Description

The School of Life Sciences (SOLS) and the John Schufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering at Arizona State University are seeking a postdoctoral research scholar in anatomy to join Dr. Rebecca Fisher’s research group. Dr. Fisher is a Professor in SOLS and Director of Anatomy and Professor in the Department of Foundational Sciences at the medical school. The successful applicant will work with Dr. Fisher to develop, implement, and assess an innovative clinical skills and anatomy curriculum for medical students. This longitudinal pre-clerkship curriculum leverages medical imaging, extended reality, augmented intelligence, and other emerging tools to improve learning outcomes. The postdoctoral scholar will collaborate with a research technician and two postdoctoral scholars in the Fisher lab, and faculty with expertise in anatomy, internal medicine, family medicine, radiology, and engineering. The postdoctoral scholar will have an opportunity to develop their teaching skills, gain experience in curricular design and assessment, and contribute to medical education research projects on the integration of clinical skills and anatomy curricula and the impact of emerging technologies on learning outcomes. Applicants must be within five years of their Ph.D to be considered. The anticipated start date is September 2026. 

About the School of Life Sciences: 

 The School of Life Sciences is a vital hub for creative excellence at Arizona State University, with a community of more than 670 faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff. As ASU’s first academic unit to fully reflect President Michael Crow’s integrated, interdisciplinary vision for the New American University, the School of Life Sciences offers active and evolving platforms for collaborative, cutting-edge research and faculty whose discovery is freed from traditional institutional boundaries. To learn more about The School of Life Sciences, please visit https://sols.asu.edu/about/mission-vision. 

 About the John Schufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering:

 The mission of the John Schufeld School of Medicine and Medical Engineering is to cultivate physicians who can integrate their medical expertise with leading-edge engineering and augmented intelligence (AI) skills in a human-centered framework and develop innovative solutions to healthcare challenges. Graduates of the school will be equipped to identify, envision, and implement creative answers to the evolving obstacles in health care for their individual patients, communities, and beyond. To learn more about The John Schufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering, please visit https://medicine.asu.edu/. 

About The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic heart of Arizona State University, committed to improving communities on a local, national, and global scale. We support the professional development and growth of our faculty and staff in their cutting-edge research to advance these aims. Within The College, our faculty engage with a large, curious student body, guiding them as they grow into socially aware, critical thinkers and writers able to succeed in a wide range of careers and to address the challenges of the twenty-first century. Advancing the success of our students remains our top priority. To learn more about The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, please visit https://thecollege.asu.edu.

About Arizona State University:
ASU exemplifies a new prototype for the American public research university. As articulated in the ASU Charter, ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of the communities it serves.

Requirements

Essential Functions:

 Curriculum Design

• Develop learning objectives, session content, and formative and summative assessments for an integrated clinical skills and anatomy curriculum for medical students.
• Evaluate existing extended reality platforms and AI tools and their use in delivering educational content and assessing competencies.
• Participate in the design and assessment of emerging educational tools and technologies. 

 Teaching

• Teach gross anatomy and imaging to medical students in the clinical skills and anatomy curriculum, including lab instruction, office hours, and competency evaluation.

 Research

• Conduct research to evaluate the impacts of extended reality technologies, AI, and other emerging tools on learning outcomes.
• Present findings at departmental and college seminars and national and international conferences.
• Co-author IRB protocols and grant proposals to support medical education research projects.
• Co-author manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Required Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. degree in Anatomy, Biological Anthropology, Paleontology, or a related field of study by the time of appointment.
• Successful completion of a graduate-level human gross anatomy course.
• Prior teaching experience in a human gross anatomy course.
• Excellent communication skills.

Desired Qualifications:

• Proficient in the use of 3D software, extended reality platforms, and/or AI tools.
• Record of published abstracts and/or manuscripts on the use of technology in education and learning outcomes.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty, staff, students, and communities to advance the principles of the ASU Charter.

Application Instructions:
The application deadline is July 10. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled. Candidates will be asked to create or use an existing Interfolio Dossier to submit the following application materials:

• Cover letter describing suitability for the position, including relevant coursework, teaching experience, technological expertise, and research interests.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Contact information (name, title, email, and phone number) for three references who may be contacted at a later stage of consideration.

Apply at: https://apply.interfolio.com/187926