Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Adrian Dobra, Tyler McCormick, Katherine Stovel, and Nathalie Williams Awarded NSF and NIH Grants

Affiliates Adrian Dobra, Tyler McCormick, Katherine Stovel, and Nathalie Williams—also affiliates at the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences—were recently awarded grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

Dobra—Associate Professor of Nursing and Statistics—and Williams—Associate Professor of International Studies and Sociology—were awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant titled “ATD: Geospatial Graphic Models of Human Response to Emergencies,” for a three year-project that will examine human behavior response patterns to emergencies using machine learning tools.
Stovel, Professor of Sociology,—along with Assistant Professor Jevin West at the Information School—received a two-year grant from the NSF titled “Echo Chambers in Science? The Impact of Academic Recommender Systems on the Dissemination of Scientific Knowledge.” Stovel and West will explore how new search technologies affect scholars’ range of exposure to academic literature, and whether they have broadening or narrowing effects.
McCormick, Associate Professor of Statistics and Sociology, was awarded a five-year subcontract on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant “Verbal Autopsy: Reimagining Data & Automated Cause Assignment (using ALPHA Network data).” The project will focus on developing methods to assign causes to and describe the distribution of death using verbal autopsy methods.

Introduction to Graphics in R

Instructor: Cori Mar

Tuesday, November 14
1:00-3:30 PM
Savery 121

This is an introduction to the basic graphics package in the statistical programming language R. It will demonstrate how to customize a scatterplot and a barplot as well as create multiple plots on a single page and multiple page pdfs using a loop.

Prerequisite: Experience with R

No CSDE Seminar due to Veteran’s Day

As a reminder, there will be no CSDE seminar this week due to the observance of Veteran’s Day.

Instead, consider attending tomorrow’s CSSS Seminar featuring Dennis Feehan of UC Berkeley Demography, “Using Sampled Social Network Data to Estimate Adult Death Rates“.

CSDE’s Seminar Series will resume next Friday, November 17 with “Fertility Decline in Africa: Are the Determinants Different?” by John Casterline of the Department of Sociology at Ohio State University.

WCPC Seminar: “The Shift Project: Unstable Schedules in the Service Sector and Worker Health and Wellbeing”

West Coast Poverty Center (WCPC) Seminar:

“The Shift Project: Unstable Schedules in the Service Sector and Worker Health and Wellbeing”
Kristen Harknett, Sociology, University of California – San Francisco
Monday, November 13th
Social Work Building, Room 305A
12:30 – 1:30 pm
(Q&A until 2:00 pm)

Abstract: The vast majority of service-sector workers report instability in their weekly work schedules. To learn about this instability and its consequences, the Shift Project has developed an innovative approach to collect survey data from hourly workers employed in retail and food services. In this talk, I will draw on survey responses from over 19,000 workers employed at 38 large retail or food establishments to show how unstable work schedules are related to workers’ health and wellbeing.

Amazon Catalyst Award

Got a big idea that could change the world? Got a small idea that could have a huge impact? Apply for an Amazon Catalyst award.

Amazon Catalyst is an award program that helps UW students, staff, and faculty launch their big ideas. Offered through a collaboration between Amazon and UW CoMotion, initial awards are $25,000, given to individuals or teams that want to pursue solutions to real-world problems and make a positive impact.

We are hosting an Info Meeting on November 14.

Amazon Catalyst Award

$25K award
Potential for up to $75K more
Open to UW students, faculty, and staff from all campuses
All ideas are welcome, from any discipline: arts to engineering
Simple application: 20 questions
Next deadline: December 16

Amazon Catalyst Info Meeting

Want to learn more about the program and how to create a compelling application? Join us for the upcoming Amazon Catalyst Info Meeting. Snacks will be served!

Tuesday, November 14
6-7 pm
HUB 106

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact comoazon@u.washington.edu

CSSS Seminar: Dennis Feehan, “Using Sampled Social Network Data to Estimate Adult Death Rates”

“Using Sampled Social Network Data to Estimate Adult Death Rates”
Dennis Feehan, UC Berkeley Demography
Wednesday, November 8, 12:30-2:00 PM
Savery 409

Surveys have traditionally been based on the idea that researchers can estimate characteristics of a population by obtaining a sample of individuals and asking them to report about themselves. Network reporting surveys generalize this traditional approach by asking survey respondents to report about members of their personal networks. This approach can be used to study many important rare and hidden populations for which traditional survey methods are inadequate; for example, the approach has been used to estimate the size of epidemiologically important groups like sex workers, drug injectors, and men who have sex with men. Dennis will introduce a framework for developing estimators from network reporting surveys, and present some results from a nationally-representative survey experiment that he and his colleagues conducted to estimate adult death rates in Rwanda.

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Biostatistics

The Department of Health Sciences at Northeastern University seeks an Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (tenure-track or tenured) faculty member in biostatistics, statistics, or a closely-related field. We are seeking candidates with a strong methodological research background in modern statistics with a solid record of publications and research funding, who can contribute to multiple areas of population health and health sciences research. This position will involve expanding Northeastern University’s existing portfolio for research and teaching within doctoral programs in population health and personal health informatics, master’s degree programs in public health, health informatics, and health data analytics, and undergraduate joint degree programs and initiatives in health sciences. Candidates are expected to develop and maintain an active balance of collaborative and independent methodological biostatistics research, to participate in undergraduate and graduate teaching, and to mentor graduate students including serving on dissertation research committees. Engaging in interdisciplinary research collaborations within and beyond the university is strongly encouraged.

A doctoral degree by the start date of the position in biostatistics, statistics or a closely-related field is required. Applicants must have a strong track record of peer-reviewed publications, evidence of or strong potential for externally funded research, and evidence in teaching graduate-level courses in biostatistics and/or mentoring graduate students. Excellent oral and written communication skills are required.

Screening of applications will begin immediately. For full consideration, application materials should be received by December 15, 2017. However, applications will be accepted until the search is completed.

To apply, visit the Bouvé College of Health Sciences website and click on ‘Faculty Positions’. Applicants should submit a cover letter of interest, the names and contact information for three references, curriculum vitae, and a research and teaching statement. For more information, please contact the search committee chairs, John Griffith (jo.griffith@northeastern.edu) and Daniel Kim (d.kim@northeastern.edu).

Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2018 Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award. Named for the late Graduate School Dean Marsha L. Landolt, this award has recognized excellent faculty mentors annually since 1999.

The Graduate School is especially interested in generating a diverse group of nominations, including nominations of faculty members who are women, or from underrepresented minority groups, or with disabilities.

The Graduate School, with assistance from the President’s Office, sponsors this annual award in order to recognize outstanding mentoring of graduate students by faculty members. The relationship between a graduate student and a faculty advisor is one that can have a profound, lifelong influence on both people. At its best, this mentoring relationship inspires and gives confidence to the student while providing the faculty member with a valued colleague. The Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award allows us to honor those members of the faculty who exemplify excellence in graduate education. A single award, accompanied by $5,000 in discretionary funds that may be used to support the awardee’s scholarly activities, will be given and presented at the annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony in June 2018, in conjunction with other University-wide awards.

Complete information on this year’s nomination procedures and guidelines are available below. Questions about the Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award or nomination procedures may be directed to graddean@uw.edu.

Complete nomination packets must be received by 5 pm PST, December 20, 2017.

Assistant/Associate/Professor of Social Work

The New York University Silver School of Social work invites applications for tenured and tenure-track faculty positions at all ranks (Assistant, Associate, and Full). The rank and tenure status of the appointment is contingent on the qualifications of the successful applicant. The 9-month tenure/tenure track appointment will begin in September, 2018.

Expertise in the following priority areas is preferred, but not necessary for consideration: poverty, prevention, integrated health and social determinants of health, aging, and social work practice that builds on the significant strengths or expands the expertise of the Silver School. Candidates with expertise and interest in social work practice with diverse populations are preferred.

A doctoral degree in social work or a related field is required, as is an outstanding record of scholarship commensurate with the career level of the candidate, including publications in peer-reviewed venues. Successful candidates will have a well-conceptualized research agenda and demonstrated potential to secure extramural funding is preferred. In addition to conducting research, the successful candidate will teach in the School’s academic programs (BSW, MSW, PhD, and DSW) and be fully engaged in the professional service and leadership at the School and University. Applicants should exhibit commitment to social and economic justice and possess an ability to facilitate conversations around privilege, oppression, and intersecting social identities. Salary is commensurate with the qualifications of the successful candidate. Candidates from under represented groups are encouraged to apply.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applicants should send a letter of application and curriculum vitae in electronic form to Dr. Victoria Stanhope, Chair, Faculty Search and New Appointments Committee via Interfolio. Apply here: https://apply.interfolio.com/43671.

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Loyola University Chicago, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Sociology invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position, at the rank of Assistant Professor with expertise in the sociology of gender and/or sexuality, beginning in Fall 2018.

Applicants should have expertise in the sociology of gender and/or sexuality. Applicants whose substantive interests also contribute to areas of department need such as urban or religion, with methodological expertise in qualitative or ethnographic methods are also encouraged. Teaching responsibilities shall include courses in the undergraduate core curriculum, courses for sociology majors, and graduate courses. Candidates for the position must clearly demonstrate the potential for excellence in research and teaching and have a record of (or clear potential for) distinguished scholarship, grant-funded research, and student mentorship.

Applicants should submit a current Curriculum Vitae, a teaching statement, a research statement, materials demonstrating teaching expertise, samples of scholarly writing, the names and contact information of three references, and a letter of interest outlining the candidate’s qualifications to https://www.careers.luc.edu/postings/5662/. Referees will not be contacted immediately but may be at subsequent points in the review process. When uploading application documents, please use the “other document” link to attach teaching materials, research statements, and any additional material, combined in one document.

Address questions to:

Anne Figert, Ph.D., Chair
Department of Sociology
Loyola University Chicago
1032 W. Sheridan Rd.
Chicago, IL 60660
afigert@luc.edu

The position is pending final approval of funding. For information about the department, please visit www.luc.edu/sociology/index.schtml.

Review of applications began on October 1, 2017 and will continue until the position is filled.