Associate Scientist

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Contribute to ARG’s research program in the alcohol, drug, and mental health fields by responding to funding announcements from federal and other sponsors
• Participate in the preparation and submission of grant applications, including development of specific aims, background and significance, research design and methods, budgets, budget justifications, and other required components
• Draft and submit human subjects protocols to the Institutional Review Board, and prepare related modifications and renewals as needed
• Search and review the relevant scientific literature to identify new and related developments within the appropriate fields
• Plan, coordinate, and direct fieldwork, including participating in the design of questionnaires and other data collection instruments
• Interact with administrative and field representatives of study sites, subcontractors, and survey interviewers to support data collection
• Aid in the development of data collection instruments, including editing, proofreading, and verifying final materials against original sources
• Analyze data sets, including data preparation such as cleaning and variable creation or recoding
• Utilize appropriate statistical programs and methods, including but not limited to SPSS, STATA, R and other programs, and methods including bivariate and multivariate modeling, longitudinal methods, and data visualization
• Write scientific papers, either independently or in collaboration with peers, under the aegis of the Principal Investigator
• Present findings of studies at professional conferences under the aegis of the Principal Investigator
• Participate actively in ARG’s intellectual and scientific life through attendance and presentations in the weekly seminar and other research-related seminars
• Mentor pre- and post-doctoral fellows
• Participate in ARG administrative committees and other organizational service
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in a relevant field (e.g., Public Health, Epidemiology, Sociology, Psychology, Social Work)
• Five years of work experience in a research position
• Evidence of scholarly contribution through authorship of at least five (5) peer-reviewed research papers (as single author or in collaboration with others). Having fewer published papers is acceptable depending on how recently the doctoral degree was completed
• Experience with participation in grant writing, including but not limited to conducting literature reviews, providing writing support, and planning the study design and analytic approach
• Knowledge of the scientific alcohol literature or of the professional literature in the applicant’s own field
• Experience with various statistical or analysis software programs (e.g., STATA, R, Dedoose) and familiarity with statistical techniques necessary for large data sets (e.g., applying survey weights, multivariable modeling), advanced statistics (e.g., propensity score weighting), research methods, and behavioral science theory
• Ability to work with and apply mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and to apply and interpret fractions, percentages, ratios, proportions, and statistical tests
• Broad organizational, quantitative, writing, and editing skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to think creatively and work independently