Description:

The Wallace Center for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health is seeking an interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellow to engage in academic research at the intersection of technology, innovation, and reproductive health. The Wallace Center is a research and training program that seeks to harness innovative technologies, including sensors, apps, and wearables for research and behavior change; health information-seeking patterns and online health resources; and web-based big data, as a means of improving research and reducing MCAH disparities.

We welcome applicants from diverse academic backgrounds, including engineering, data science, user innovation, computational biology, health technology, or implementation science, who may have experience in technology and innovation and wish to gain specific training in the fields of MCAH or reproductive health. Projects that the postdoctoral scholar could be involved in include: 1) epidemiologic research using big data from a menstrual tracking app to investigate factors associated with cycle irregularity in adolescents and 2) evaluation of a health plan-based prenatal care digital platform on user engagement, access to community resources, and pregnancy health. The postdoctoral fellow would also have the opportunity to develop their own research projects.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A PhD or equivalent from a recognized university in one of the following areas: Public Health,
• Epidemiology, Data Science, Community Health Sciences, Engineering, Computational Biology, or related field
• Interest in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, with an interdisciplinary perspective
• Excellent quantitative skills
• Superior academic performance and a strong publication record
• Ability to be self-directed with broadly defined limits on assignments
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Demonstrated ability to interact efficiently with diverse people in a highly multidisciplinary environment.
• Applicants must be US citizens or hold Permanent Resident status

Additional skills may include:

• Experience analyzing big data (such as from apps, social networks, or search engines)
• Familiarity with evaluating programs, interventions, or technologies
• A background in reproductive health, women’s health, or child and adolescent health

Position Details and Benefits:

This two-year fellowship would begin in Summer or Fall 2020 and supports salary, health insurance, research expenses, and travel to attend professional meetings. Successful completion of the fellowship entails meeting learning objectives set by the fellow and faculty mentor. The University of California offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, accidental death and dismemberment, short term disability, voluntary long term supplemental disability and life insurance. Salary scales for postdoctoral fellows are set by the University of California Office of the President, more information can be found here. The University also has a number of policies and programs to support employees balance work and family. There is specific interest in recruiting individuals from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds in addition to disadvantaged backgrounds.

Description 

The School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley welcomes applications for a postdoctoral scholar employee in the Community Health Sciences Division within the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) program to engage in academic research at the forefront of pubertal timing and multi-dimensional risk factors for early puberty. Proficiency in analyzing large datasets is desired. This research project focuses on establishing normative pubertal timing trajectories for US adolescents by sex, race/ethnicity and BMI, identifying sex- specific modifiable risk factors that can serve as targets for intervention strategies in high-risk groups, and examining associations between early life psychosocial, nutritional, and neighborhood factors and pubertal timing using a large, diverse cohort of boys and girls from a large integrated health system. There is also an opportunity to examine health and mental health outcomes related to pubertal timing. Applicants should have strong analytic skills and a demonstrated background in quantitative psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics or a related field.

The initial appointment, limited to US citizens, is for two years. Salary scales for postdoctoral fellows are set by the University of California Office of the President, more information can be found here, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The University of California offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, accidental death and dismemberment, short term disability, voluntary long term supplemental disability and life insurance. The University also has a number of policies and programs to support employees as they balance work and family.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have

• A PhD or equivalent from a recognized university in one of the following areas: Psychology, Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Community Health Sciences, Behavioral Health Sciences
• Excellent quantitative skills
• Superior academic performance and a strong publication record
• Ability to be self-directed with broadly defined limits on assignments
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Demonstrated ability to interact efficiently with diverse people in a highly
• multidisciplinary environment.

Related Skills May Include

• Familiarity with neighborhood measurement as well as relevant databases
• Statistical proficiency in survival analyses, SEM, causal inference or longitudinal modeling, hierarchical statistical methods
• A background in child or adolescent development.