What’s Next, Dr. Emert?
Dr. Sarah Emert moved on from her postdoctoral position in the U of A Psychology Department in the summer of 2023 after landing a position as an assistant professor at Idaho State University in the Psychology Department. A clinical psychologist, Dr Emert’s research focus is behavioral sleep medicine and treatments, particularly related to insomnia disorders. Now at Idaho State, she teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses and recently was awarded an Idaho State Seed Grant. The grant is providing her funds for a pilot clinical trial to investigate insomnia disorder in adults and how cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) impacts sleep and cognition.
Dr. Emert’s experiences as a postdoc at U of A prepared her well for her new faculty role in several ways. As a professor and independent researcher, she draws upon many of the skills she fine-tuned as a postdoc, including grant writing and reviewing, project planning, clinical research, and training and supervising doctoral students. While at the U of A, she found unique opportunities to develop and pursue lines of inquiry distinct from her advisor (Dr. Daniel Taylor, Professor of Psychology), including gaining licensure as a Clinical Psychologist.
“Sometimes it can feel like you’re “stuck” as a postdoc because faculty positions are the next goal, but try to consider it as a time that you can have more freedom in your research and interests.”
Dr. Emert offers insightful advice for U of A postdocs who are in the process of job-searching. She encourages postdocs to have the courage to apply for several jobs. During her three years with the Psychology Department, she submitted numerous job applications so that she could become more comfortable with the process. Dr. Emert also recommends applying to institutions that are a good match for each postdoc’s particular experiences and preferences in both teaching or research. Appreciating the distinctions between the operations of public or private universities and between what are known as Research universities (i.e., R1 or R2) versus liberal arts colleges is important to achieve professional satisfaction.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs congratulates Dr. Emert on her current research and teaching ventures, and her new skill of shoveling Idaho snow!
Read Dr. Emert’s publications here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9E42JqcAAAAJ&hl=en
See Dr. Emert’s website: https://sarah-emert.weebly.com/