Global Cancer Research Associate

Michigan Medicine; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Michigan Medicine is seeking a junior investigator to support the Global Cancer Lead. Based at the University of Michigan, you will own operational, financial, analytical, and relationship-management work behind partnership development, grant strategy, and scholarly output.

The role partners with the Kenya-based team and the PI’s portfolio, requiring MPH training, strong writing, and independent judgment to draft biosketches, budgets, and manuscript components while advancing cross-site

Qualifications

• Master of Public Health (MPH) or equivalent advanced degree.
• Experience in global health programming, research coordination, or partnership management.
• Strong scientific writing and grant/manuscript components drafting.
• Excellent judgment and independent work capability.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate partnership development and cross-portfolio collaboration.
• Prepare briefing packets and maintain partnership tracking.
• Monitor grant opportunities and maintain funding pipeline.
• Draft non-scientific proposal components and manage timelines.
• Synthesize literature and prepare tables/figures for reviews.
• Support program evaluation and annual impact summaries.
• Coordinate cross-site deliverables with Kenya-based team.
• Develop SOPs and maintain institutional knowledge.

Skills

MPH

Global health programming

Research coordination

Scientific writing

Independent work

Education

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Tools

R

Stata

Python

Job description

Job Summary

Reports To: Global Cancer Lead / Principal Investigator

Team Context

Works in close coordination with the PI?s Kenya-based team, who lead in-country field operations. This role is based at the University of Michigan and focuses on strategic, cross-portfolio work that directly supports the Program Lead. The global cancer portfolio is facilitated by a Principal Investigator who directs a growing, multi-grant research portfolio (currently four active awards) spanning international partnerships, digital health research, and working-group/community facilitation. This role exists to increase the PI?s capacity by owning the operational, financial, analytical, and relationship-management work behind partnership development, grant strategy, and scholarly output ? allowing the Lead to focus on scientific direction, high-level negotiation, and publishing.

This is not a purely administrative role. The ideal candidate holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) and will operate as a junior investigator and strategic partner to the Program Lead.

Responsibilities

• Partnership & Collaboration Development

• Prepare briefing packets ahead of partnership meetings ? partner background, prior touchpoints, and clear meeting objectives ? so the Lead walks in fully prepared.
• Maintain a partnership tracking system (active and prospective collaborators, key contacts, last touchpoints, and follow-up actions).
• Conduct rapid needs assessments or situational analyses ahead of new partnership discussions to ensure proposed collaborations are equitable and aligned with local priorities.
• Draft follow-up correspondence and partnership summaries for the Lead's review and signature.

• Grant Strategy & New Funding Mechanisms

• Monitor NIH, Fogarty International Center, foundation, and other funder portals for new grant mechanisms relevant to the program's global cancer priorities; flag opportunities with fit assessments for the Lead's review.
• Maintain a rolling funding pipeline and calendar so renewal and resubmission cycles are anticipated well ahead of deadlines.
• Co-develop Specific Aims, logic models, and conceptual frameworks in collaboration with the Lead for new proposals.
• Independently draft non-scientific proposal components: biosketches, facilities/resources descriptions, data management plans, human subjects sections, community engagement frameworks, and budget justifications.
• Manage internal U-M eResearch Proposal Management (eRPM) routing timelines.

• Research & Scholarly Productivity Support

• Conduct systematic and rapid literature reviews; synthesize findings and draft literature review sections for grants and manuscripts.
• Clean, manage, and run preliminary/descriptive analyses on research datasets (e.g., in R, Stata, or Python), preparing tables and figures for the Lead's review.
• Draft methods and results sections, and take first-author or co-author roles on secondary manuscripts, methods papers, or systematic reviews as appropriate.
• Organize reference libraries (EndNote/Zotero), verify citation accuracy, and manage journal submission and peer-review tracking.

• Program & Team Integration

• Co-facilitate global cancer working group sessions; synthesize technical discussions into actionable deliverables and policy briefs.
• Coordinate directly with the Kenya-based team on cross-site deliverables, data flow, and timelines, without requiring the Lead to broker every handoff.
• Apply program evaluation methods to assess community and partnership impact; produce annual impact summaries for leadership and funders.
• Manage shared team communications ? mailing lists, shared workspaces, and cross-time-zone meeting logistics.

• Financial Stewardship, Data Governance & Compliance

• Monitor spending and burn rate across all active grants and subawards, including funds disbursed to the Kenya-based team; flag discrepancies before they become audit issues.
• Support effort reporting and certification processes to ensure alignment between funded effort and actual work.
• Track IRB protocol amendments, continuing reviews, and safety reporting with U-M IRB (IRBMED/eResearch) and Kenyan ethics boards (e.g., NACOSTI, local IRBs).

• Program Continuity & Institutional Knowledge

• Build the documentation backbone that lets the program scale and survive staff transitions.
• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures for both field operations and this role itself, so institutional knowledge doesn't leave with any one team member.
• Document partnership history and grant strategy rationale (why mechanisms were pursued or passed on) to support future decision-making.
• Help establish and maintain a written authorship and data-sharing policy across sites, ensuring clarity on credit and data ownership before disputes arise.

Required Qualifications

• Master of Public Health (MPH) or equivalent advanced degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in global health programming, research coordination, or partnership/stakeholder management.
• Strong scientific writing skills, with familiarity in literature synthesis and grant or manuscript components.
• Excellent judgment and independence ? comfortable autonomously producing complete drafts.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with international research settings, particularly East Africa.
• Familiarity with NIH grant mechanisms and U-M systems (eRPM, IRBMED/eResearch).
• Working proficiency in a statistical or data analysis tool (R, Stata, or Python).
• Exposure to implementation science frameworks (RE-AIM, CFIR) or program evaluation methods.
• Familiarity with research data governance, data use agreements, or grant financial administration.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Why This Role

This is a rare opportunity for an MPH graduate to step into a genuine junior-investigator role inside an active, multi-grant global oncology portfolio, not a support position on the sidelines of the science, but a seat close to it. You'll co-develop grant strategy, contribute to manuscripts, help shape international partnerships, and see first-hand the growth of a global research program, from funding pipeline to field implementation. For someone aiming at a PhD, MD, or a long-term career in global health leadership, this role is the ideal launchpad.

Growth & Working Model

• Structured as a launchpad role for an MPH graduate pursuing doctoral training (PhD/DrPH/MD) or a global health leadership career.
• Manuscript co-authorship, conference abstract opportunities, and direct exposure to NIH-funded global health research.
• Direct mentorship from the Program Lead, with a weekly structured sync to set priorities and review deliverables; day-to-day work is driven independently between syncs.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.