Post-Doctoral Fellow

University of Colorado • Aurora, CO

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Colorado’s Centers for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) is seeking to recruit a full-time Postdoctoral Fellow to conduct cutting-edge transdisciplinary research at the intersection of climate-related exposures and worker health under the mentorship of Dr. Lee Newman. The candidate will use epidemiological methods to research the impacts of extreme weather conditions and social determinants on the health and safety of agricultural workers in Mexico, Guatemala and the U.S. with the opportunity to expand into areas of agricultural community-based research, policy evaluation, and intervention design, evaluation, and dissemination. The position will involve integration and analysis of diverse data sets, manuscript preparation, and the opportunity to assist in the design and implementation of primary data collection at our study sites in Guatemala and U.S. The primary focus of the work will be characterizing environmental risk factors for inflammatory chronic disease affecting kidney and respiratory tract in workers and their communities. As part of a collaborative research group, the postdoctoral fellow will have opportunities to contribute to additional ongoing research projects including estimation of climate-health impacts and development and evaluation of new preventive strategies. The ideal candidate will be highly motivated with strong quantitative training and expertise in occupational or environmental epidemiology, application of biostatistical and computational methods applied to observational and intervention studies, community-participatory research methods, and an interest in conducting research with real-world, even immediate, impact. They will be able to think creatively and critically about complex problems, be detail-oriented, well-organized, and have strong written communication and collaboration skills. Based in the Colorado School of Public Health and its highly ranked Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, the CHWE team conducts empirical field studies on heat, air pollution and work in Latin America and the U.S Our ongoing research is extensive and spans exposure and risk science, implementation and dissemination science, Total Worker Health®, biomarker development, and laboratory studies to advance mechanistic understanding of how exposures contribute to disease. Intervention research is a major focus for our group, reflecting our emphasis on conducting research that informs public health practice. We emphasize high impact research that leads to near term improvements in the health, safety, and well-being of workers in the U.S. and internationally. Our goal is to provide research training opportunities that help the post-doctoral fellow develop into an independent, productive scientist and educator. The candidate will identify a mentoring team, participate in current research, independently develop novel research ideas that complement the mission of CHWE, and become a productive part of a vibrant scientific community that focuses on prevention and promotion of worker health, safety, and well-being. This position is supported by the Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC), a T42 training grant funded by the National Institute of Occupational Health Sciences (NIOSH) in our Targeted Research Training Program for Environment and Worker Health. The MAP ERC provides a multidisciplinary training experience for graduate and post-doctoral trainees. This post-doctoral position resides in CHWE within the Colorado School of Public Health on the Anschutz Medical Campus. The position is for a one-year term. A second year is possible with sufficient progress and based on funding availability. The position will be for FY26 Level 0 or Level 1 Postdoc.

Requirements

• PhD, DrPH, or equivalent in epidemiology, biostatistics, occupational and/or environmental health sciences, climate science, or associated discipline. Degree requirements must be met at the date of hire.
• Strong quantitative training.
• Minimum of two years of experience with statistical software R, SAS or equivalent.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated record of scientific achievement
• Training, experience and interest in occupational health and safety research
• International research experience
• Experience working complex data sets spanning exposure, clinical, and laboratory biomarker data
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work independently on data analysis and research
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Ability to work well with a diverse, transdisciplinary team
• Spanish language competency

Responsibilities

• Development of data analysis plans, soliciting input from the team and carrying out the proposed analyses
• Data analysis and computing
• Manuscript preparation including presentation of analyses and critical synthesis of current literature
• Presentation of findings at conferences
• Design, pilot testing and execution of primary data collection studies
• Participation in and coordination of regular meetings with the research team and the Targeted Research Training program trainees
• Participation in our OSH interdisciplinary symposium with MAP ERC faculty and fellow trainees
• Provide ad-hoc lectures to ColoradoSPH courses

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package
• Generous leave
• Health plans
• Retirement contributions

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree