Duke University, Sanford School of Public Policy - NRR

Position ID:Duke-SSPP-NRR-AIR1 [#24773]
Position Title: Associate In Research
Position Type:Other
Position Location:Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States [map] sort by distance
Subject Area: Public Policy
Appl Deadline:2023/07/31 11:59PMhelp popup finished (2023/04/28, finished 2024/02/03, listed until 2023/07/31)
Position Description:    

*** this position has been closed and new applications are no longer accepted. ***

Duke University
Sanford School of Public Policy
Associate In Research


The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University invites applications for an Associate in Research to collaborate on, and support, ongoing research projects related to population health. The Sanford School is one of the oldest and largest public policy programs in the country. It is home to highly ranked programs in a wide range of policy areas including environment, health, national security, social policy, and policy analysis. 

The projects that fund this position requires expertise in analysis of large, complex, longitudinal datasets. The full time Research Associate will split time equally between both projects and will be a core member of both research teams (with overlapping team members).

  • SEHAT (Survey of Health Trends) is co-led by Prof. Manoj Mohanan at Duke and Prof. Joanna Maselko at UNC, with co-investigators at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, University College London, and Duke. The SEHAT study leverages a new high-frequency large-scale panel dataset of health outcomes in India from individual members who are surveyed three times a year as part of the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey. SEHAT data includes information about trajectories of child/adolescent mental health, adult mental health, and primary healthcare utilization including immunization, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the presence of future shocks. The project has received 4 waves of data and is currently gearing up for the 5th wave. 
  • The Bachpan Birth Cohort is a cluster RCT nested within a birth cohort, whose goal is to better understand how maternal depression, its treatment, and other early life adversities shape child socioemotional and cognitive development. Led by Prof. Joanna Maselko at UNC-Chapel Hill, the cohort reflects strong cross-disciplinary collaborations with colleagues at Duke, Columbia University, University of Liverpool, Shifa University and others. Now in its 9th year, Bachpan has rich data collected at multiple time points on diverse biological, psychological, and social factors that shape child development and maternal mental health. An additional component focuses on social and economic shocks related to the COVID pandemic and their impacts on maternal and child mental health.

Responsibilities: 
As a key member of both study teams, the responsibilities for the position include: 
  •  Analysis of data; expertise in STATA and familiarity with SAS is required. Knowledge of other programming languages (R, Python) is a plus but not necessary. 
  • Develop manuscripts in collaboration with the project investigators, lead development of new manuscripts and research ideas with the data that is available in both projects.
  • Coordinate with data manager on documentation of survey tools, data cleaning and analysis files, and field protocols for SEHAT 
  • Supervision of research assistants and coordination with investigators at collaborating institutions 

The position has an expected start date of August 1. Initial term of appointment is two years and is renewable contingent on satisfactory performance and availability of funding. The Associate in Research will also have opportunities to lead and support grant writing efforts on both projects. The position will be supervised by Prof. Manoj Mohanan jointly with Prof. Joanna Maselko (UNC Epidemiology) and Prof. Liz Turner (Duke Biostatistics). 

Applicants should have a PhD in economics, epidemiology, health policy, or related disciplines, with strong training in quantitative research methods. Research experience with complex health data and strong writing skills are required. Some background or demonstrated interest in at least one of the following areas is preferred: population health, mental health, child development, econometrics of panel data for health, or machine learning. Familiarity with South Asia will be highly valuable. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, attention to detail, and a demonstrated ability to work independently. 

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
And anything else requested in the position description.

Further Info:
https://sanford.duke.edu/
email address
919-613-9263
 
Duke University
Sanford School of Public Policy
201 Science Drive
Durham, NC 27705