Postdoctoral Scholar - Public Health Sciences

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

About the role

The Department of Public Health Sciences (PHS) seeks a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scholar to contribute to research in nutritional epidemiology, chronic disease prevention, and the generation of real-world evidence using large real-world data sources, including data from the ongoing prospective cohort study (DREAM cohort). The successful candidate will have expertise in epidemiologic research methods, experience working with complex real-world datasets, and strong quantitative and analytical skills. This position offers opportunities to collaborate on interdisciplinary research projects, develop independent research expertise, and contribute to high-impact publications and grant-funded research.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct epidemiologic studies using multiple data sources.
• Develop research protocols, statistical analysis plans, graphical displays, and other study-related documents.
• Perform advanced statistical analyses using large epidemiologic, clinical, and administrative datasets.
• Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Contribute to grant writing and the development of research funding applications.
• Present research findings at scientific meetings and conferences.
• Collaborate with faculty investigators, research staff, and trainees on ongoing research projects.
• Participate in other scholarly activities that support the Department's research mission.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree (PhD, DrPH, ScD, or equivalent) in Epidemiology, Nutrition, Biostatistics, or a related field.
• Training and experience in epidemiologic research methods.
• Experience working with large real-world datasets including electronic health records (e.g., TriNetX), claims databases (e.g., MarketScan), or survey datasets (e.g., NHANES).
• Demonstrated experience designing epidemiologic studies and developing research protocols.
• Demonstrated experience conducting advanced statistical analyses using SAS and R; familiarity with Mplus is preferred.
• Experience supporting the preparation of scientific manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication and assisting with the development and writing of grant proposals.
• Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.
• Commitment to rigorous scientific methodology, research integrity, and ethical conduct of research.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in nutritional epidemiology and diet-related chronic disease research.
• Experience with causal inference methods, longitudinal data analysis, and advanced epidemiologic methods.
• Experience developing and analyzing dietary patterns derived from Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), including dietary quality indices and data-driven approaches such as principal component analysis, factor analysis, or related methods.
• Experience working with dietary assessment data and translating complex nutritional exposures into epidemiologic research.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations.

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. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.