What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Research Scientist position at Inside Higher Ed?
Department
Epidemiology-463501
Career Area
Research Professionals
Posting Open Date
03/31/2026
Application Deadline
04/14/2026
Open Until Filled
No
Position Type
Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)
Working Title
Senior Research Scientist
Appointment Type
EHRA Non-Faculty
Position Number
20075243
Vacancy ID
NF0009643
Full Time/Part Time
Full-Time Permanent
Fte
1
Hours Per Week
40
Position Location:
North Carolina, US
Hiring Range
$80,000 to $90,000
Proposed Start Date
06/01/2026
Be a Tar Heel!:
A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.
Primary Purpose Of Organizational Unit
The Department of Epidemiology is one of the eight departments located in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. The department’s primary focus is to the development and application of research methods to understand the patterns and causes of health and disease, and the application of that knowledge to improving the health of populations. We provide strong training in research methods and opportunities for the application of epidemiology to a wide range of health problems through our research. The achievements of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni have enabled us to become one of the leading academic departments of epidemiology in the world. At UNC-CH, Epidemiology is one of the largest and most complex departments on campus. For FY25, Epidemiology was 5th among all departments and centers across campus in research funding at UNC Chapel Hill. The department has 38 Tenured-Tenure Track / 8 Joint Tenure-Track Faculty, 19 Fixed Term / 4 Joint Fixed Term Faculty, 119 Adjuncts, 33 EHRA Non-Faculty, 21 Postdocs, 22 SHRA, 29 Temps, and 226 Students (146 PhD Students, 69 Applied Epi MPH, 11 MSCR) for whom Epidemiology pays 146 as RA/TA/Trainees/Fellows. Total departmental budget of $49 million (FY25).
Position Summary
The Senior Research Scientist will serve as scientific lead for several substantial components of multiple large grants working with a team of investigators on a portfolio of research focused on global mental health intervention development, effectiveness, and implementation science studies. In collaboration with the supervisor Principal Investigator and other team investigators, the Senior Research Scientist will lead the planning and implementation of engagement strategies and human-centered design activities to engage people with lived experience of mental illness and related stakeholders in projects’ design. The Senior Research Scientist will further lead design of qualitative data collection activities and will lead teams completing coding and analysis from those data. The Senior Research Scientist will lead manuscript writing teams, organizing team members into lead and supporting analysts and authors and employing accountability mechanisms to ensure teams make steady forward progress. The Senior Research Scientist will take both lead and supporting author roles on abstracts and manuscripts. The Senior Research Scientist will further collaborate with the Principal Investigator and other team members in identifying new grant opportunities to continue to grow the portfolio, especially into adjacent areas that are currently underrepresented in the portfolio. The Senior Research Scientist may travel domestically and internationally to research sites in support of the above activities. Finally, the Senior Research Scientist will provide research mentorship to graduate student trainees working on the research projects.
Minimum Education And Experience Requirements
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant Bachelor’s degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.
Required Qualifications, Competencies, And Experience
Not Applicable.
Epidemiology-463501
Career Area
Research Professionals
Posting Open Date
03/31/2026
Application Deadline
04/14/2026
Open Until Filled
No
Position Type
Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)
Working Title
Senior Research Scientist
Appointment Type
EHRA Non-Faculty
Position Number
20075243
Vacancy ID
NF0009643
Full Time/Part Time
Full-Time Permanent
Fte
1
Hours Per Week
40
Position Location:
North Carolina, US
Hiring Range
$80,000 to $90,000
Proposed Start Date
06/01/2026
Be a Tar Heel!:
A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.
Primary Purpose Of Organizational Unit
The Department of Epidemiology is one of the eight departments located in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. The department’s primary focus is to the development and application of research methods to understand the patterns and causes of health and disease, and the application of that knowledge to improving the health of populations. We provide strong training in research methods and opportunities for the application of epidemiology to a wide range of health problems through our research. The achievements of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni have enabled us to become one of the leading academic departments of epidemiology in the world. At UNC-CH, Epidemiology is one of the largest and most complex departments on campus. For FY25, Epidemiology was 5th among all departments and centers across campus in research funding at UNC Chapel Hill. The department has 38 Tenured-Tenure Track / 8 Joint Tenure-Track Faculty, 19 Fixed Term / 4 Joint Fixed Term Faculty, 119 Adjuncts, 33 EHRA Non-Faculty, 21 Postdocs, 22 SHRA, 29 Temps, and 226 Students (146 PhD Students, 69 Applied Epi MPH, 11 MSCR) for whom Epidemiology pays 146 as RA/TA/Trainees/Fellows. Total departmental budget of $49 million (FY25).
Position Summary
The Senior Research Scientist will serve as scientific lead for several substantial components of multiple large grants working with a team of investigators on a portfolio of research focused on global mental health intervention development, effectiveness, and implementation science studies. In collaboration with the supervisor Principal Investigator and other team investigators, the Senior Research Scientist will lead the planning and implementation of engagement strategies and human-centered design activities to engage people with lived experience of mental illness and related stakeholders in projects’ design. The Senior Research Scientist will further lead design of qualitative data collection activities and will lead teams completing coding and analysis from those data. The Senior Research Scientist will lead manuscript writing teams, organizing team members into lead and supporting analysts and authors and employing accountability mechanisms to ensure teams make steady forward progress. The Senior Research Scientist will take both lead and supporting author roles on abstracts and manuscripts. The Senior Research Scientist will further collaborate with the Principal Investigator and other team members in identifying new grant opportunities to continue to grow the portfolio, especially into adjacent areas that are currently underrepresented in the portfolio. The Senior Research Scientist may travel domestically and internationally to research sites in support of the above activities. Finally, the Senior Research Scientist will provide research mentorship to graduate student trainees working on the research projects.
Minimum Education And Experience Requirements
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant Bachelor’s degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.
Required Qualifications, Competencies, And Experience
- Experience with qualitative data coding and analysis
- Experience with quantitative analysis methods such as multivariable regression
- Research experience on global mental health and implementation science projects
- Experience designing qualitative data collection activities
- Experience with lead-authoring research manuscripts for publication in public health journals, especially including mixed methods papers integrating qualitative and quantitative data to communicate project findings
- Experience leading small teams organized around time-limited tasks such as manuscript planning, analyses and writing
- Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative data analysis software such as Stata, NVivo and Dedoose
Not Applicable.
Salary : $80,000 - $90,000