The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is recruiting Post-Docs and Research Scientists.

The MPIDR is one of the leading demographic centers in the world. It is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of over 80 institutes that form Germany’s premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundation research in the sciences, technology, and the social sciences, and they offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory.

We are currently recruiting research scientists with four or more years of post-doctoral experience, and post-docs with less than four years of experience. Candidates with an innovative demographic research agenda and strong quantitative skills are encouraged to apply. The successful candidates will work in one or more of MPIDR director Mikko Myrskylä’s research groups: Population Health, Labor Demography, or Fertility and Well-Being. Please see http://www.demogr.mpg.de/ for descriptions of these research groups.

The positions are initially for 3 years, with the possibility for prolongation. The MPIDR offers an excellent research environment and support, a low teaching load, and a competitive salary that starts at approx. 54,000-74,000 EUR gross per year depending on relevant post-doctoral experience. Remuneration is based on the salary structure of the German public sector (Öffentlicher Dienst, TVöD Bund). The MPIDR offers family-friendly work arrangements (flexible working hours, teleworking, and guaranteed places at day-care centers for children), occupational health promotion, and opportunities for continuous further training. The starting date is flexible, but no later than fall 2019.

The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is recruiting 2-3 highly qualified Post-Docs/Research Scientists to join the Laboratory of Digital and Computational Demography.

The MPIDR is one of the leading demographic centers in the world. It is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of over 80 institutes that form Germany’s premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundational research in the sciences, technology, and the humanities, and they offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory.

The Laboratory of Digital and Computational Demography, headed by MPIDR Director Emilio Zagheni, is looking for candidates with background in Demography, Computer Science, Statistics, Sociology, Economics, Geography, Applied Mathematics, or related disciplines.

The successful candidate must have a PhD (or receive it soon) and is expected to conduct cutting-edge population research. Ideal candidates would excel in two or more of the following dimensions: a) strong statistical and computational skills; b) a deep understanding of population processes and social demography; c) the ability to work in teams in an interdisciplinary context; d) high scholarly productivity, commensurate to experience.

Substantive areas of particular interest for the Lab include: Migration; Population Aging and Intergenerational Relationships; The impact of Social Media and Digitalization of life on health, well-being and demographic behavior.

Technical areas of particular interest for the Lab include: Methods for complementing social media and other innovative data sources with traditional data for population research (including statistical methods for estimation and projections of demographic quantities); Development of innovative forms of data collection for demographic research (e.g., surveys via Web and Social Media advertisement platforms or data collection via sensors, tracking devices, or Web Apps); Web experiments; Demographic Simulation.

Depending on interest and fit, the successful candidate would have the opportunity to participate in ongoing collaborative initiatives with leading scholars in digital and computational demography based at other institutions.

The Pennsylvania State University – Abington College invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Sociology within the interdisciplinary Psychological and Social Sciences (PSS) degree program.

Applicants must have earned a doctorate in Sociology; applicants who will complete their degree by August 2019 will be considered.

We seek a scholar with a strong record of research that takes an intersectional approach to one of the following areas: race and ethnicity, immigration, or social movements, and whose work also complements existing strengths in the program. The administration is committed to the development of faculty scholarship. The college has an established undergraduate research participant pool as well as several shared lab spaces. Internal funding is available for research purposes as well as travel. A commitment to excellence and innovation in undergraduate teaching and mentoring is essential. The ideal candidate will also have experience with diverse student populations and demonstrate interest in facilitating student/faculty research and mentoring. The course load is 3-3, and candidates will be expected to teach lower and upper division courses in their area of expertise, as well as basic introductory level courses in sociology.

Penn State Abington serves racially-and ethnically-diverse students, first-generation college students, students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, and a significant international student population. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to helping all students succeed through engagement in and out of the classroom. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the deadline of November 1st, 2018.

To apply, submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, and three letters of reference. Application material must be submitted online through psu.jobs. Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. If you have questions, contact Dr. Beth Montemurro, (eam15@psu.edu). The Abington College is a four-year college of The Pennsylvania State University and is conveniently located near Philadelphia.

Darryl Holman, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, University of Washington

Traits found in a skeletal sample are frequently used to infer qualities of the living population from which the skeletons were drawn. However, traits observed in a mortality sample may not accurately represent the same traits in same-aged living individuals, a phenomena referred to as biological mortality bias. This research attempts to assess biological mortality bias in deciduous tooth emergence, a trait that is used for estimating chronological age in both living and skeletal samples.

Data on tooth emergence came from longitudinal studies of Javanese, Guatemalan, and Bangladeshi children. Each sample was divided into a living sample for those who survived through the study and a mortality sample for those who died during the study. Parametric hazards analysis was used to test for differences in the timing of tooth emergence between the living and mortality samples.

There were no significant differences between the living and mortality samples for Bangladesh and Java, although there was a trend toward delayed emergence in the Bangladesh mortality sample. The Guatemalan mortality sample exhibited advanced emergence of the posterior dentition for the mortality sample. This unexpected finding may be an artifact of the nutritional supplementation given in the Guatemalan study. No evidence of biological mortality bias was found in pooled analyses of all three samples.

We found limited evidence that deciduous tooth emergence in a mortality sample (e.g. a skeletal series) differs from the timing of emergence in the living population from which the mortality sample was drawn.

The Department of Political Science and the Law, Societies and Justice Department invites you to join us for a talk and Q&A.

Wednesday, October 10, 12-1:30pm, Olson Room (Gowen Hall 1A, basement)

Professor Siri Gloppen
Professor, Director, Centre on Law & Social Transformation
Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway

Sexual and Reproductive Rights are lightning-rods of controversy in most societies. Political polarization has been particularly pronounced with regard to abortion rights and rights of sexual minorities (LGBTIQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer – persons), but is also evident in issues such as the regulation of contraception, sterilization and adultery, divorce, sexual education and stem cell research. What is particularly pertinent is the growing judicialization of sexual and reproductive rights around the world. At the domestic and international level, courts have emerged as central arenas in these political-moral battles; and not only to further rights but also to limit them. The proposed project aims to understand the nature, causes and, particularly, the consequences of such lawfare, which we define as diverse and intentional strategies adopted by civil society actors that seek to engage legal institutions in order to further or halt policy reform and social change.

Professor Gloppen is also available to discuss current and recent projects of the Centre including: political determinants of reproductive health in Africa; elevating water rights to human rights; Breaking BAD: backlash against democracy in Africa; women on the judicial bench in fragile states; political economy of indigenous people’s rights in India; and LawTransform a graduate training model that promotes research based teaching on law and social transformation.

We invite applications from qualified and highly motivated students for a 3.5-year St Andrews–Max Planck PhD studentship in Population Health. The PhD studentship is funded by the University of St Andrews and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR). The PhD student will be working on population health using register and survey data and applying advanced quantitative methods. The project is expected to be part of International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS). The PhD student will be supervised by the following team: Prof. Hill Kulu (St Andrews), Prof. Mikko Myrskylä (MPIDR) and Dr. Jo Mhairi Hale (St Andrews).

In the first two years (more precisely 1.75), the successful applicant will be working at the University of St Andrews. S/he will become a member of the Population and Health Research Group at the School of Geography and Sustainable Development (SGSD), which combines expertise in advanced techniques of demographic, longitudinal and spatial analysis.

In the third and fourth year, s/he will be working in the Laboratory of Population Health at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, one of the leading centres for demographic research in the world.

During the period in the UK, the St Andrews–Max Planck PhD studentship will cover:

1) A maintenance grant of £14,777 per year (in the 2018/19 academic year, subject to increase annually according to the ESRC rules and regulations);
2) A research training support grant (RTSG) of £750 per year; and
3) Tuition fee to the amount of a standard fee for UK/EU students (£4,260 in the 2018/19 academic year).

During the period in Germany, the PhD student will be paid according to the MPIDR rules and regulations. This includes:

1) A contract amounting to a gross salary of about €22,000 per year; and
2) Financial support for travel, research training, and data acquisition.

Students with an excellent master’s degree (first class or upper secondary in the UK) or the equivalent national qualification in any area of social sciences including statistics and applied mathematics who are interested in this opportunity must submit an application to Mrs Helen Olaez in the SGSD Postgraduate Office (ho10@st-andrews.ac.uk) by 31st October 2018 for consideration. Please include ‘St Andrews–Max Planck PhD studentship’ in the subject line of your email.

The full application consists of:

1) A brief research proposal on population health in one or several countries (max two pages), which outlines the rationale and context for the proposed study, and data and methods to be used;
2) An academic CV (max two pages) including details of two referees; and
3) Copies of transcripts of undergraduate and master’s degrees.

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in early November. The University of St Andrews and the Max Planck Society strive for equal opportunities. Applications of any background are welcome.

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated PhD student to work in an international team of researchers on an important social science topic applying advanced quantitative methodology and statistical modelling. The student is expected to use the opportunity of preparing a PhD thesis as a collection of research articles according to the PGR regulations of the University of St Andrews. The studentship is available from 1st December 2018 or thereafter.

For informal inquiries, please contact Prof. Hill Kulu (Hill.Kulu@st-andrews.ac.uk) and Prof. Mikko Myrskylä (sekmyrskyla@demogr.mpg.de). Please include ‘St Andrews–Max Planck PhD studentship’ in the subject line of your email.

As a Data Manager and Analyst, you will work with multidisciplinary research teams on projects focused on integrating evidence-based care for unhealthy alcohol and other substance use into medical settings using large and complex healthcare databases. This position is based within the Health Services R&D program at VA Puget Sound in Seattle, WA.

Responsibilities include providing advanced data management support as well as performing advanced statistical analyses for multiple health services research projects of varying scope and complexity related to substance use under the supervision of Principal Investigators.

Key Duties:
• Query and extract large datasets from VA electronic medical records using relational database tools.
• Manage data architecture for study data and integrate data from multiple electronic file sources
• Clean and cross-check data for preparation of analytical files.
• Maintain secure “crosswalk” files.
• Maintain comprehensive data dictionaries.
• Uphold data security regulations and maintain compliance with human subject approvals.
• Quickly and accurately create aggregate clinic performance reports.
• Perform advanced statistical analyses drawing on methods across fields including health services, econometrics, biostatistics, and data science.
• Present statistical models and empirical results to the investigative teams in a clear manner
• Prepare statistical and scientific reports and work with investigative teams to publish the findings in peer-reviewed journals; potential to be first author on manuscripts, though not required.
• Collaborate with and maintain good communication with investigative teams and other scientific staff, including clinicians, researchers, and study staff.

Qualifications:
Candidates must have a masters-level or equivalent degree in health services, biostatistics, statistics, economics, psychology, applied mathematics or a closely related field. The applicant must be proficient in SQL and standard statistical software packages, such as Stata, R or SAS. Excellent written and spoken communication skills are necessary, as is the ability to work effectively in a team setting.

The ideal candidate is excited about using diverse sources of data to contribute to improving the quality of care for unhealthy substance use in medical settings, especially among vulnerable patient populations and is someone who is responsible and accountable and who has strong problem-solving and communication skills and experience working in multidisciplinary teams with varying backgrounds.

Candidates must be US citizens. Target salary GS-11 $66,386 to GS-12 $79,570 depending on experience, plus benefits. This position will be 50%-100% FTE (20-40 hours/week).

Please send a cover letter and resume using the subject line “HSR&D Data Manager Application” to Madeline.frost@va.gov.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

More information about Health Services & Development at the Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care here.