Research Assistant

CDC Foundation

1d•$55,000 - $65,000•Remote

About The Position

The Research Assistant will support a project that monitors electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among youth and young adults in the United States (US). The multi-state initiative aims to complement existing surveillance activities that monitor tobacco product use with innovative rapid response data collection strategies that allow for greater nimbleness, representativeness and evaluation capacity. Activities include obtaining real-time data for select states to enable the evaluation of the real-time impact of flavored tobacco policies on e-cigarette sales volume, market share and product or brand consumption, as well as implementing a national longitudinal survey of youth and young adults. This Research Assistant will primarily support the retail sales data activity but may be asked to assist with other project tasks as needed. The Research Assistant will support the regular categorization and validation of a broad range of tobacco products by flavor and sub-product type across various data sources, as well as conduct associated literature reviews to address identified research gaps and support project activities. In cooperation with the team’s Research Analyst, they will also coordinate with contracted coders to maintain analysis timelines, data quality and documentation. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented and demonstrate scientific inquisitiveness. This position is eligible for 100% remote work for US-based candidates; however, candidates in the Atlanta, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts or Houston, Texas areas are preferred. Relocation expenses are not included.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public health, statistics, epidemiology, biostatistics, public policy, economics or related field required
At least one year of related work experience, including paid internships or part-time positions within public health, health administration or social sciences
Self-starter with ability to work independently and efficiently while consistently delivering high-quality work under time constraints
Strong attention to detail and scientific inquisitiveness, as demonstrated by prior experience supporting fundamental components of research projects or tasks
Strong written and oral communication skills, including the preparation and presentation of reports
Strong technical skills, including word processing and spreadsheet management
Strong organizational, time management, interpersonal and collaboration skills

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with or interest in tobacco control research, retail sales data and/or artificial intelligence initiatives strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Assist with categorizing features of tobacco and nicotine products (e.g., e-cigarettes, cigarettes) such as categorizing flavors and subtypes of products, to prepare for analysis
Create and maintain technical documentation for standard procedures for coding and analysis
Support the maintenance of a database of tobacco and nicotine product features (including product type, subtype and flavor) by Universal Product Code (UPC)
Calculate percent change and other descriptive statistics to be used in data reports and presentations
Compare categorizations of multiple contract data coders to identify and resolve discrepancies, using logical comparison operators in Microsoft Excel
Provide iterative feedback to contract data coders to ensure consistent and high-quality work outputs
Conduct investigative research activities, such as literature reviews or internet explorations, to ensure tobacco product feature categorizations align with evolving public health needs
Support development of comprehensive reports that include findings from the analysis and evaluation of project activities
Other duties and project responsibilities as assigned
Travel up to 10 percent domestically