Post-Doc Research Associate (Haendel)

UNC-Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill (NC); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Vision coverage

Paid leave

Job summary

UNC-Chapel Hill seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to develop methods for defining rare disease cohort controls and assessing re-identification risk across EHR, claims, registry, and linked data. You will build frameworks for privacy risk factors unique to rare conditions and model risks from external sources.

You will design disclosure controls, collaborate with patient groups and IRBs, and contribute to practical guidance that protects patients while preserving scientific value.

Qualifications

• Experience with statistical disclosure control, privacy-preserving data methods, or re-identification risk assessment.
• Experience in R or Python for statistical modeling and analysis of large health datasets.
• Experience working with sensitive health data (EHR, claims, registry) and completion of human subjects training.

Responsibilities

• Investigate methods for defining rare disease cohort controls and assessing re-identification risk in diverse data sources.
• Design and evaluate creation of control populations for small, rare disease groups where traditional methods may not apply.
• Develop disclosure controls (ontology-based aggregation, suppression, enclaves, federated analysis) and assess impact on data utility.
• Engage with patient advocacy groups, data stewards, and IRBs to align research with governance.

Skills

Statistical disclosure control

R or Python

Handling sensitive health data

Human subjects training

Distributed team collaboration

Education

PhD in biostatistics, statistics, epidemiology, biomedical informatics, computer science, or related field

Job description

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.

UNC -Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage , paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

The UNC School of Medicine has a rich tradition of excellence and care. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians, and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research. We strive to promote faculty, staff, and learner development in a diverse, respectful environment where our colleagues demonstrate professionalism, enhance learning, and create personal and professional sustainability. We optimize our partnership with the UNC Health System through close collaboration and commitment to service.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be the nation’s leading public school of medicine. We are ranked 2nd in primary care education among all US schools of medicine and 5th among public peers in NIH research funding. Our Allied Health Department is home to five top-ranked divisions, and we are home to 18 top-ranked clinical and basic science departments in NIH research funding.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research.
Patient Care: We will promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.
Education: We will prepare tomorrow’s health care professionals and biomedical researchers by facilitating learning within innovative curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education. We will cultivate outstanding teaching and research faculty, and we will recruit outstanding students and trainees from highly diverse backgrounds to create a socially responsible, highly skilled workforce.
Research: We will develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers, and resources. We will provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our University to support outstanding research. We will foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic, and population research.

Position Summary

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will investigate methods for defining rare disease cohort controls and assessing and reducing re-identification risk in rare disease data, including EHR , claims, registry, and linked real-world data. Specifically, this will include developing a framework for organizing privacy risk factors unique to rare conditions, estimating sample and population uniqueness using multiple data resources and reference populations, and modeling added risk from public sources such as advocacy registries, case reports, and social media.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will design and evaluate the creation of control populations for small, rare disease populations where traditional propensity methods may not be appropriate. They will also design disclosure controls, including ontology-based aggregation, phenotype coarsening, suppression, and access-based approaches such as enclaves and federated analysis, and measure their effects on statistical utility. The work will involve engagement with patient advocacy groups, data stewards, and IRBs, and requires human subjects research training. The goals of the work will be to develop practical guidance and methods that protect rare disease patients while preserving the scientific value of their data for research.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Ph.D. in biostatistics, statistics, epidemiology, biomedical informatics, computer science, or a related quantitative field.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

The position requires:

• Experience with statistical disclosure control, privacy-preserving data methods, or re-identification risk assessment, shown through coursework, research, or publications
• Experience in R or Python for statistical modeling, simulation, and analysis of large, complex health datasets
• Experience working with sensitive health data such as EHR , claims, or registry data, and completion of (or willingness to complete) human subjects research training
• Ability to work with a geographically distributed team

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

The preferred candidate will have the following:

• Research experience in rare diseases, or familiarity with the challenges of small-population and low-count data
• Knowledge of biomedical ontologies and coding systems such as Mondo, HPO , ICD , SNOMED CT, or OMOP
• Familiarity with de-identification standards and regulations, including HIPAA Safe Harbor and Expert Determination, and with disclosure control tools such as sdcMicro or ARX
• Experience with secure data environments, including data enclaves, federated analysis, or cloud-based research platforms
• Experience engaging patient advocacy groups, IRBs, or community stakeholders in research design or data governance
• A strong publication record and excellent written communication skills, including the ability to turn technical findings into practical guidance for non-technical audiences

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Optional and Required Documents

Required Documents

• Curriculum Vitae / Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of References

Optional Documents

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).