Req #: 221968 Department: THE INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION Job Location: Remote/Hybrid, Seattle - Other Job Location Detail: This position is eligible for fully remote work within the United States. Posting Date: 05/05/2023 Closing Info: Closes On 05/19/2023 Salary: $8,075 - $9,834 per month Other Compensation: Union Position: Yes Shift: First Shift Benefits: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here.
As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.
IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.
IHME has an excellent opportunity for a Research Scientist to join our Tobacco Metrics team. We are looking for someone ready to advance in their career in global health research. This team engages in methodological development and analysis to measure tobacco use as part of both an independently-funded tobacco research project, as well as the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study. The GBD is a systematic, scientific effort to quantify the comparative magnitude of health loss due to diseases, injuries, and risk factors by age, sex, and geography over time, and is the largest and most comprehensive effort to date to measure epidemiological levels and trends worldwide.
As a Research Scientist you will be a lead on the Tobacco Metrics team by contributing to the estimation and research design of tobacco risk factors indicators estimated as part of the GBD, while training and mentoring junior staff.
You will be integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. You are someone who is capable of keeping your team on track to meet deadlines and research objectives. You already have a publication record, you thrive in a collaborative work environment, and you are capable of working on multiple projects concurrently while meeting deadlines. You keep current of recent scientific, engineering, and technical advances and are able to translate these into your research. This position is contingent on project funding availability.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop a core understanding of the field of tobacco research, including a range of products, global policy landscape, and research methodology and its components.

Produce results for the Tobacco Metrics team on exposure to risk factors and the relationship to associated health outcomes. Exhibit command of the methodology used in risk factor exposure, disease burden, and population demographics.

Lead and co-author scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Develop and implement new computational and statistical methods, with a strong focus on time series analysis of non-communicable disease risk factors (e.g. smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, secondhand smoke).

Independently carry out quantitative analyses and participate in reciprocal research projects. Interpret and vet results from junior staff, formulate conclusions, and inform team leaders.

Develop, quality check, and distribute complex data sets to be used in epidemiological and statistical analyses.

Create, test, and use relevant computer code in R. Maintain, modify, and execute analytic machinery to produce results.

Draft presentations, manuscripts, and contribute to funding proposals.

Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.

Provide ideas and content for the development of internal trainings. Teach established trainings.

Contribute to research design.

Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences or related discipline plus four years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Excellent analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.

Knowledge of the epidemiology of non-communicable disease risk factors, particularly smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, and secondhand smoke.

Results and detail-oriented individual that can initiate and complete tasks under tight deadlines and changing priorities both independently and in a team environment. Flexibility with hours and workload is key.

Experience devising and executing statistical modeling techniques.

Demonstrated ability to quickly recognize problems in results and identify root causes in data, methods, and code.

Ease in designing, executing, and troubleshooting code in R.

Excellent written and oral communication skills required, including track record of success in co-authorship on multiple scientific papers, presenting results, and representing research at meetings.

Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team.

A long-term interest in a research scientist position contributing to the overall mission of our research.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

PhD in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences plus two years’ experience preferred.

Proven interest and some experience in the field of measuring risk factors for non-communicable disease (i.e., tobacco use), control policies, methodologies, and scientific underpinnings.

Experience mentoring and developing junior employees on soft and technical skills.

Experience with project management methods.

Peer-reviewed publication record.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Weekend and evening work sometimes required.

Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Further Information: See IHME’s website: www.healthdata.org
Application Process:
The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.