Postdoctoral Research Scientist

The Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to work on an NIH-funded project examining the relationship between urban environmental exposures and adolescent mental health outcomes. This innovative study combines high-resolution environmental data (including tree canopy coverage, surface temperature, and shade exposure) with longitudinal mental health data from over 3,000 adolescents in Los Angeles County. The project aims to understand how neighborhood-level environmental factors influence the development of psychopathology during critical developmental periods, with particular attention to how these exposures may contribute to mental health disparities. Working with Drs. Katherine Keyes and Andrew Rundle, the postdoctoral research scientist to analyze longitudinal data that merges environmental assessments and neighborhood-level exposures with adolescent survey data. This position offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of environmental and psychiatric epidemiology while developing expertise in cutting-edge methodological approaches. The successful candidate will join a dynamic research environment with access to rich data resources and opportunities for professional development.

Key Responsibilities:

- Develop and implement spatial analyses of environmental exposures

- Create and validate neighborhood typologies

- Analyze associations between environmental factors and mental health trajectories

- Author peer-reviewed publications and present at scientific conferences

- Contribute to the preparation of reports

A doctoral degree in epidemiology, public health, or related field

- Experience analyzing environmental exposure data, particularly in urban settings

- Experience analyzing neighborhood-level data or spatially arrayed data

- Knowledge of psychiatric epidemiology and dimensional approaches to mental health measurement

- Expertise in longitudinal data analysis and advanced statistical methods

- Proficiency in statistical programming (R, SAS, or similar)

- Strong writing and communication skills