The Department of Medicine and the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination (CCHE) announces a Postdoctoral Scholar position at the University of Chicago, for a mixed methods working in the following areas: epidemiology; network science; predictive analytics and/or computational modeling/simulation, implementation science and qualitative research. The substantive focus will be on substance use disorder and related infectious diseases including HIV, hepatitis C and COVID-19 that disproportionately impact vulnerable and systemically marginalized communities. The specific research portfolio for each candidate will comprise focused areas that match their specific skills and strategic CCHE research goals. Depending upon candidate focus, opportunities for involvement in the University of Chicago NIDA T32 training grant are encouraged.
The position is under the direct supervision of Russell Brewer, DrPH, MPH, Mai Pho MD, MPH, and John Schneider, MD, MPH and in collaboration with other Center faculty to support a candidate in developing a career in epidemiology, social science, or public health research. The position includes opportunities for didactic course work, leadership roles on ongoing projects, grant writing and developing an independent area of research. The selected candidate will also conduct primary data collection, data analyses and/or computational modeling and publish papers from ongoing studies in the United States.
A central characteristic of the program of research is its integration of advanced methods that bear on the most vulnerable populations impacted by HIV, Hepatitis C, COVID-19 and substance use disorder and related structural factors. This includes individuals in racial minority communities, people with criminal legal involvement and those living in under-resourced, rural areas. The goal of analyses and modeling is to directly impact people, networks and systems to improve health and well-being. The successful candidate will be situated within a dynamic research environment that has published epidemiological and sociological studies, innovative community-based interventions and novel computational models addressing the themes described above, and will benefit from a unique shared space with direct service and other front-line program staff. This administrative structure allows for study analytic findings to directly translate to community-level interventions and to inform policy changes. The candidate will benefit from a rich research environment including multiple UChicago-affiliated research centers and programs (i.e., the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research, Advanced Opioid Methodology Center, University of Chicago Urban Labs, Center for Health And Social Sciences, Department of Public Health Sciences, NIDA T32 and National Opinion Research Council [NORC]). The computational methodological development will be supported by research partners at Argonne National Laboratory and the UChicago Center for Spatial Data Sciences, Center for Data and Computing. Ongoing data is available from clinical trials, cross-sectional surveys, large longitudinal cohort studies, venue-based surveys, Department of Public Health interventions, and multi-city multisite network-based interventions funded by multiple institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIAID, NIMH, NICHD, NIDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Innovation is at the core of the research program and includes novel approaches along with novel implementation of biomedical prevention strategies.
Requirements
Requirements for this position include having completed a doctoral degree, demonstrated strong analytic skills, evidence of scientific articles published in collaboration with multidisciplinary research teams, and a strong interest in publishing in the area of infectious diseases and/or substance use disorder. This position offers a competitive stipend/salary, benefits, office space, access to internal sources of pilot project support, travel support to research conferences and access to internationally-based University of Chicago Academic Centers.
Candidates should email a current CV, two representative papers/publications, and names of at least two references to Jessi Dehlin, Associate Director of Administration, at jdehlin@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu.
Candidates should also clearly identify the specific methodological areas that they are interested in developing. View the full posting.