Overview

The National Institute of Education (NIE) is among the world’s top education institutes, recognised for its excellence in teacher education and educational research.  NIE has played a key and pivotal role in shaping and developing Singapore’s teaching profession and landscape through evidence-informed, practice-focused and values-based programmes and initiatives.

An autonomous institute situated within the research-intensive Nanyang Technological University, NIE is consistently ranked within the top 10 in the world for research impact in the field of Education.

The Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice (CRPP) was launched in 2002 as a key research centre of the National Institute of Education (NIE). CRPP conducts rigorous, relevant and multidisciplinary education research that informs pedagogy, policy and practice in Singapore and internationally. The Centre works closely with schools, the Ministry of Education and other education stakeholders to generate evidence-based insights for classroom and system improvement. CRPP focuses on three key research areas on learner potential development, teacher development and system improvement.

CRPP invites applications for the position of Education Research Scientist to contribute to its work in teacher development and system improvement. The successful candidate will join a research community committed to understanding how teachers, schools, families, communities and systems learn, adapt and improve, and to translating research into sustainable educational change.

We are especially interested in candidates whose research can strengthen CRPP’s agenda in teacher professional learning, school leadership, education system reform, research-practice-policy partnerships, and ecologically oriented approaches to education that attend to classrooms, schools, families, communities and place.

The successful candidate will develop and lead a coherent programme of education research aligned to CRPP’s research agenda. Applicants may bring expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• school-family-community relations, educational equity, community-based education research, place-based education, and ecological approaches to learner and community flourishing;

• participatory, design-based, ethnographic, sociological, comparative, international, longitudinal or mixed-methods research in education;

• research-practice-policy partnerships, practitioner inquiry, participatory evaluation, and translation of research into policy and professional practice;

• whole-school or whole-community approaches to education, including sustainability education, climate change education, environmental stewardship, socioecological learning, and school-community partnerships;

• sociological research into social mobility, including drawing on sociology of education’s focus on equity and optimizing human potential;

• teacher professionalism, teacher education, teacher professional learning, professional identity, teacher motivation, teacher retention, and teacher career development;

• school leadership, middle leadership, organisational learning, school improvement, system studies, education policy, and policy enactment;

• learning sciences and sociological approaches to teacher learning, classroom interaction, discourse, student voice, agency, culturally responsive pedagogies, and the instructional core.

Candidates with appropriate qualifications and relevant research experience are encouraged to apply. The position would suit a scholar who is able to work across disciplinary boundaries and build strong partnerships with researchers, teachers, school leaders, policy stakeholders and community partners.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in a relevant discipline (including education research, teacher education, learning sciences, educational leadership, education policy, sociology of education, comparative and international education, human development, social sciences or related areas);

• Preferably with at least 5 years of postdoctoral, research fellow, research scientist, faculty or equivalent research experience;

• Experience developing a coherent and promising programme of research relevant to teacher learning, school leadership, education systems, educational equity, school-family-community relations, and/or ecologically oriented approaches to education;

• Experience conducting high-quality empirical research in education, including qualitative, ethnographic, design-based, participatory, mixed-methods, longitudinal, survey, interaction analytic, or policy research methods;

• Demonstrable track record in one or more of the following areas:

  • high-quality publications in peer-reviewed journals, scholarly books, book chapters, research reports, or other recognised academic outputs;

  • development of or contribution to competitive research grant proposals;

  • research leadership, project management, supervision, mentorship, or coordination of collaborative research teams;

  • independence in research, including first-author, sole-author or senior-author publications, invited presentations, or evidence of an emerging international profile;

  • translation of research for policy, practice, professional learning, or community engagement;

  • teaching in school or university settings.

• Ability to develop research that is relevant to Singapore’s education system while also contributing to international scholarship;

• Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills;

• Ability to work collaboratively with schools, teachers, school leaders, government stakeholders, and/or community organisations;

• Experience working with government, policy, practitioner, school, or community stakeholders would be an advantage;

• Evidence of competitive research funding would be an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a programme of research aligned to CRPP’s wider research agenda for teacher development and system improvement;

• Seek and secure appropriate competitive research funding, including grants that support teacher learning, school leadership, system improvement, community-engaged education research, and related areas;

• Design and conduct high-quality research in collaboration with CRPP colleagues, schools, teachers, school leaders, MOE, AST and other education stakeholders;

• Contribute to research-practice-policy partnerships and support the translation of research findings into professional learning, policy conversations, school improvement, and system-level knowledge building;

• Publish research in high-quality peer-reviewed journals, scholarly books, edited volumes, policy reports and other appropriate outlets of international standing;

• Present research at local and international conferences, seminars, policy forums and professional learning platforms;

• Supervise, mentor and work with research staff, graduate students and project teams where appropriate;

• Teaching NIE students in pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes;

• Participate fully in the wider research, service and administrative activities of CRPP, OER and NIE;

• Manage the administrative and reporting responsibilities associated with the candidate’s programme of research.

• Other responsibilities as required by CRPP leadership.

Application

Interested applicants should complete and submit the following documents:

• Cover letter addressing how you meet each of the requirements of this position and indicating your fit with CRPP;

• Curriculum vitae, including qualifications, publications, records of competitive grants and graduate supervision, research leadership, stakeholder engagement, teaching experiences, service contributions, if applicable);

• Research statement outlining your research areas and accomplishments, methodological expertise, selected best publications and future research plans;

• Names and contact details of three referees (from Singapore or internationally);

• Any other documents that demonstrate your qualifications.

Closing Date

The closing date for applications is 31 July 2026.

Other Information

More information on CRPP can be found at https://www.ntu.edu.sg/nie/crpp

Queries regarding the position should be directed to Dr Uma Natarajan at uma.natarajan@nie.edu.sg.

Note to applicants:

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified via email.

Hiring Institution: NIE