Position Description

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to monitor global health conditions and health systems, as well as to evaluate interventions, initiatives, and reforms. IHME carries out a range of projects within different research areas including: the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Costs and Cost Effectiveness; Local Burden of Disease; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. The aim is to provide policymakers, donors, and Postdoctoral Scholars with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base to make decisions that achieve better health.

IHME has an excellent opportunity for a Postdoctoral Scholar to join the Education team. This team engages in methodological development and analysis to promote internationally comparable measurement of three relevant indicators in target 4.1 - learning in basic education, completion rate and out of school children - as well as their equity dimensions, covered by SDG target 4.5. This area of work also produces a set of estimates as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study. The GBD is a systematic, scientific effort to quantify the comparative magnitude of health loss due to diseases, injuries, and risk factors by age, sex, and geography over time, and is the largest and most comprehensive effort to date to measure epidemiological levels and trends worldwide.

IHME Postdoctoral Scholars produce key estimates for their assigned research team and will assess all available quantitative data from surveys, vital registration, censuses, literature, registries, and administrative records. Using established modeling tools and through creation of novel code, Postdoctoral Scholars incorporate all relevant data to produce the most up-to-date and scientifically credible results.

You will be integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. You already have a command of epidemiology, statistics, disease modeling, or related interests and we will help you develop an understanding of our core research and methodology. Our Postdoctoral Scholars work with senior research leads and external collaborators and take part in the intellectual exchange about how to improve upon the results and disseminate the results.

You are expected to interact successfully with a wide range of partners and to describe complex concepts and materials concisely. Overall, Postdoctoral Scholars are critical members of agile, dynamic research teams. This position is contingent on project funding availability. Anticipated start date is Spring 2021.

Postdoctoral Scholar appointments are initially for 12-months with opportunities to renew. Appointment not to exceed 5 years, including postdoctoral experience(s) at other institutions.

Postdoctoral scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.

Responsibilities

• Develop a core understanding of education research methodology and its components.
• Independently carry out quantitative analyses and participate in reciprocal research projects. Interpret and vet results from junior staff, formulate conclusions and inform team leaders.
• Develop, quality check, and distribute complex data sets to be used in epidemiological and statistical analyses.
• Develop and implement new computational and statistical methods. Create, test, and use relevant computer code in R. Maintain, modify, and execute analytic machinery that generates publicly-available results.
• Contribute to drafting of presentations, manuscripts, and funding proposals. Lead and co-author scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.
• Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.
• Provide ideas and content for the development of internal trainings. Teach established trainings.
• Contribute to research design.
• Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.

Conditions of employment:

• Weekend and evening work sometimes required.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD, MD or foreign equivalent in epidemiology, sociology, psychology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, public health, quantitative social sciences, or related discipline plus two years related experience preferred.
• Excellent analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
• Demonstrated interest in social determinants of health
• Results and detail-oriented individual that can initiate and complete tasks under tight deadlines and changing priorities both independently and in a team environment. Flexibility with hours and workload is key.
• Experience devising and executing statistical modeling techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly recognize problems in results and identify root causes in data, methods, and code.
• Advanced skills in designing, executing, and troubleshooting code in one or more languages. R required, Python desired.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required, including track record of success in co-authorship on multiple scientific papers, presenting results, and representing research at meetings.
• Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team.
• A long-term interest in a research driven position contributing to the overall mission of our research.

Desired

• Track record of success in co-authorship on scientific papers, presenting results, and representing research at meetings.
• Experience measuring educational attainment and learning outcomes
• Familiarity with and understanding of global SDG measurement and reporting efforts.

Instructions

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a brief statement (500-word limit) outlining research interests and one letter of recommendation via Interfolio : http://apply.interfolio.com/84107

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All
qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information,
gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.