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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Congratulations and Enjoy the Summer!

On Friday, June 5th, CSDE celebrated its many graduate students for their accomplishments. We enjoyed snacks, sharing updates, and celebrating! If you’d like to see all those updates, view the slide presentation.

Thank you to all who attended and presented at CSDE’s spring series. CSDE will be pausing its seminar series until Autumn 2025. Stay tuned for upcoming events.  Thank you to our seminar series team – Professor Rawan Arar, Maddie Farris, Jessica Godwin, Jill Fulmore, and Rebecca Toole! Thank you to the Evans School for hosting us in Parrington Hall and supporting Becca.

In the meantime, keep sending us your news. CSDE E-news will be shifting to a biweekly schedule over the summer.

 

Postdoctoral Associate in Adolescent Development and Network Survey  – UC Boulder (06/14/26)

Postdoctoral Associate in Adolescent Development and Network Survey 

The Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for a Postdoctoral Associate position to work on an NIH-funded research project with Dr. Thoa Khuu. The position is ideal for candidates with interdisciplinary training in areas such as adolescent development, survey methodology, social network methods, and educational research.

This position is funded for one year from the start date, with the possibility of renewal for an additional year, contingent on performance and funding availability. Salary range is 65-70K. Research funds are available up to $3000/yr (i.e., conference travels and equipment). Moving expenses may be offered up to $2500. The position will start on or around August 15, 2026.

About the Project

This project aims to advance understanding of how friendship and the social environment connect to health and wellbeing and how this differs for immigrant and non-immigrant youth. The project involves original survey data collection in high schools located in emerging immigrant destinations in the United States and builds on innovative approaches in personal network data collection. 

The postdoctoral researcher will:

  • Assist with implementation of school-based survey data collection across partner high schools 
  • Support administration and refinement of adolescent network surveys using Network Canvas and related tools 
  • Organize and conduct quantitative and network analysis of survey data
  • Collaborate on manuscript preparation, conference presentations, and grant development 

Desired Qualifications

Applicants should have:

  • A PhD in sociology, psychology, education, public health, human development, or a related social science field by the start date 
  • Expertise in one or more of the following areas: 
    • adolescent development or psychosocial well-being 
    • school climate and educational contexts 
    • survey methodology and quantitative data collection 
    • immigrant or racially/ethnically diverse youth populations 
  • Strong quantitative research skills, preferably in R
  • Experience working with adolescent populations and/or educational institutions 
  • Demonstrated ability to manage research projects and collaborate in interdisciplinary teams 

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit:

  • 1-page cover letter describing research interests and fit for the position 
  • Curriculum vitae, with contact information for three references
  • One writing sample or published paper 

Applications will be accepted until June 14th, 2026. Please send the information to thoa.khuu@colorado.edu.

TADA-BSSR Trainee Summit in Little Rock, Arkansas

In May, the Data Science and Demography Training (DSDT) fellows travelled to Little Rock, Arkansas for the NIH Training in Advanced Data Analytics for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (TADA-BSSR) Trainee Summit hosted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. This was the first time in more than two years that trainees from the different sites were able to meet in person.

This year’s meeting focused on leveraging our in-person meeting to “do the things we cannot do virtually,” with the overall goal of increasing awareness of activities at all TADA-BSSR sites and to enhance cross-site networking.  Sessions included introduction to the different TADA-BSSR T32 research sites and a quick introduction to trainees’ research interests. Other highlights included a Career Development Panel where CSDE Affiliate and T32 PI Audrey Dorélien gave a presentation on post-doctoral opportunities and how to apply for them. Trainees really enjoyed the second day of panel discussions which focused on AI use in research.

Colburn, Wang, Curran, Thomas and CSDE Team Awarded Spot in Eviction Data Research Network

CSDE Affiliates Gregg Colburn (Real Estate), Vince Wang (Real Estate), Sara Curran (Director, CSDE), and CSDE External Affiliate Tim Thomas (UC Berkeley), along with Pelle Tracey (iSchool), have been invited to join the Eviction Data Research Network. Their project will advance statewide data collection around housing eviction. They will be joined by Washington State’s Attorney General’s office and additional UW colleagues and CSDE Affiliates Drew Messamore (Sociology), Erin McElroy (Geography), and Kyle Crowder (Sociology), who will advise the team on their efforts.  Alongside 10 other state teams joining the 2026–2028 cohort, the CSDE Team will work with New America’s Future of Land and Housing (FLH) program to build comprehensive eviction data systems and assemble teams who can leverage this data to move the needle on eviction prevention

Hajat Examines How Race, Gender, and Precarious Employment Shape Educational Returns on Depression in Older Adults

In a new article in Aging & Mental Health, CSDE Affiliate Anjum Hajat (Epidemiology, CSDE Development Core Director) and co-authors used data from the Health and Retirement Study (1992–2022)  to examine how the mental health benefits of education vary by race, gender, and precarious employment (PE) among older adults. While high school education was generally associated with lower depressive symptoms, Black and Hispanic women with a high school education did not have lower depressive symptoms than non-Hispanic white men without one. As precarious employment increased, the protective effect of education grew only among non-Hispanic white men but not among other race and gender groups. The findings support the Diminishing Returns Hypothesis and highlight how structural inequalities limit the mental health benefits of education for marginalized groups.