Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate to execute grant-funded research on substance use and other health-related behavioral and psychosocial domains with veterans and young adults. Ideally, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will have proficient therapy skills and training in statistical analyses to aid in analyzing data from randomized controlled trials and from longitudinal survey studies. The Associate will work across multiple active NIH grants and research studies with Eric Pedersen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Jordan Davis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Broadly, research projects aim to decrease hazardous substance use behavior, alleviate mental health symptoms, and reduce risks for sexual violence among veterans and young adults through innovative brief online and mobile-based brief interventions. Current projects with veterans include a randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness-based mobile program, a longitudinal survey study examining substance use and mental health outcomes, and a longitudinal study implementing machine learning techniques to aid in predicting mental health and substance use symptomology among recently returning veterans.

The position includes an approximate half-time position conducting in-person and online therapy sessions with veterans as part of a large multisite trial of meditation for those with posttraumatic stress disorder. There will be opportunities to gain further clinical experience with college students, through a partnership with the University of Southern California's Counseling and Mental Health Services. In addition, there will be multiple opportunities to collaborate with researchers across the University of Southern California; primarily, with researchers in the Department of Preventive Medicine, the Center for Mindfulness Science, the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society, and the Institute for Addiction Science. The position term is for one to three years. The start date is flexible but should be no later than July 1, 2025

Responsibilities include:

• Coordinate all aspects of project implementation, evaluation/analysis, and dissemination of study findings (opportunities for significant publications)
• Provide analytic support for randomized controlled trials and for studies using longitudinal observational data
• Facilitate therapy sessions with veterans and college students as part of randomized controlled trials
• Synthesize existing data and generate manuscript proposals
• Be active in grant-writing and design of new studies
• Provide supervision and mentorship for staff, graduate students, and undergraduate research assistants

Qualifications:

• Doctorate or Doctoral candidate in Psychology or other social science-based field preferred. Incumbent will be expected to continue upgrading knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to keep abreast of regulation and policy changes.
• Prior experience as a senior-level research associate. Strong familiarity with psychological and theoretical factors related to substance use and other health risk behaviors. Must have a history of scientific peer-reviewed manuscript preparation and successful dissemination
• Demonstrated knowledge and strong fundamental background with basic and advanced statistics
• Demonstrated computer competency and expertise in using statistical software (e.g., STATA, R)
• Preferred experience with machine learning algorithms for longitudinal data analysis (e.g., support vector machines, random forests, artificial neural networks, etc.).
• Exemplary communication skills (both written and oral)
• Highly developed organizational and leadership skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

To apply, please send a cover letter, statement of research interests, two paper reprints that best exemplify the candidate's writing skills, and a curriculum vitae to Dr. Eric Pedersen at Eric.Pedersen@med.usc.edu. Additionally, please arrange to have three letters of recommendation sent to Dr. Pedersen if requested.

The annual base salary range for this position is $70,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.