Research Scientist (Fixed Term)

Job Description

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research organization at the University of Washington (UW). Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations.

IHME has an excellent opportunity for a Temporary Research Scientist to join the Reproductive, Genitourinary and Digestive (RGUD) disease estimation team.

IHME Research Scientists analyze and produce key estimates for their assigned research team, contribute to research design and training, and lead and/or mentor junior staff. We are looking for someone ready to advance in their career in global health research. You will assess all available relevant quantitative data, including individual-level and aggregated data from surveys, vital registration, censuses, cohort studies, registries, administrative records, government reports, and published scientific literature. You will lead the development and execution of analytic strategies, determining which strategies to test and how best to deploy statistical methods and coding techniques necessary for producing estimates, with emphasis on the long-term and intergenerational impacts of sexually transmitted infections (excluding HIV). You will be responsible for presenting results for internal critique, incorporating necessary feedback into updates and running models to formulate high-quality final deliverables. You will also lead the development of manuscripts, reports, presentations, and similar outputs.

You will be integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. You are someone who is capable of keeping your team on track to meet deadlines and research objectives. You already have a publication record, and at IHME, you will build out your portfolio with several peer-reviewed papers. You thrive in a collaborative work environment and are capable of working on multiple projects concurrently while meeting deadlines. You keep current of recent scientific, engineering, and technical advances and are able to translate these into your research. This position is contingent upon project funding.

Responsibilities

• Exhibit command of the team's research areas, including the 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 datasets to be used in epidemiological and statistical analyses.
• Develop and implement new computational and statistical methods. Write, test, and maintain code in Python or R, with a willingness to learn and adapt to additional programming languages as needed. Maintain, modify, and execute analytic machinery that generates results.
• Assist in drafting presentations and manuscripts, and contribute to the preparation of funding proposals.
• Lead and co-author scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.
• May lead and/or mentor junior staff.
• Contribute ideas and content for internal and external training materials to enhance understanding and effective use of IHME tools and data. May participate in teaching established trainings.
• Contribute to research design.
• Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences, or related discipline plus four years' related experience.
• Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration.

Additional Requirements

• Demonstrated understanding of the common measurement methods and study designs employed in analytic observational epidemiology, their biases and limitations, and available approaches to adjust measurements to support valid causal inference.
• Growing peer network where sought out as having solid command of engineering/technical areas, a given disease, risk, key indicator, relevant methodological area, and the related data sources and scientific underpinnings.
• Excellent analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
• Results- and detail-oriented individual who 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.
• Ease in designing, executing, and troubleshooting code in R or Python.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required, including track record of success in coauthorship on multiple scientific papers, presenting results, and representing research at meetings.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to and sustain collaborations with external research teams.
• Experience in working with large data sets, including devising strategies for reliable data management for large data sets, computationally efficient modeling techniques to use such data sets, and critical evaluation of highly multidimensional model outputs that result from such work.
• Experience with meta-regression, preferably using Burden of Proof or other published methodology employed to estimate causal relationships from diverse datasources.
• Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team.
• A long-term interest in a research scientist position contributing to the overall mission of our research.

Desired Qualifications

• MD or PhD in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, or quantitative social sciences plus two years’ experience preferred.
• Experience with machine learning, data mining, and analytic techniques.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior employees on soft and technical skills.
• Experience with project management methods.
• Peer-reviewed publication record.

Conditions Of Employment

• Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
• This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the US.
• Working internationally is only allowed for IHME sponsored work that requires in -country participation.
• Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time as agreed upon between employee and supervisor.

A COVER LETTER IS REQUIRED IN APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION. Please in your cover letter:

Provide three professional references, including name, position, company, email and phone as well the name and contact information for your current supervisor, including email.

If you are not currently employed, please provide the name and contact information for your most recent supervisor, including email.

Compensation, Benefits And Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

$105,816.00 annual

Pay Range Maximum

$128,316.00 annual

Benefits

Other Compensation:

For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-temporary-per-diem-and-less-than-half-time/

Shift

First Shift (United States of America)

Temporary or Regular?

This is a temporary position

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent)

100.00%

Union/Bargaining Unit

SEIU Local 925 - IHME

About The UW

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives – on our campuses, in our state and around the world.

UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

Our Commitment

The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or [email protected].

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.