Postdoctoral Scholar - Department of Epidemiology

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Commonwealth University seeks a highly qualified Post‑Doctoral Fellow to join the Department of Epidemiology. The fellow will contribute to federally funded projects focused on community engagement and CBPR, using mixed‑methods to study social drivers of health and substance use treatment.

The position offers intensive mentorship, opportunities to lead manuscripts, develop independent grants, and collaborate with the Center on Society and Health and affiliated partners across VCU and

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a related field by start date.
• Experience in CBPR and community engagement with underserved populations.
• Proven scientific writing and ability to lead manuscripts.

Responsibilities

• Lead peer‑reviewed manuscripts and develop publications.
• Develop grant applications and independent research proposals.
• Conduct quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods analyses.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary investigators across VCU and partners.

Skills

CBPR expertise

Research writing

Quantitative analysis

Qualitative analysis

Interdisciplinary collab

Education

Ph.D. in public health

Epidemiology specialization

Tools

R

Stata

NVivo

Job description

At VCU, we take pride in our deep commitment to our postdoctoralcommunity. In 2026, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)named VCU as one of only 12 recipients of its inauguralInstitutional Policy Awards, in recognition of our transformativeefforts to elevate quality of life and workplace equity forpostdocs. VCU postdocs are Virginia state employees, with benefitsmirroring 12-month faculty. We adhere closely to the NPA’sguidelines for best practices in postdoc training. We work closelywith our local NPA chapter, the VCU Postdoc Association, to makethis a welcoming and productive place to complete yourtraining!

VCU is a leading public research institution committed to servingboth its students and the broader community. Energized by its urbansetting 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 50public research universities nationwide, VCU secured more than $506million in sponsored research funding from federal and othersources in FY2024, a nearly 50% increase since FY2020. We strive toprovide research opportunities at all levels of learning as One VCUwith opportunities in undergraduate and graduate programming - webelieve that every VCU Ram is a Researcher!

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

The Department of Epidemiology is a premiere public health programlocated in the School of Public Health, recognized for its rigorousresearch and innovative experiential training for a new generationof public health professionals. It is aligned with renowned centers and institutes that provide a platform for investigatorsfrom multiple disciplines to collaborate on cutting-edge andinnovative research.

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

Position Summary:

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

The fellow will be based in the Department of Epidemiology and willparticipate in departmental research and professional-developmentactivities, while also having opportunities to engage with theCenter on Society and Health, where Dr. Zimmerman holds anaffiliated appointment and directs community engagement. Thisstructure will provide the fellow with access to amultidisciplinary research environment, departmental colleagues andpostdoctoral researchers, and collaborators across the School ofPublic Health, VCU, and community and clinical settings.

The position is particularly well suited for an early-careerscientist seeking intensive mentorship while developing anindependent program of research. The fellow will have opportunitiesto lead manuscripts, develop grant applications, conduct andevaluate community engaged research, contribute to ongoing federally fundedstudies, present findings at national and international scientificmeetings, and develop research aligned with their own emergingscientific interests.

Research Program

Candidates should have expertise or a developing research programfocused on the experiences of underserved populations and communityand stakeholder engagement processes and outcomes. Candidates whoseinterest aligns with one or more of the program's currently funded research areas are particularlyencouraged to apply.

Current areas of research include:

• Building capacity for people in recovery to meaningfullycollaborate in research.
• Examining patients' experiences related to substance usetreatment.
• Developing, implementing, and evaluating substance use-relatedpilot interventions.
• Supporting community-university partnerships and buildingcapacity for collaborative research.
• Implementing and evaluating community-based participatoryresearch projects.
• Evaluating partnership processes, outcomes, andsustainability.

The successful candidate should have research interests thatcomplement 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 andoutcomes
• Disparities related to substance use treatment
• Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods data collectionand 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 increasinglyindependent line of scholarship.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will participate in the scientificactivities of ongoing research studies and receive structuredmentorship in scientific writing, grantsmanship, analysis, studydesign, and career development.

Responsibilities will include:

• Leading and contributing to peer-reviewed scientificmanuscripts.
• Developing publications using existing and newly collectedresearch data.
• Developing research questions, collecting data, and conductingquantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed-methods analyses.
• Contributing to federal and foundation grant applications.
• Developing independent fellowship, career-development, orresearch proposals appropriate to the fellows' career stage.
• Conducting targeted and systematic reviews of the scientificliterature.
• Supporting IRB submissions, protocol modifications, regulatorydocumentation, and research compliance.
• Supporting the design, implementation, and evaluation ofstudies addressing substance use treatment interventions.
• Participating in participant recruitment, baseline andfollow-up assessments, and study retention activities, asappropriate.
• Contributing to data management, quality assurance, researchdocumentation, and reproducible analytic workflows.
• Providing capacity building and technical assistance tocommunity-university partnerships to support the implementation andevaluation of CBPR projects.
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary investigators within theDepartment and School of Public Health, across VCU, and withclinical and community partners.
• Participating in departmental and School of Public Healthresearch seminars, professional-development activities, and otherscholarly activities.
• Presenting research findings at local, national, andinternational scientific meetings.
• Participating in regular research and mentorship meetings withDr. Zimmerman and other members of the research team.

The fellow will be encouraged and supported to develop anindependent scientific identity, establish a focused program ofresearch, build a scholarly portfolio, and pursue external fundingduring the fellowship.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in public health,epidemiology, psychology, social science, behavioral science, or aclosely related field by the position start date.
• Research experience relevant to community engagement, CBPR, andunderserved populations.
• Demonstrated scientific writing expertise, evidenced bypeer-reviewed publications.
• Evidence of the ability to lead or make substantialcontributions 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 withinmultidisciplinary research teams.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environmentof respect, professionalism and civility with a population offaculty, 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 servicesfor people with substance use disorders.
• Experience examining health disparities from a socio-ecologicalperspective.
• Experience with longitudinal, experimental, clinical,community-based, or intervention research.
• Experience with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methodsresearch.
• Experience working with community partners or conductingcommunity-engaged research.

This is a restricted position with no set end date and continuedemployment 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]