Postdoctoral Scholar - Department of Epidemiology

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Commonwealth University seeks a highly motivated Post-Doctoral Fellow to join the Epidemiology group within the School of Public Health. The fellow will contribute to federally funded research on community engagement and CBPR, with a focus on substance use treatment and health disparities.

The position offers mentorship, opportunities to lead manuscripts, develop grants, and present findings at national and international meetings.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent in public health, epidemiology, psychology, social science, behavioral science, or related field by start date.
• Demonstrated writing expertise with peer‑reviewed publications.
• Ability to lead or contribute to scientific manuscripts.

Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to peer‑reviewed manuscripts.
• Develop publications from existing and new data.
• Design research questions and conduct quantitative/qualitative analyses.
• Contribute to federal and foundation grant applications.
• Develop independent fellowship or research proposals.

Skills

Scientific writing

Collaboration

Communication

Independent work

Project management

Education

Ph.D. in public health / epidemiology

Job description

At VCU, we take pride in our deep commitment to our postdoctoral community. In 2026, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) named VCU as one of only 12 recipients of its inaugural Institutional Policy Awards, in recognition of our transformative efforts to elevate quality of life and workplace equity for postdocs. VCU postdocs are Virginia state employees, with benefits mirroring 12-month faculty. We adhere closely to the NPA's guidelines for best practices in postdoc training. We work closely with our local NPA chapter, the VCU Postdoc Association, to make this a welcoming and productive place to complete your training!

VCU is a leading public research institution committed to serving both its students and the broader community. Energized by its urban setting in Richmond, VCU is a hub of innovation - pushing boundaries, challenging convention, and embracing bold, forward-thinking ideas. As a Carnegie ranked - R1 institution ranked among the top 50 public research universities nationwide, VCU secured more than $506 million in sponsored research funding from federal and other sources in FY2024, a nearly 50% increase since FY2020. We strive to provide research opportunities at all levels of learning as One VCU with opportunities in undergraduate and graduate programming - we believe that every VCU Ram is a Researcher!

The central heart of research innovation and infrastructure at VCU is the Office of the Vice President of Research and Innovation
(OVPRI), whose mission is to foster transformative research, discovery and innovation through excellence in service. In addition to supporting schools and departments throughout the research lifecycle.

The Department of Epidemiology is a premiere public health program located in the School of Public Health, recognized for its rigorous research and innovative experiential training for a new generation of public health professionals. It is aligned with renowned
centers and institutes that provide a platform for investigators from multiple disciplines to collaborate on cutting-edge and innovative research.

The Center on Society and Health (CSH), located in the School of Public Health, works to raise awareness about factors outside of health care that shape health outcomes and to explore ways to improve population health and wellbeing. CSH’s vision is to open opportunity for all members of society and facilitate the creation of partnerships that work across sectors to help stakeholders align incentives and advance health.

Position Summary:

The Department of Epidemiology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Public Health is seeking a highly motivated, research-focused Post-Doctoral Fellow to join the research program led by Dr. Emily Zimmerman. The fellow will contribute to a portfolio of federally funded research focused on community engagement and community-based participatory research (CBPR), mixed-methods research, social drivers of health, and improving substance use treatment research through integration of the perspectives of people with lived experience.

The fellow will be based in the Department of Epidemiology and will participate in departmental research and professional-development activities, while also having opportunities to engage with the Center on Society and Health, where Dr. Zimmerman holds an affiliated appointment and directs community engagement. This structure will provide the fellow with access to a multidisciplinary research environment, departmental colleagues and postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators across the School of Public Health, VCU, and community and clinical settings.

The position is particularly well suited for an early-career scientist seeking intensive mentorship while developing an independent program of research. The fellow will have opportunities to lead manuscripts, develop grant applications, conduct and evaluate community engaged research, contribute to ongoing federally funded studies, present findings at national and international scientific meetings, and develop research aligned with their own emerging scientific interests.

Research Program

Candidates should have expertise or a developing research program focused on the experiences of underserved populations and community and stakeholder engagement processes and outcomes. Candidates whose interest aligns with one or more of the program's currently funded research areas are particularly encouraged to apply.

Current areas of research include:

• Building capacity for people in recovery to meaningfully collaborate in research.
• Examining patients' experiences related to substance use treatment.
• Developing, implementing, and evaluating substance use-related pilot interventions.
• Supporting community-university partnerships and building capacity for collaborative research.
• Implementing and evaluating community-based participatory research projects.
• Evaluating partnership processes, outcomes, and sustainability.

The successful candidate should have research interests that complement one or more areas of the program, including:

• Community engagement methods (best practices, principles, methodologies)
• Community engaged partnership development
• Community engaged research
• Evaluation of program or partnership processes and outcomes
• Disparities related to substance use treatment
• Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods data collection and analysis
• Social drivers of health
• Epidemiology
• Social theory
• Prevention and intervention science
• Translational science

The fellow will be expected to contribute intellectually to the research program while developing a coherent and increasingly independent line of scholarship.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will participate in the scientific activities of ongoing research studies and receive structured mentorship in scientific writing, grantsmanship, analysis, study design, and career development.

Responsibilities will include:

• Leading and contributing to peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts.
• Developing publications using existing and newly collected research data.
• Developing research questions, collecting data, and conducting quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed-methods analyses.
• Contributing to federal and foundation grant applications.
• Developing independent fellowship, career-development, or research proposals appropriate to the fellows' career stage.
• Conducting targeted and systematic reviews of the scientific literature.
• Supporting IRB submissions, protocol modifications, regulatory documentation, and research compliance.
• Supporting the design, implementation, and evaluation of studies addressing substance use treatment interventions.
• Participating in participant recruitment, baseline and follow-up assessments, and study retention activities, as appropriate.
• Contributing to data management, quality assurance, research documentation, and reproducible analytic workflows.
• Providing capacity building and technical assistance to community-university partnerships to support the implementation and evaluation of CBPR projects.
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary investigators within the Department and School of Public Health, across VCU, and with clinical and community partners.
• Participating in departmental and School of Public Health research seminars, professional-development activities, and other scholarly activities.
• Presenting research findings at local, national, and international scientific meetings.
• Participating in regular research and mentorship meetings with Dr. Zimmerman and other members of the research team.

The fellow will be encouraged and supported to develop an independent scientific identity, establish a focused program of research, build a scholarly portfolio, and pursue external funding during the fellowship.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in public health, epidemiology, psychology, social science, behavioral science, or a closely related field by the position start date.
• Research experience relevant to community engagement, CBPR, and underserved populations.
• Demonstrated scientific writing expertise, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications.
• Evidence of the ability to lead or make substantial contributions to scientific manuscripts.
• Strong research skills and experience analyzing social, behavioral, clinical, or public health data.
• Strong understanding of research design.
• Excellent organizational and project-management skills.
• Excellent communication.
• Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and within multidisciplinary research teams.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a post doc at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Research expertise in substance use disorders and/or services for people with substance use disorders.
• Experience examining health disparities from a socio-ecological perspective.
• Experience with longitudinal, experimental, clinical, community-based, or intervention research.
• Experience with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research.
• Experience working with community partners or conducting community-engaged research.

This is a restricted position with no set end date and continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

FLSA Exemption Status:Exempt

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement:Fully Onsite

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Cian Brooks
Contact Email: [e-mail]