Employment Opportunities

The Northwestern University Postdoctoral Research Training Program in Behavioral and Psychosocial Aspects of Cancer Prevention and Control (NCI T32: PI - Bonnie Spring, PhD; MPI – Betina Yanez, PhD) seeks applications for postdoctoral fellows seeking to enroll in September 2022. Applicants may have primary interests in either prevention (risk behaviors, socioenvironmental influences, biomarkers) or cancer control and survivorship. The program provides an immersion in: 1) fundamentals of cancer biology and clinical oncology, 2) MOST designs (SMART, MRT, JITAI) to optimize theory-based, technology supported behavioral interventions, 3) RCT methodology to evaluate behavioral interventions; 4) health information technologies in integrated care delivery, 5) outcomes science and measurement, and 6) community engagement strategies and cancer health equity. The two-year training program consists of research, educational, and career development components to prepare fellows for academic and related careers. Graduates of the fellowship have been very successful in launching independent research careers and obtaining NIH funding.

Fellows will hold appointments at the Feinberg School of Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, a top 10 nationally ranked cancer center that boasts an exceptional score with the National Cancer Institute. An appointment provides postdoctoral trainees with a stipend, tuition funds for classwork related to research training, and some funds to defray research expenses and travel to scientific meetings. Appointments will be for one year, with the option to renew for an additional year.

Interested candidates should submit a current CV, letter of intent, and a letter of support from his/her mentor to Bonnie Spring, PhD c/o Frank Granata, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, 680 N. Lakeshore Drive, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611, or to frank.iv@northwestern.edu as soon as possible. The letter of intent should describe the candidate’s ongoing research, interest in the training program, research goals during appointment to the T32, and future professional plans. Minority applicants are encouraged. Eligible candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

For more details, please visit our website at:
https://www.cancer.northwestern.edu/research/education-training/prevention/index.html

Northwestern University’s Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies (CBITs; www.cbits.northwestern.edu) is seeking applicants for our NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship, “Multidisciplinary Training Program in Digital Mental Health” beginning July 2022. This fellowship focuses on mental health, and brings together a cohort of fellows in psychological science (psychology, psychiatry, and behavioral science) and human-computer interaction (HCI; computer science, communication, engineering, design, and human factors). The program provides fellows with research training and mentorship in both mental health and HCI research with the aim of preparing the next generation of digital mental health researchers. The program is co-led by Drs. David Mohr PhD, Darren Gergle, PhD, Madhu Reddy PhD, Emily Lattie, PhD, and. Drs. Mohr and Lattie are experts in the use of technology and psychological approaches for the treatment of mental health conditions. Drs. Reddy and Gergle are leaders in HCI as applied to medical settings with expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods. 

CBITs provides a unique scientific home for interdisciplinary scholars working in psychology, HCI, computer science, biostatistics, implementation science, and health disparities. The mission of the center is to design, evaluate, and sustainably implement digital mental health solutions in the context of real world care settings. 

Fellows work in a variety of complementary lines of research focused on digital mental health. This work will include collaborations with specialists in HCI, mental health, implementation science, social influences, and mental health disparities. The successful candidate will take a leadership role, overseeing individual research projects in multidisciplinary teams. Mentorship is available from experienced researchers who have federal and foundation funding including Drs. Mohr, Reddy, Lattie, and Gergle, as well as a variety of other faculty in both clinical science and HCI (see https://www.preventivemedicine.northwestern.edu/education/postdoctoral/digital-mental-health/mentors.html). 

The primary objective of this fellowship is to prepare the individual for an academically oriented career in fields relevant to technology and mental health. The fellow will have access to data for publications. The successful candidate will have a strong record of peer-reviewed publications and experience in digital mental health research. 

CBITs is dedicated to training fellows that will enhance diversity and equal opportunity in higher education and digital mental health research. As our healthcare and academic institutions serve increasingly diverse constituencies, it is vital to understand the ways in which differences in gender, class, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and other identities can both divide us and offer us better ways of thinking and working. The CBITs faculty encourage applications from diverse applicants and are committed to training fellows to work in an increasingly diverse society by promoting equity and justice for all individuals, actively working to eliminate barriers and obstacles created by institutional discrimination. 

To comply with NIMH rules, fellows must be US citizens or have permanent resident status. We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Appointments are for one year, renewable to two. To apply, send CV, statement of research interests and goals, three letters of recommendation, and 1-2 reprints or preprints of scientific publications to Darren Gergle, PhD and Maia Jacobs, PhD, care of Sarah Hill sarah.hill1@northwestern.edu), Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Department of Preventive Medicine, 750 N. Lake Shore Drive., 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611. 

The Department of Preventive Medicine (Nutrition Division) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM, Military Nutrition Division) are seeking a Postdoctoral level Visiting Scholar to conduct mentored research on a project to identify predictors of physical and cognitive resilience of direct relevance to service member health and performance and the general population. The position is based at Northwestern (Chicago, IL) where the candidate will spend most of his/her time analyzing phenotypic and genetic data from the UK Biobank, a cohort of about 500,000 men and women. The mentoring and training will be under the direction of Dr. Marilyn Cornelis, Assistant Professor. Dr. Harris Lieberman (USARIEM, Natick, MA) is the PI of the core project and will serve as an off-site mentor. The candidate will also work with research team members at other sites on various aspects of the project that will address biomarkers of nutritional status and health using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and US Army Special Forces Soldiers. Major emphasis will be placed on leading original analyses, writing manuscripts and career development. This position is anticipated to be for 1 year, with potential extension conditional on funding and performance.

The position is open to citizens or lawful permanent residents of the US. Applicants must have a PhD/DrPH/ScD/MD or equivalent at time of appointment. Strong knowledge of nutrition and genetic epidemiology is required. The candidate should have a record of original first-authored manuscripts in one or more of these areas, strong analytical research skills and experience with cluster computing and statistical software such as SAS and R for both data management and analysis.

Application Instructions

Please contact Marilyn Cornelis marilyn.cornelis@northwestern.edu with the following items

1. Cover letter describing previous achievements, research interests, career goals, and why the candidate is suitable for this position (maximum 2 pages)
2. CV and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers for at least two academic references.

The Exercise and Health Lab led by Dr. Siobhan Phillips in the Division of Behavioral Medicine in The Department of Preventive Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is seeking applications from strong candidates for a new postdoctoral fellowship position in physical activity promotion.

This is a full-time position for an individual interested in understanding physical activity and sedentary behaviors, developing and implementing physical activity promotion and sedentary behavior reduction interventions in cancer prevention and control, and disseminating and implementing this research into practice. The funded fellow will actively participate in ongoing NIH funded studies focused on optimizing digital physical activity promotion in cancer survivors. Opportunities exist to contribute to project development, grant writing, study implementation and management, data analyses and manuscript writing (first- and co-author), and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students and staff. The fellow will receive guidance in the development of independent research interests and grant proposals. The fellow will be able to take full advantage of training, education, and mentorship opportunities offered through Northwestern University. The candidate is expected to work in a highly collaborative fast paced environment.

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Kinesiology, exercise science, psychology, public health or other behavioral/social sciences discipline or be enrolled in an accredited doctoral degree program and fulfill all degree requirements prior to program entry.
• Strong data analysis skills
• Prior experience conducting clinical or community based research related to physical activity promotion or sedentary behavior reduction, using digital health tools for data collection or intervention delivery and/or working with cancer survivors
• Strong work ethic and commitment to becoming an independent scientist
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and fluency in spoken and written English

Appointment

This is a two-year full-time research based postdoctoral fellowship opportunity. Award of the second year is contingent upon performance in year one of the fellowship. Applications are now being accepted and will be reviewed until the position is filled. Stipends are at the NIH-level for postdoctoral trainees and fellows.

Application Procedure

To apply, please submit a cover letter, CV, list of 3 references and a brief (1-2 page) statement of research interests, experience, career goals and interest in the position to Dr. Siobhan Phillips (smphillips@northwestern.edu).

The Center for Biomedical Informatics and Data Science at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, led by Dr. Justin Starren, is seeking strong candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship position focusing on the socio-technical aspects of Clinical Research Informatics. 

This is a full-time position for an individual interested in developing research skills related to the human and organizational side of research computing.  A successful candidate could come from the technology side (e.g. informatics or data science) and be interested in increasing their understanding and skills related to the human and organizational issues, or they could come from a more qualitative or organizational side (e.g. health services research, public health, or bioethics) and be interested in strengthening their understand and skills related to technology. The funded fellow will actively participate in ongoing NIH and foundation funded studies.  Current projects include:  

• a study of the bioethical issues related to the application of AI to collect research data during clinical encounters; and, 
• the development of improved maturity models in clinical research informatics, especially in the area of clinical trials management.   

The fellow will contribute to project development, grant writing, study implementation and management, data analyses and manuscript writing (first- and co-author), and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students and staff. The fellow will receive guidance in the development of independent research interests and grant proposals. The fellow will be able to take full advantage of training, education, and mentorship opportunities offered through Northwestern University.  

Qualifications: 

• PhD or MD/PhD with training in health or biomedical informatics, data science, health services research, public health, bioethics or a related discipline or be enrolled in an accredited doctoral degree program and fulfill all degree requirements prior to program entry. 
• Interested in socio-technical and bioethics issues related healthcare or biomedical research technology. 
• Ability to work in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to interact with individual from a variety of professional, social and cultural backgrounds. 
• Prior experience conducting qualitative research in a biomedical or community setting related to software or technology a plus. 
• Strong work ethic and commitment to becoming an independent scientist 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and fluency in spoken and written English

Appointment: 

This is a two-year full-time research based postdoctoral fellowship opportunity. Award of the second year is contingent upon performance in year one of the fellowship.  Applications are now being accepted and will be reviewed until the position is filled.  

Application Procedure: 

Please contact Justin Starren (justin.starren@northwestern.edu) with the following items: 

1. Cover letter describing previous achievements, research interests, career goals, and why the candidate is suitable for this position (maximum 2 pages) 
2. CV  
3. Names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers for at least three academic references.