Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate

University of Southern California • San Diego, CA

1d • $70,304 - $90,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI) at the University of Southern California is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to join its Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention (RER) Section in San Diego, California. ATRI coordinates multicenter clinical trials and longitudinal cohort studies in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, supporting trial design, data management, screening infrastructure, biomarker evaluation, and participant engagement.

The scholar will contribute to Alzheimer’s disease prevention and clinical-trial research using trial-embedded and longitudinal datasets that include recruitment and screening information, blood-based biomarkers, amyloid PET, cognitive measures, participant characteristics, and longitudinal outcomes. Research questions may address screening pathways, biomarker-based eligibility, participation and retention, and associations between cardiometabolic, vascular, social, and other factors and cognitive outcomes or participation. The scholar will have opportunities to develop scientific questions, lead abstracts and first-author manuscripts, and build an increasingly independent research trajectory while collaborating with RER faculty, clinical-trial investigators, and statistical collaborators.

This is a 12-month appointment, renewable for up to 24 months total contingent upon funding, and focused on advancing defined manuscript outputs tied to ongoing funded studies. The role operates within established analytic governance structures and collaborates with faculty and statistical teams to advance peer-reviewed publications. It does not involve operational study management, recruitment oversight, or statistical leadership.

The Postdoctoral Scholar reports to Dr. Doris Molina-Henry, MPI of APEX, within the RER Section, and collaborates with Section leadership, ATRI faculty, and statistical teams. The position requires a Ph.D. in epidemiology, public health, neuroscience, population health, or a related field; the posting also specifies a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate earned within the previous five years. The annual base salary range is $70,304 to $90,000.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in epidemiology, public health, neuroscience, population health, or a related field.
• Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate earned within the previous five years.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting complex longitudinal or trial-embedded datasets in collaboration with statistical teams.
• Strong scientific writing skills, including first-author manuscript drafting.
• Experience integrating biomarker, cognitive, clinical, behavioral, or population-level data into scientific interpretation.
• Ability to structure and advance manuscripts from analytic outputs to submission.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within multi-investigator research environments.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within multi-investigator research environments.
• Directly related education in a research specialization, with advanced knowledge of equipment, procedures, and analysis methods.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with screening cohorts or biomarker-based trial populations.
• Experience examining population heterogeneity, longitudinal trajectories, or subgroup patterns.
• Experience contributing to multi-author manuscripts within clinical research settings.
• Ability to synthesize findings across related datasets and scientific domains.

Responsibilities

• Develop and advance scientific questions using recruitment, screening, biomarker, cognitive, and longitudinal data from Alzheimer’s disease prevention trials and cohorts.
• Lead manuscript development from completed and maturing analyses, including first-author manuscripts and collaborative publications.
• Translate statistical outputs into rigorous scientific interpretation and narrative in collaboration with faculty and statistical teams.
• Integrate relevant literature to frame findings within Alzheimer’s disease prevention and clinical-trial research.
• Participate in multidisciplinary scientific discussions within established Section and statistical governance structures.
• Contribute to abstracts, scientific presentations, and peer-reviewed publications.

What This Job Offers

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