Postdoctoral Research Hire in the CHIL Laboratory: Population Epidemiology of Extreme Heat Events Using Big Climate Data

Position Specifics

The Climate Health Impacts Lab (CHIL) in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at The Pennsylvania State University is seeking applications for a Postdoctoral Associate. The research involves epidemiological analysis of the effects of extreme heat in the United States on mortality, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations and modeling these effects under future climate scenarios. The successful candidate will be using geospatial analysis and regression techniques including distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs) to determine the effects of extreme heat events on population health using restricted access vital statistics and Medicare/Medicaid claims data and will be advised by Dr. Kyle Aune. Candidates for this position should have experience in the areas of epidemiology, statistical programming (preferably R), geographic information systems (GIS), remotely sensed environmental exposure assessment, and spatial statistics. Experience with DLNMs is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Literature review of relevant publications
• Harmonization of large environmental and population health datasets
• Statistical analysis
• Interpretation of results
• Presentation at national and international conferences
• Primary drafting of peer-reviewed manuscripts
• Extramural funding proposals
• Mentorship of undergraduate and doctoral students

Requirements

Due to data access restrictions, this position is open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and foreign nationals, but all applicants must have resided in the U.S. for three of the past five years (36 of the past 60 months).

Qualifications

• Experience in the areas of epidemiology, statistical programming (preferably R), geographic information systems (GIS), remotely sensed environmental exposure assessment, and spatial statistics
• Experience with DLNMs is preferred but not required

Benefits

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

Contact Information

To apply for this position, please submit a one-page cover letter that explicitly discusses your research experiences and future goals, your CV, and the names and contact information of three people who can be contacted as references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.