Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Opportunity in Environmental Epidemiology

Job Board Title Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Opportunity in Environmental Epidemiology Post Date 9/8/2026 Expiration Date 12/8/2026 Details The Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Tulane University and the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC) are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an NIH R01-funded research program investigating the effects of prenatal exposure to extreme heat and wildfire smoke on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The successful candidate will work with a team, including Dr. Md Mostafijur Rahman at Tulane, with support from Drs. Rob McConnell (at USC) and Anny Xiang (Kaiser Permanente Southern California) and other investigators on a multidisciplinary project integrating environmental exposure assessment, epidemiologic methods, geospatial analysis, and high quality electronic health record to assess the role of climate-related exposures in early-life neurodevelopment in a large pregnancy cohort. This position provides an exceptional opportunity for an early-career scientist interested in environmental epidemiology, climate and health, neurodevelopment, and advanced quantitative methods. Research Program (from abstract of the funded award) Wildfires (WF) and accompanying extreme heat cause acute health effects and mortality. However, there has been little study of chronic effects such as neurodevelopmental effects on children. In a large Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) pregnancy cohort we found associations of number of days of gestational exposure to WF-source particulate matter (PM) and to extreme heat with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a complex condition diagnosed in early childhood that has very high lifetime disability and cost; prevalence is increasing and in the U.S. is highest in California. Over half the KPSC cohort had at least 10 days during pregnancy with some WF smoke exposure. Building on preliminary results, several novel approaches, including high spatial resolution temperature metrics, models of exposures to WF fine and ultrafine particulate matter (PM), forest and WF-urban interface building combustion emissions will be used to assess prenatal and early-life exposure. Catastrophic Los Angeles (LA) WF in January 2025 offers a rare opportunity to study effects of intense exposure to toxic combustion mixtures from >16,000 buildings that burned and to re-entrained respirable coarse PM from ash during extended cleanup. We will evaluate associations of ASD with exposure to gestational WF PM (Aim 1), with heat (Aim 2a) and with WF and extreme heat co-exposure (Aim 2b). Since vulnerability to adverse health effects of heat and wildfire PM may depend on additional adaptive exposures, we will assess whether green space and tree canopy, and air conditioning, or maladaptive exposures such as urban heat islands and power outages will decrease or increase (modify) effects of WF and heat exposure (Aim 3). This conceptual framework is conducive to identifying interventions and policy with potential to reduce the burden of WF and heat exposure on ASD. We will conduct this study by leveraging our existing large, population-based pregnancy cohort including >425,000 mother-child pairs of births from 2001-2019 with follow-up up to end of 2024 at KPSC, a population-based sample of the Southern California region with long-term follow-up, high retention and high quality electronic medical records of life-course residential addresses, social-demographic and other covariates, and medical histories. We have already identified over 8,000 children with ASD diagnosis through 2019. We will also assess exposure to catastrophic 2025 WF PM among ~33,000 KPSC pregnancies and examine associations with ~800 anticipated ASD cases during follow-up through 2030 (Aim 4). Southern California is an ideal location for assessing these urgent public health questions, given its varying range of heat and wildfire exposure and landscapes and populations. This study will fill gaps in our understanding of ASD, of chronic neurodevelopmental effects of WF and heat exposure; identify potentially large public health benefits of tree canopy and air conditioning or built environment and power grid strengthening interventions; disaster planning; and will be relevant to other Mediterranean climates in the U.S. and across the world. Qualifications Required PhD in Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Public Health, Geography, Data Science, or a closely related field. Strong quantitative and analytical skills. Experience with statistical programming using R or Python. Good written and verbal communication skills. Preferred Additional helpful skills that are not a requirement include experience in one or more of the following areas: Environmental epidemiology Health and extreme weather Air pollution or wildfire smoke health effects Neurodevelopmental epidemiology Spatial epidemiology Machine learning or advanced statistical methods Employer Tulane University Contact Mostafijur Rahman, PhD, Assistant Professor Address 1440 Canal Street Work Phone 9176405078 Email mrahman8@tulane.edu Website https://reach.tulane.edu/ File attached to this ad