Health Policy Implementation Postdoctoral Scholar

UC Irvine; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 71,000 - 86,000; Part time

Job summary

UC Irvine seeks a qualified Postdoctoral Scholar (20% FTE) in the CHIP Laboratory within the Department of Health, Society and Behavior. The role focuses on health policy development, evaluation, and implementation research, with collaboration across multiple health policy projects and mixed-methods approaches.

The successful candidate will develop manuscripts, synthesize literature, and contribute to grants and proposals while working under the guidance of Dr.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Health Policy, Public Health, Public Policy, Sociology, Political Science, Health Services Research, Implementation Science, or related field.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in health policy research, including policy implementation or evaluation.
• Strong scientific writing, literature synthesis, and analytical skills.
• Training or experience with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research.
• Ability to contribute to peer‑reviewed manuscripts and proposals.
• Ability to conduct independent research while collaborating in an interdisciplinary team.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop manuscripts and literature syntheses for policy-relevant publications.
• Collaborate on grant and proposal development and ongoing health policy research projects.
• Contribute to dissemination of findings to academic and policy audiences.

Skills

Scholarly writing

Research skills

Education

Ph.D. in Health Policy, Public Health, Public Policy, Sociology, Political Science, Health Services Research, Implementation Science, or related field

Job description

Position Overview

Salary for this position is between $71,491 - $85,736. Pay will be based on experience and qualifications. For more information, please see the link: Postdoc Experience Level Salary

Description

The Community Health & Innovative Policy (CHIP) Laboratory, led by Dr. Denise Payán in the Department of Health, Society and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine, is seeking a qualified Postdoctoral Scholar for a 20% full-time equivalent (FTE) appointment during the 2026–2027 academic year. The position corresponds to an average of approximately 8 hours per week.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will collaborate with Dr. Payán and members of the CHIP Laboratory on research examining health policy development, implementation, and evaluation, with particular attention to state and local policy and the factors that shape policy implementation and outcomes. Research projects may span multiple areas of public health and health policy and may employ quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches.

The primary responsibilities of the position will involve manuscript development, literature synthesis, grant and proposal development, and collaboration on ongoing health policy research projects. The scholar will have opportunities to contribute substantively to peer-reviewed publications and research proposals while participating in an interdisciplinary health policy research environment.

The successful candidate will be expected to work independently with guidance from the principal investigator and collaborators; contribute intellectually to health policy implementation research; synthesize scientific and policy literature; contribute to manuscript and proposal development; and help advance dissemination of research findings for academic and policy audiences.

Qualifications

Qualified candidates with a Ph.D. in Health Policy, Public Health, Public Policy, Sociology, Political Science, Health Services Research, Implementation Science, or another related social, behavioral, or population science field are invited to apply. We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise or demonstrated interest in health policy implementation, policy evaluation, implementation science, or state and local policymaking, as well as strong scholarly writing and research skills.

Ph.D. in Health Policy, Public Health, Public Policy, Sociology, Political Science, Health Services Research, Implementation Science, or another related social, behavioral, or population science field.

Demonstrated interest or experience in health policy research, particularly policy implementation and/or evaluation.

Strong scientific writing, literature synthesis, and analytical skills.

Training or experience with quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed-methods research.

Ability to contribute effectively to peer-reviewed manuscripts and research proposals.

Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research while working collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary research team.

Strong organizational and communication skills.

About UC Irvine

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.


• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy


• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties


• APM-035: Afficate Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment .

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

Job location

Irvine, CA