Promoting Parental Health and Emotional Well-being Lab, East China Normal University (China)
The Promoting Parental Health & Emotional Well-being (PHEW) Lab at the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University (Shanghai, China) is inviting applications for a 2-year Postdoctoral Fellow position.
The PHEW Lab is directed by Dr. Xutong Zhang. Our work investigates the behavioral and physiological dynamics of self- and co-regulation during parent-child interactions, as well as mechanisms underlying individual differences in parenting behaviors and response to parenting-focused interventions. This position offers unique opportunities to work with rich, multi-modal datasets related to these topics along with support to pursue independent research projects/grants.
Research Areas & Available Data:
The Postdoctoral Fellow will have access to several existing datasets to pursue publications across the following topics:
· Dynamic self- and co-regulation (focusing on preschool years and adjustment at school entry): Examining behavioral-physiological regulatory dynamics during parent-child interaction and how these dynamics support or interfere with interaction quality. Available data includes intensive longitudinal measures from lab tasks and passive measurement and daily diary data collected via wearables and questionnaires.
· Cognitive processes in parenting: Investigating key cognitive mechanisms underlying inter- and intra-individual variations in parenting behaviors. Available mixed-method datasets include multi-wave questionnaires, coded interview data on parents’ social cognition, eye-tracking data during parent-child interactions, and measures of parental executive functioning.
· Differential responses to intervention: Evaluating parenting programs to understand how parental characteristics and engagement quality predict intervention effectiveness. Data are available from an RCT examining the efficacy of a community-based Social-Emotional Learning parenting program.
Responsibilities & Career Development:
The primary focus of this position is working with existing datasets and writing manuscripts for publication. The Fellow will also contribute to grant-writing and collaborate with the research team to assist with managing and analyzing recently collected multi-modal observational and physiological data.
No primary data collection or teaching/mentorship duties are required. However, opportunities to gain experience in these activities are available if they are relevant to the Fellow’s career development priorities. We offer a flexible training environment, and the Fellow will receive mentorship and support in applying for independent postdoctoral-level grants and pursuing their own research ideas.
Required Qualifications
· A Ph.D. (completed within the last 3 years, or expected in 2026/early 2027) in Developmental Psychology, Human Development and Family Studies, Clinical Psychology, Neuroscience, Quantitative Psychology, or a closely related field.
· Experience in research on parent-child interaction or parenting.
· At least one first-authored peer-reviewed journal publication (required by the University to sponsor the position); please see the department recruitment ad at the end.
· Fluency in Mandarin Chinese (for working with our observational and interview data).
Preferred Qualifications
· Strong quantitative methodology skills and/or interests.
· Experience in processing and analyzing physiological data (e.g., ECG, EDA) and/or fNIRS data (not required – we can provide training).
· Experience and/or interests in observational coding of behavioral data.
Compensation & Benefits
This will be a fixed-term 2-year contract with the following compensation and benefits:
· Salary: Starting at 160,000 (Tier II position) or 270,000 (Tier I position) RMB annually. Please see the department recruitment ad at the end of the document.
· Bonuses: Additional financial compensation is available based on involvement in specific grant-supported projects. There are also bonuses for publications in top-tier journals and grants obtained during the contract.
· Housing: Eligibility for secure, below-market-rate, university-affiliated employee apartments.
· Insurance & health benefits: Social insurance package, and annual comprehensive physical health check package covered by the university.
Application Process
To apply, please email Dr. Xutong Zhang at xtzhang@psy.ecnu.edu.cn with the following materials (could be in English or Chinese):
· A curriculum vitae (CV)
· A cover letter that includes a statement of interest and fit with the lab, along with the names and email addresses of 2-3 references (letters are not required at this initial stage)
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The start date can be flexible, although preferably in the Fall of 2026. If you have any questions related to the position, please contact Dr. Zhang.
Lab/Faculty webpage: https://faculty.ecnu.edu.cn/_
Department recruitment ad: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/
Closing Date:
Contact: