Postdoctoral Researcher

Position Description:

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), a postdoc is an individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced research training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path. In addition, according to the National Postdoc Association (NPA), Postdoctoral appointees can pursue basic, clinical or translational projects so long as their primary effort is devoted toward their own scholarship. Postdocs are essential to the scholarly mission of the mentor and host institution, and thus are expected to have the freedom to publish the results of their scholarship.

This postdoctoral fellow will contribute to a research team focused on health equity at the intersection of public health and geography. We focus on inequities in non-communicable diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health and well-being, both at home and abroad. Current US-based work focuses on the impact of residential racial segregation, redlining, tree canopy and other neighborhood determinants on health inequities among racially and ethnically diverse communities, and the potential to leverage beneficial neighborhood features and systems changes to reduce health inequity. A primary project is the Breast Cancer, Race and Place project (https://www.mcw.edu/departments/epidemiology/research/breast-cancer-race-and-place). In East Africa, we work with community and academic partners, including cancer registries and non-governmental organizations, on cervical and breast cancer prevention and control. Our team is comprised of faculty, staff, trainees, and a diverse array of community and academic partners. Our team also supports the Geospatial, Epidemiology and Outcomes (GEO) shared resource of the MCW Cancer Center (http://www.mcw.edu/geo).

Characteristics of a postdoctoral appointment:

It is expected that postdocs at MCW, with the assistance of their supervisor, will:

• Transition to career independence through the development of professional skills that enable the postdoc to actively pursue a career of his/her own choosing.
• Be supervised by at least one senior scholar who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
• Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates equally the postdoc's career and training goals and the mentor's research goals.
• Pursue basic, clinical, or translational projects so long as effort is focused primarily on research.
• Publish results of the postdoc's research and scholarship during their appointment.
• The postdoctoral appointment is temporary by nature, the aggregate amount of time spent as a postdoc is recommended to not exceed five years (not including family medical leave or maternity/paternity leave).
• As postdocs are important members of the host institution's community, appropriate levels of compensation, health care, and other benefits commensurate with their essential status should be afforded, independent of the postdoc's source of funding.

Responsibilities:

• Plan, design and execute complex research studies, procedures and protocols.
• Participate in discovery projects.
• Coordinate research study activities; lead and manage projects.
• Oversee organization, synthesis and analysis of data and findings.
• Prepare scientific reports, outcome findings and scientific manuscripts.
• Participate in meetings with principal investigator and research staff in which you will evaluate/interpret the validity of data, develop methodologies, and design and evaluate lab procedures.
• Maintain supplies, may require negotiation with vendors, and track purchase orders.
• May oversee the work of laboratory personnel including training and development as well as daily work direction, delegation and establishing priorities.
• Develop, oversee and manage IRB protocols

Knowledge - Skills - Abilities

Required knowledge: public health; geography; social science; environmental science; statistics; mathematics; data science; data visualization; documentation; records management; complex problem solving; critical thinking; resource management; communication; community engagement. Specific knowledge in the following areas is highly valued: health equity, global health, environmental justice, housing, structural racism, neighborhood effects on health, greenspace and green infrastructure, climate change mitigation and adaptation, women's health, children's health, cancer and other non-communicable diseases, implementation science; measurement of residential racial segregation, redlining, housing discrimination, health inequities and related constructs.

Skills and abilities: Interest and experience in working with a wide range of community partners and collaborators and a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Abilities in data utilization, complex problem solving, critical thinking, troubleshooting, resource management, writing, listening, communicating and collaborating. Interest, motivation and skill in writing manuscripts and grants and disseminating research findings in multiple ways (i.e. web, social media). Highly skilled in data analysis, including statistical and spatial analysis. Skills in conceptualization, design, and production of complex data visualizations to clearly communicate analytic findings. Strong critical thinking, analytical, problem solving and trouble shooting skills. Highly accurate, detail oriented and organized. Clear, efficient and thoughtful written and verbal communication. Strong interpersonal skills and a team player. Responsible and dependable with attention to deadlines and skills in time management. Motivated, creative, and ready to learn new things. Skill in handling multiple competing priorities. Specialized skills in statistical analysis and computer programming in any of the following areas are highly valued: structural equation modeling, mixed effects modeling, mediation analysis, spatial modeling, web-based mapping. Software and programming experience may include: R, STATA, Esri Arcmap, python, Leaflet, PostgreSQL, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, Bootstrap, PHP, QGIS, PostGIS, Mapserver, Tableau, Openlayers, Geoserver, R Shiny, REDCap, ODK, ACASI.

Preferred Schedule:

Position Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:
Minimum education: PhD in a scientific field or MD
Minimum experience: 0 years

Why MCW?

* Outstanding Healthcare Coverage, including but not limited to Health, Vision, and Dental.
* 403B Retirement Package
* Competitive Vacation, Sick Time, and Paid Holidays
* Tuition Reimbursement
* Paid Parental Leave

For a full list of positions see: www.mcw.edu/careers
For a brief overview of our benefits see: https://www.mcw.edu/departments/human-resources/benefits

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination


The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

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