Available Title(s):
155-NN_FACULTY - Research Assistant Professor - Career

Business Title:
Assistant Research Professor

Employee Type:
Faculty (+) (Fixed Term)

Time Type:
Full time

Position Term:
12 Month

Position Details:

Summary of Duties:

Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane and the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) invites applications for an Assistant Research Professor with expertise in epidemiology or biostatistics, although individuals with training in other relevant quantitative health research fields are welcome to apply. The position will be embedded within the IREACH Methods Core, which comprises a collegial and highly collaborative team of PhD and master's level epidemiologists and biostatisticians.

This position is classified as a full-time, temporary 12-month position. However, IREACH is seeking candidates interested in long-term employment, with annual renewal subject to satisfactory performance, mutual consent, and available funding. This is an entry level non-tenure track position. This position can be located in either Seattle or Spokane, WA, to be negotiated upon offer .

Position Details

This position will work closely with our multidisciplinary team of scientists to conduct research with a primary focus on improving health in Native, rural, and other underserved populations. IREACH is dedicated to strengthening our commitment to Indigenous health, and this faculty member will play a central role in advancing and growing Indigenous health research and initiatives within the college and beyond. The successful candidate's personal research focus is flexible but must relate in some way to elements of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and Indigenous methodologies as they work to advance public health, population science, or reduce health disparities in priority populations. advancing public health, population science, or reducing health disparities in our priority populations. Specific areas of need within IREACH include advanced quantitative research methods and study design including the use of Indigenous methods and CBPR; neuroepidemiology (including cognitive function, Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias, and brain imaging); social epidemiology; practice-based research, food sovereignty and food systems, biomarkers for disease susceptibility and trajectory; and implementation science. This position sits at the junction between the Methods and Outreach and Engagement (ORE) Core at IREACH. The expectation is that the successful candidate will obtain funding and conduct research broadly related to one of the above areas. However, individuals with other research interests relevant to the IREACH mission are encouraged to apply.

Publication in peer-reviewed journals, presentation at professional societies, and engagement with relevant community groups are expected. Our faculty typically mentor graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early career faculty. The successful candidate is expected to contribute to a robust and collaborative academic life, including participating in College of Medicine and university committees, and in IREACH service activities. Classroom teaching is not required or expected but may be negotiated if desired.

Most of the successful candidate's time - up to 90% - will be focused on extramural research. This time can represent a combination of independent, collaborative, or cross-disciplinary scholarship through both internal and external grant funding. The remaining time (up to 20%) comprises grant writing and service. If mentoring or teaching are undertaken, these activities will be considered academic service.

Occasional travel (<15%) is required. IREACH faculty engage in both on- and off-site work.

The University

Founded in 1890 in Pullman, Washington State University (WSU) is Washington's land-grant university with an overarching mission of improving the quality of life for all citizens - locally, nationally, and globally. WSU is committed to innovation and excellence in research and scholarship. WSU has a current enrollment of over 30,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and approximately 6,000 faculty and staff at its five campuses (Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and Everett), as well as its numerous other locations across the State of Washington and online through its Global Campus.

U.S. News & World Report's 2016 "America's Best Colleges" rankings place WSU in the top 75 public national universities. WSU was one of only three Northwest universities to be placed in the top two tiers, along with the University of Washington and the University of Oregon. WSU is ranked as a "highest research activity" institution by the Carnegie Foundation and is in the top 12 percent of research universities as reported by the National Science Foundation and with $360.5 million in research and development expenditures. Also, WSU was recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its engagement activities with its Community Engagement Classification.

WSU employs approximately 6,000 faculty and professional staff and the University deeply values diversity among its faculty, students, and staff. WSU students represent diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds: approximately 10 percent of WSU students hail from outside the state of Washington, and approximately 6.8 percent are international students. WSU annually awards more than $406.7 million in scholarships and financial aid to students across the WSU campuses.

Washington State University Seattle IREACH

IREACH includes a multidisciplinary faculty who conduct extramurally funded research in the areas of Native health, Latino health, and behavioral health in vulnerable populations. IREACH is a unit with both core senior and junior faculty, and about 40 staff. It has its own fiscal unit and an in-house editor and IRB coordinator. More about the work of IREACH can be found on their home page Initiative for Research and Education to Advance Community Health.

The Seattle Area

Located on the Puget Sound in northwestern Washington, Seattle is a large city, and home to over 650,000 residents as well as Fortune 500 companies and a lively performing arts and sports scene. Known as the "Emerald City" due to the lush surrounding greenery, the city's proximity to mountains and forest also make it an eclectic mix of urban and rural living. Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. It is the home to major philanthropic organizations, many institutions of higher learning, a large diversity of cultural events, restaurants, parks and recreational opportunities, and international corporations such as Amazon, Facebook, Starbucks, and Boeing.

IREACH's office in Seattle is located at the intersection of South Lake Union, the Central Business District, and Capitol Hill, and is easily accessible from almost anywhere in the metropolitan area. On-site perks include green space and patio gathering spots, complimentary citywide shuttle, EV charging stations, on-site showers/locker rooms, and bike storage. The Seattle office is linked to both the Spokane and Pullman campuses through a sophisticated videoconferencing system that simplifies attending meetings and even teaching classes.

The Spokane Area

Located in the University District along the riverfront in downtown Spokane, WSU Spokane is the University's health sciences education and research campus. The campus is home to the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, and the College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. The University has relocated all of its health sciences disciplines and built new facilities on the campus in recent years. Among the new construction: an $80 million Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Building and a $34.6 million Nursing Building. Nearly 1,500 undergraduate, professional, and graduate students pursue degrees at the 48-acre campus, which also houses programs offered by Eastern Washington University and is located just across the Spokane River from Gonzaga University.

Spokane is a major healthcare hub and the largest along the northern corridor of the United States between Minneapolis and Seattle. It offers the latest diagnostic and therapeutic care in all fields of medicine, and boasts four major hospitals, including Providence Health's 644-bed Sacred Heart Medical Center. Complete with a rich cultural scene, historic neighborhoods, urban appeal, and easy access to four-season outdoor recreation, Spokane supplies a high quality of life for the nearly half million residents who live in the region.

Required Qualifications

• A doctorate in epidemiology, biostatistics, or a closely related field.
• A minimum of two years of applied experience conducting public health research (time spent as a research assistant during graduate school does not count towards this requirement).
• Experience conducting statistical analyses in Stata (preferred) or R.
• Research interests relevant to public health and health disparities for one or more of the IREACH priority populations.
• Outstanding ethical integrity and strong commitment to confidentiality in dealing with scientific data and results.
• Strong scientific writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability or willingness to improve science writing skills, specifically plain-language communication about complex epidemiologic and statistical concepts to lay audiences.
• Strong team science ethic, ability to collaborate on equal footing with Co-Investigators from a wide background of disciplines and with community partners following the principles of Community-based Participatory Research.
• Proficient in the Microsoft Office suite of products, primarily Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends when needed to meet project needs and deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in health research with one or more of the IREACH priority populations.
• Expertise in design and analysis of group-randomized trials.
• Publication history aligned with previous positions and training.
• Experience planning and conducting sophisticated statistical analyses such as prediction modeling, marginal structural models, quantitative bias analysis, machine learning, image analysis, or Bayesian methods.

Additional Information:

Area/College: WSU Spokane

Department Name: Institute for Research & Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH)

City, State, Zip: Seattle, WA 98101 or Spokane, WA 99202

Department Link: https://ireach.wsu.edu/

Annual Salary Range: $90,00 to $120,000; commensurate with qualifications and experience.

In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position. Successful candidates typically begin up to mid-point of the salary range.

WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation and optional supplemental retirement accounts.

For a more detailed summary of benefits offered by WSU for Faculty staff visit: https://hrs.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-Benefit-Overview-for-Faculty-and-AP.pdf. Find total compensation information here: https://hrs.wsu.edu/managers/recruitment-toolkit/total-compensation/.

FTE: 100%

Tenure Track: No
Temporary End Date: This is a temporary position expected to end on 6/30/2025. Renewal is dependent on the need for extension and/or if additional funding is secured to extend employment.

Screening Date: Open until filled. To ensure consideration, please submit your application by the first screen date, June 12, 2023.

Background Check: This position has been designated by the department to require a background check because it requires access to children or vulnerable adults as defined by RCW 74.34, engages in law enforcement, requires security clearance, interacts with WSU students in a counseling or advising capacity, has access to personal identifying and/or financial information, unsupervised access to university buildings/property, or other business-related need. A background check will not be completed until an initial determination of qualification for employment has been made.

Application Instructions:

Applicants must upload the following documents to their online application.

• Curriculum Vitae (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• Research statement (required)

External candidates, please upload all documents in the "Resume/CV" section of your application. Internal candidates, please upload all documents in the "Resume/Cover Letter" section of your application.

Documents may be submitted in one file or separate files. Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF if possible. Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.

Applicants will be requested to provide contact information for professional references within the online application.

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EDUCATOR AND EMPLOYER. Members of ethnic minorities, women, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era, recently separated veterans, and other protected veteran, persons of disability and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply.

WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521 (v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu.

To apply, visit https://wsu.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WSU_Jobs/job/Seattle-WA/Assistant-Research-Professor_R-9501

Washington State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Educator and Employer.

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