NIH Funding Opportunities on Research on biopsychosocial factors of social connectedness and isolation on health, wellbeing, illness, and recovery:

• R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed: This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits research projects that seek to model the underlying mechanisms, processes, and trajectories of social relationships and how these factors affect outcomes in health, illness, recovery, and overall wellbeing. Both animal and human subjects research projects are welcome. Researchers proposing basic science experimental studies involving human participants should consider this FOA’s companion for basic experimental studies with humans. Deadline: March 17, 2020 (Opens on February 17, 2020)

• R01 Basic experimental studies with humans (BESH) required: This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) invites research projects that seek to explain the underlying mechanisms, processes, and trajectories of social relationships and how these factors affect outcomes in human health, illness, recovery, and overall wellbeing. Types of projects submitted under this FOA include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical and/or behavioral outcomes in humans to understand fundamental aspects of phenomena related to social connectedness and isolatedness. NIH considers such studies as “prospective basic science studies involving human participants” that meet the NIH definition of basic research and fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trials (see, e.g., NOT-OD-19-024) Types of studies that should submit under this FOA include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Deadline: March 17, 2020 (Opens on February 17, 2020)

Brown University, Post-doctoral Research Associate

ASA Job ID is: 16082

The Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate with expertise in population-environment research to work with Associate Professor Elizabeth Fussell and her collaborator, Professor Narayan Sastry (University of Michigan), on a study of the long-term outcomes of the Hurricane Katrina-affected population of New Orleans.

Responsibilities: The Postdoctoral Research Associate will participate in data analyses, literature reviews, manuscript production for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and presentations at scientific conferences, especially the Population Association of America. Publications stemming from the designated research projects will likely be co-authored with Fussell and other co-investigators on those projects. The Postdoctoral Research Associate is encouraged to lead one or more of these papers and to publish their independent research.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate position will start between January 1 and August 1, 2020. The term of appointment is one year, with the possibility of renewal.

QUALIFICATIONS| A PhD in a social science discipline with a specialization in demography.  Applicants must have completed the PhD requirement prior to the start of the position.

Theoretical and empirical familiarity with the field of environment and migration; experience in statistical and spatial data analysis and survey methods; advanced programming in Stata or another statistical package; excellent writing ability. Special Sworn Status with the Census Bureau is a plus, and a successful applicant without this status will be assisted in obtaining it.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS| To apply, please submit your application at: http://apply.interfolio.com/70698 and include the following materials: (1) letter of application, (2) a two-to-five page research statement detailing your substantive and methodological research experience , (3) curriculum vitae, and (4) one or two recent samples of published work (listed as “Other Document” under application documents). In addition, candidates should submit three letters of reference via the online system at the time of the application.

Application review will begin December 15, but the position will remain open to accept additional applications until the position filled.

Inquiries may be directed to Prof. Elizabeth Fussell, email: elizabeth_fussell@brown.edu

Pennsylvania State University, Postdoctoral Researcher

https://psu.jobs/job/91652

The Population Research Institute in the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State (University Park) seeks a qualified candidate to collaborate with Dr. Ashton Verdery, Dr. Rachel Margolis (University of Western Ontario), and other colleagues on a National Institute of Aging funded research grant. This position will be devoted to research related to patterns of family structure and population health in aging populations around the world. This position requires a Ph.D. or equivalent degree by the position start-date. The successful candidate will be encouraged to develop their own research program in addition to collaborating with the research team. A background in demography, sociology, economics, health sciences, gerontology, or statistics is preferred. We are especially interested in candidates who are strong writers and have expertise in survey methodology and data analysis, with proficiency in R and/or Stata. Experience working with a research team and knowledge of advanced demographic techniques is desired. We seek a candidate who is self-motivated, detail-oriented, responsible, team-oriented, and creative, with excellent interpersonal, written communication, and organizational skills. Please submit a brief cover letter describing relevant experience, a current curriculum vitae, and contact information (name, current position title, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address) for three professional references electronically. 

This is a one year fixed-term appointment with high likelihood of an additional year of funding. The position start date is flexible but is expected to begin between March 1, 2020 and September 1, 2020. Applicants who wish to work remotely will be considered. Review of applications begins on January 10, 2020 and will continue until the position is filled. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience; travel and research support is budgeted for the Postdoctoral Scholar to attend annual conferences, training workshops, and obtain necessary materials and software.

Harvard University, Research Associate

The Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS) seeks a full-time, PhD-level Research Associate to work on a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded-project entitled “Burden of Disease and Deprivation in India across Micro and Macro Public Policy Units” led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Professor S.V. Subramanian and HCPDS Research Associate Rockli Kim. The overarching goal of this project is to improve precision public policy, public financing, and governance in India related to indicators of population health and development. Specifically, the project aims to achieve this goal by: 1) Data collation and analytics; 2) The development of web-based intelligent public data and analytics platform; and 3) Knowledge translation and dissemination. 

A core component of this project is triangulating multiple sources of population health and development data geocoded to micro and macro public policy units in India, and applying advanced methodological approaches to make robust predictions at each level. Therefore, we are seeking a Research Associate with extensive expertise in data management of large population-based data sets. Experience of working with Indian data sets (e.g. Census, National Family Health Surveys) is preferred. The candidate must have advanced skills in coding, GIS, and statistical modeling, including multilevel modeling. Knowledge of geospatial analysis and machine learning is desirable.

Primary responsibilities: The position will be primarily responsible for identifying, collating, and managing relevant datasets in India with population health and development data geocoded to different public policy units. Duties include data extraction, cleaning (including recoding, relabeling, constructing new variables), and merging; producing tables, charts, graphs for data summary; running statistical analyses and providing analytic interpretations; assisting in preparation for reports, publications, and grant proposals.

The initial appointment will end on May 31, 2021 with the possibility of renewal.

Applicants should email a cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references to  popcenter@hsph.harvard.edu with “BMGF Research Associate/Data Manager” in the subject line. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

For full consideration, please apply by Friday, December 6, 2019.

For more information, visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/cpds

Harvard University, Research Associate (Project Manager)

The Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS) seeks to hire a full-time, PhD- level Research Associate to work on a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded project entitled “Burden of Disease and Deprivation in India across Micro and Macro Public Policy Units” led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Professor S.V. Subramanian and HCPDS Research Associate Rockli Kim. The overarching goal of this project is to improve public policy, public financing, and governance in India related to indicators of population health and development. Specifically, the project aims to achieve this goal by: 1) Data collation and analytics; 2) The development of a web-based public data and analytics platform; and 3) Knowledge translation and dissemination. 

 The Research Associate will manage the overall project and act as the lead point of contact who oversees all project components by closely working with the PIs as well as data scientists, postdoctoral fellows, research assistants, finance personnel, and project partners. The Research Associate will play a key role in translating and disseminating research findings to diverse stakeholders through a highly interactive website, and other communication channels, including media outreach, policy intelligence reports, and publications. The position involves both administrative and technical roles. The desired candidate will have a doctorate in public health, public policy, communications or related field, and will have extensive experience with project management. With PI approval (or as time permits), the Research Associate may also have the opportunity to conduct his/her own research under the project’s umbrella and author manuscripts.

The initial appointment will end on May 31, 2021 with the possibility of renewal. Applicants should email a cover letter, a CV, and contact information for three references to popcenter@hsph.harvard.edu with “BMGF Research Associate/Project Manager” in the subject line. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For full consideration, please apply by Friday, December 6, 2019. For more information, visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/cpds. Contact: Lesley Harkins.

The Network on Life Course Health Dynamics and Disparities in 21st Century America (NLCHDD), funded by the National Institute on Aging, invites interested researchers to submit pilot proposals that have the potential to better understand how health and mortality outcomes across the adult life course are shaped by US state contexts. Proposals are due January 10, 2020.

Investigators may request total (direct + indirect) costs in the range of $10,000-$20,000 for pilot projects, with a limit of 8% on indirect costs (IDC). Funds can be used for research assistance, salaries, travel, data acquisition, etc. Principal Investigators must hold a PhD. We expect to make 3-4 awards.

For further information, please see attached PDF or visit the information page at: https://asi.syr.edu/the-network-on-life-course-health-dynamics-in-21st-century-america/call-for-pilot-grants/

The Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan-Institute for Social Research expects to have up to three openings for Postdoctoral Fellowships beginning on or about September 1, 2020. Two fellowship openings will be sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and up to one fellowship will be sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). NIA and NICHD are divisions of the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH). As such, only U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents are eligible for these fellowships, and applicants must be Citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States at the time of application.

Fellows devote most of their time to independent research, but may also take selected courses and/or teach on a light-load basis. Positions offer exceptional opportunity for collaboration with faculty of the Population Studies Center and Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research on major projects in the U.S. and overseas. Term of appointment will be for two years, contingent on continued funding. Stipend will be commensurate with experience, based on levels mandated by NIH. Fellowship offers are typically made in mid/late February.

The following application materials are required:

• Letter of application

• Curriculum Vitae – which must include citizenship status on the first page

• Statement of research interests – A 1-2 page statement describing current research interests and activity, and a research plan for the postdoctoral fellowship period. Applicants wishing to be considered for support by NIA should describe their background in aging research, if any, and propose an aging-related research project that focuses on the health of the elderly or near-elderly population.

• Examples of written work – 2 minimum/3 (maximum) preferred

• Letters of Recommendation – Three letters of recommendation. Please use the Interfolio tools to send requests to your recommenders, or upload letters already saved to Interfolio. Letters are due by January 6, 2020. Applications are not considered complete until recommendation letters are received.

Click link below for more information and links

The Natural Capital Project (NatCap) is a partnership among Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment, University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, The Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Stockholm Resilience Center. We are pioneering science, technology, and partnerships that enable people and nature to thrive. Among other things, we develop and apply tools (e.g., InVEST) to model and map the distribution of biodiversity and the flow of multiple ecosystem services across land-and seascapes. We seek a creative, collaborative, and talented life science research professional to 1) apply InVEST ecosystem service models in our engagements and 2) serve as a key member of our capacity-building team and help train practitioners around the world in using NatCap’s approaches and tools.

The life science research professional will compile input data for ecosystem service models; learn to use InVEST models; work within teams to elicit stakeholder input; perform routine spatial data analyses; test model outputs; create and maintain spatial databases; contribute maps, graphics,and text for reports summarizing methods and major findings; and present findings to stakeholders. In addition, this position will develop course material and deliver training to practitioners in the use of NatCap’s approach and tools. The specialist will work both independently and as part of a highly collaborative team. This position requires excellent technical, organizational, communication, and independent research skills, as well as an aptitude for teamwork and collaboration. The position likely includes travel to multiple times per year to interface with local partners, stakeholders, researchers, students, and practitioners. Please note this position is fixed-term for 12months with a possibility of reappointment based on programmatic needs and funding availability.We prefer the position to be based in our office in Seattle, Washington, but will consider applicants interested in working from our office on campus at Stanford.

The Natural Capital Project is operationally housed in the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and is based at Stanford University.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, depending on experience and qualifications. Please visit the Stanford Careers website at https://careersearch.stanford.edu/, Job ID #84906. To be considered, applicants will provide a cover letter and resume.

https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/life-science-research-professional-2-8227

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth is pleased to announce its 2020 Request for Proposals.

Through our annual competitive grants program, we support cutting-edge research investigating whether and how inequality affects economic growth and stability. Our core areas of interest are:

• Human capital and well-being, particularly whether economic inequality affects the development of human capital, and to what extent the institutions that support human capital development mitigate inequality’s potential impacts
• The labor market, particularly how the labor market affects equitable growth and how inequality may, in turn, affect the labor market
• Macroeconomic policy, particularly the implications of the large and sustained increase in inequality for the long-term stability of our economy and its growth potential
• Market structure, particularly the role of market structure in determining economic growth and its distribution, and the incidence and consequences of increased market power in the economy

We are particularly interested in dimensions of inequality, including race, ethnicity, gender, and place, as well as the ways in which public polices affect the relationship between inequality and growth.

We are grateful for the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which is generously supporting Equitable Growth’s 2020 Request for Proposals in order to spur research on the impact of domestic outsourcing on the U.S. workforce.

For the full text of the 2020 Request for Proposals and more information on eligibility, funding priorities, and the application process for grants and the Dissertation Scholars program, visit the application section of our website. Questions can be emailed to grants@equitablegrowth.org.

Letters of inquiry for academic grants are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 26, 2020.

Proposals for doctoral/postdoctoral grants and applications to the Dissertation Scholar Program are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 2, 2020.

PhD students and postdoc fellows are sought to join the newly established interdisciplinary and international “PKU-SDSU Complex Human-Environment Systems Center” (http://complexities.org/). For potential topics and funding, see http://complexities.org/Projects/Projects.htm and http://complexities.org/Positions/Positions.htm. Applicants should have strong interests in computational human-environment science, GIScience (geographic information systems or remote sensing), and computer modeling. Strong quantitative skills and programming experiences (e.g., C++, Java, or python), excellent interpersonal skills and writing capacity, and willingness to work in a range of international and interdisciplinary contexts (e.g., work on variable terrain in rural areas or with people of varying backgrounds or cultures) are desirable. Salary and benefits are competitive. The ideal starting date will be the 2020 fall semester or as soon as possible. Interested applicants shall email the following materials to Dr. An: (1) letter of application, (2) academic and personal statement, (3) resume or CV, (4) name and contact information of 3-4 references, (5) transcripts, and (6) GRE scores (TOEFL scores for applicants whose native language is not English; waived for postdoc applicants). Scanned copies or photocopies of transcripts and GRE/TOEFL scores are acceptable initially. Representative publications (up to three) are desirable if any. Applications and questions about the position should be emailed to:

Dr. L. An (Department of Geography, San Diego State University)

Email: anli@complexities.org

Web:  http://complexities.org

Applicants of PhD position should visit this website https://geography.sdsu.edu/Study/Doctoral/doctoral.html and follow the instructions of the joint doctoral program between University of California, Santa Barbara and San Diego State University.