Postdoctoral Fellow - Social and Behavioral Sciences

Harvard University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvard University seeks a Postdoctoral Fellow in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The position supports an NIH-funded project on optimism and longevity, involving primary data collection and secondary analyses in large cohorts.

The fellow will work with mentors across epidemiology, gerontology, and biostatistics, developing analytic skills, scientific writing, and grant-writing experience while contributing to multiple publications.

Qualifications

• Doctoral-level degree in public health, social sciences, or a related discipline.
• Strong research skills, including data collection, advanced analytical skills, and scientific writing.
• Publication record with significant peer-reviewed contributions.

Responsibilities

• General Research Activities: execute tasks and projects using longitudinal designs, mediation, and causal inference; perform literature reviews; conduct statistical analyses.
• Data Cleaning and Management: manage and clean large datasets (N~100,000) from cohorts like Nurses Health Study.
• Data/Statistical Analysis: run analyses and report results using R, SAS, Python, and MPlus.
• Manuscript Preparation: draft manuscripts and prepare submission materials.
• Data Safety: monitor data safety protocols for responsible conduct of research.
• Responsible Conduct of Research: adhere to reproducible research practices and good coding standards.
• Project Support: assist with IRB protocols and coordination with co-investigators.

Skills

Data management

Statistical analysis

Research writing

Team leadership

Data safety

Reproducible research

Education

PhD in public health or related field

Tools

R

SAS

Python

MPlus

Job description

Postdoctoral Fellow - Social and Behavioral Sciences

Title Postdoctoral Fellow - Social and Behavioral Sciences

School

School Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Department/Area

Department/Area Social and Behavioral Sciences

Position Description

The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health seeks an outstanding individual for a Postdoctoral Fellow position to begin in the Spring of 2027. The successful candidate will participate in a NIH grant-funded project on optimism and longevity. The research involves conducting both primary data collection exploring new methods for measuring optimism (or other psychological attributes), as well as secondary data analyses in large scale ongoing cohorts evaluating biobehavioral mechanisms by which optimism may lead to healthier aging. Additional work will include considering epigenetics and other biomarkers of aging and evaluating these relationships across diverse populations. The Fellow will collaborate with faculty mentors (Dr. Laura Kubzansky – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Fran Grodstein, Channing Laboratory, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital) to explore key research questions, generate multiple publications, and help write grant proposals.

Fellows will be mentored to facilitate transition to independent research careers by emphasizing acquisition of analytic, writing, and other research skills. Further, fellows will have an opportunity to learn from our highly interdisciplinary, collaborative, and dynamic research group that meets regularly and includes leading scientists (and other fellows) with expertise in several disciplines including: epidemiology, gerontology, social determinants of health, social and clinical psychology, environmental health, genetics and epigenetics, biostatistics, natural language processing, and machine learning.

Primary Research Activities (70%).

• General Research Activities. Carries out independently, under supervision, and in collaboration, designated research tasks and projects, making use of selected methodologies (longitudinal designs, moderation and mediation, causal inference), library research (Pubmed searches, systemic review methods), and statistical analysis (data visualization, descriptive analyses, time series analyses, latent modelling, multilevel modelling).
• Data Cleaning and Management. Engages both independently and under supervision in data management and data cleaning and organization in large (N~100,000) datasets, such as the Nurses Health Study cohorts.
• Data/Statistical Analysis. Processes, organizes and summarizes data, reporting results using a variety of scientific, word processing, spreadsheet or statistical software applications or program platforms including R, SAS , Python, and MPlus.
• Acquires Specialized Training. Attends trainings and skill development workshops as necessary to acquire new statistical skills.
• Reporting Results. Submits periodic reports of project status to supervisor, regularly suggests additional tests or modifications in current procedures;
• Manuscript Preparation. Collates, organizes, and/or drafts material for research papers, manuscripts, progress reports, articles or other documents for publication and/or presentation including reference management, drafting manuscript sections, and managing publication submission;
• Data Safety. Regularly monitors data safety protocols for adherence to best practices in the responsible conduct of research;
• Responsible Conduct of Research. Engages in best practices for data management and reproducible research including use of commented code and R Markdown.

Project Support (30%)

• General Support. Assists with project management tasks (e.g. IRB protocols, coordinating with subcontracted co-investigators, etc.)
• Other Responsibilities. Performs other duties as assigned. Provides back-up support to other Research Assistants and team members. The candidate will be encouraged and mentored in applying for early career awards and independent grant funding.

Basic Qualifications

• doctoral-level degree in public health, social sciences, or a related discipline
• proof of successfully defending dissertation
• strong research skills, including data collection, advanced analytical skills, and scientific writing
• publication record, with significant contributions to peer-reviewed publications beyond thesis papers
• ability to lead research teams and manage research projects, including supervising research staff, coordinating with administrators regarding budget and staffing, and ensuring research activities meet ethical guidelines
• excellent planning, analytical, organizational, communication, and decision-making skills

Basic Qualifications

• 1) Ph.D. in psychology, health and human development, social epidemiology or a related field; 2) Experience with managing and programming large-scale data sets, 3) demonstrated ability of using advanced statistics, 4) as well as substantive understanding of the interface between mental and physical health

Additional Qualifications

• Interest in and experience with biological data (e.g., epigenetics, microbiome, metabolomics)

Contact Information

Maria LoSurdo
Director Administration

Contact Email

Salary Range

$65,000—70,000 based on qualifications and

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard’s academic purposes.

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