Graduate Research Assistant (Environmental / Molecular Epidemiology)

University-of-Hawaii-System; Honolulu (HI); On-site; USD 30,000 - 42,000; Part time

Job summary

The University of Hawai'i is seeking a Graduate Research Assistant for Environmental/Molecular Epidemiology to support a PFAS-related project at the PAC-AID Research Center. The position involves data management, statistical analyses, and manuscript preparation, with emphasis on RNA-Seq data and placental health outcomes.

This is a 11-month, part-time/50% FTE role starting mid-to-late August, with renewal contingent on funds.

Qualifications

• Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student in a Masters or PhD program under UHM Graduate Division.
• Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above and carry 6 credits per semester.
• Experience with quantitative data analyses and documentation.
• Some knowledge of statistical programming (R, Python, Stata).

Responsibilities

• Perform data management, cleaning, and analyses on a 3-year Federally-funded project.
• Assist with data quality control and merging using R/Rstudio.
• Develop pipelines for data analyses and conduct descriptive and analytic statistics.
• Maintain a project notebook (R Markdown, Quarto).
• Assist in manuscript writing and prepare presentations for meetings.

Skills

Quantitative data analyses

R

Python

Stata

Education

Masters or PhD student

Tools

R

Python

Stata

Job description

Description

Graduate Research Assistant (Environmental / Molecular Epidemiology) (0000GA11) READVERSTISEMENT | University of Hawai'i page has loaded.

Position Number: 0000GA11

Hiring Unit: Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, Department of Public Health Sciences

Location: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Date Posted: October 5, 2026

Closing Date: Continuous recruitment until filled

Monthly Type: 11 Month

Full Time/Part Time: Part Time - Full Time Equivalency: 50% (20 hours / week)

Temporary/Permanent: Temporary - Not to Exceed: May 31, 2027

Salary Information: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Other Conditions:

Pending position clearance and availability of funds

Position renewable upon availability of funds, program needs, and satisfactory performance

Position to begin mid-to-late August or as soon, thereafter, as possible

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. 1. Under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and collaborators, perform data management, cleaning, and analyses on a 3-year Federally-funded research project as part of the new PAC-AID Research Center (https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/06/21/12-million-establishes-pac-aid/) on the effects of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) exposure on placental gene expression (RNA-Seq) and child health and developmental outcomes
2. 2. Assist with data QI/QC and merging using R/Rstudio (Bioconductor, etc.)
3. 3. Develop pipelines for data analyses and conduct descriptive and analytic statistics
4. 4. Keep a notebook of work conducted (Rmarkdown, Quarto, etc.)
5. 5. Assist in manuscript writing
6. 6. Prepare presentations for internal and external meetings and conferences
7. 7. Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

• Be classified as a degree-seeking student in a Masters or PhD program under UHM Graduate Division,
• Be in good academic standing and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above,
• Maintain 6 credits per semester with the exception of those who have reached 800 (dissertation) or 700F (thesis)
• Experience with quantitative data analyses and documentation
• Some knowledge of statistical programming (e.g. R, Python, Stata)

Desirable Qualifications:

• Knowledge of environmental health and toxicology
• Knowledge of molecular genetics and molecular epidemiology (e.g. -omic wide studies)
• Knowledge of code development and management tools (e.g. GitHub)
• Knowledge of High-Performance Computing (e.g. use of server clusters, slurm)
• Strong knowledge of biostatistics and epidemiology, quantitative causal inference
• Expert knowledge in R / RStudio including development of Shiny apps / packages
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Detail oriented, organized, dependable, and self-motivated
• Experience with data presentation and data visualizations

Inquiries: Jonathan Huang, [e-mail]

EEO, Clery Act, ADA

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, including on the basis of veteran and disability status. For more information, visit: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/policies/

Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.

Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/