Postdoctoral Scholar - BBH Social Determinants of Health Lab

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This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS

Dr. Xue Zhang is recruiting a full-time Postdoctoral Scholar to use an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach to study the individual, interpersonal, community, and structural factors that shape health disparities, with a particular focus on rural communities. The Postdoctoral Scholar should have expertise in and conduct research on health disparities in at least one of the following areas: substance use and mental health, healthcare access and utilization, aging, or mortality.

The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, able to work independently and collaboratively, and have strong quantitative and analytical skills. Experience working with large publicly available datasets—such as, but not limited to, the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), All of Us Research Program, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD), Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and Behavioral Risk Factor Surve —is strongly preferred. The candidate should also have experience conducting sophisticated quantitative analyses, including, but not limited to, structural equation modeling, multilevel modeling, longitudinal analysis, and other advanced statistical approaches relevant to population health and health disparities research.

Responsibilities:

Work collaboratively with Dr. Zhang to conduct research on multilevel social and structural determinants of health disparities.

Conduct independent data management, statistical analyses, and interpretation of findings using large-scale secondary datasets.

Develop research manuscripts for publication in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals.

Assist in the preparation of research proposals to generate extramural funding support (e.g., R21, R01, foundation grants).

Contribute to the development of interdisciplinary research projects related to rural health disparities, healthy aging, substance use, and community health.

Required Job Qualifications:

Ph.D. required, preferably in public health, biostatistics, social science or a related field.

Evidence of strong writing skills required.

A strong quantitative background in statistics and/or spatial analysis.

Experience with large publicly available datasets

To apply, please submit the following materials:

CV

Cover letter (1 page max). Please emphasize your experience with secondary data analysis, advanced statistical and quantitative modeling skills, and research related to health disparities.

Research statement (1 page max). Please describe your research interests and how they align with research on social and structural determinants of health, health disparities, and population health. And a brief research plan during postdoc period.

Contact info for three references.

2-3 writing samples.

System limitations allow for a total of 5 documents (5mb per document) as part of your application. Please combine materials to meet the 5-document limit.

Please email Xue Zhang ( xuezhang@psu.edu ) with informal inquiries. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

BENEFITS

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

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