Open Rank - Research Scientist or Senior Research Scientist

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and the Centers for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) seek an Industrial Hygienist at the Research Scientist or Senior Research Scientist level, depending on qualifications and experience. The position is based at the Colorado School of Public Health and focuses on occupational and environmental research, particularly understanding and preventing the effects of climate and other environmental hazards on worker health and safety. CHWE conducts research, education and training, and community-based public health projects to improve the health, safety, and well-being of workers, their families, and communities domestically and internationally. The role offers opportunities to collaborate with faculty, staff, students, researchers, and public health practitioners on domestic and international research involving vulnerable working populations, occupational health and safety implementation, and Total Worker Health®. The role spends 85–100% of its time conducting research, with the possibility of contributing 10–15% of effort to teaching. Duties include conducting research-grade exposure assessments, participating in international research that involves travel to Latin America for one- to two-week periods multiple times per year, supporting or leading exposure assessment teams depending on rank, and developing and maintaining CHWE's industrial hygiene program. The position also contributes to research manuscripts, grants, and presentations. Senior Research Scientists may take a leadership role in teams and in preparing manuscripts, presentations, and grant applications. The position is hybrid, with a minimum of three days per week on campus and in-person attendance as needed. The employee must be willing and able to travel off campus and internationally, especially to Latin America, for one- to two-week periods multiple times a year as research needs require.

Requirements

Research Scientist: Master's degree in Industrial Hygiene or a closely related field or concentration, such as occupational or environmental health, exposure science, or engineering.
Senior Research Scientist: PhD in Industrial Hygiene or a closely related field or concentration, such as occupational or environmental health sciences, exposure science, or engineering.
At least two years of professional experience.
Experience participating in international research assessing environmental exposures and hazards.
Technical knowledge of industrial hygiene, exposure science, occupational health and safety, and toxicology, and ability to convey that knowledge to others.
Knowledge of research gaps, study design, methods, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation.
Familiarity with applicable workplace health and safety regulations and recognized exposure guidelines.
Skills in hazard recognition, sampling strategy, instrument use, exposure assessment, control selection, toxicology, occupational health, and personal protective equipment.
Ability to interpret measurements and laboratory results, identify trends, summarize results, and draw conclusions using quantitative and qualitative data.
Ability to calibrate and maintain industrial hygiene and exposure-assessment equipment and supplies.
Ability to tailor sampling strategies, field methods, work-practice recommendations, and research protocols while balancing health protection, research rigor, feasibility, and operational needs.
Ability to work effectively with employers, workers, research participants, and research collaborators.
Ability to write concise reports, explain technical details clearly, and contribute to research manuscripts and grant applications.
Attention to detail and commitment to data integrity, completeness, quality assurance, and ethical conduct.
Ability to establish and maintain an exposure science unit, including identifying necessary equipment and supplies and assessing equipment performance, calibration, and maintenance.
Ability to execute exposure-assessment and industrial-hygiene protocols in field settings, including rural and agricultural communities and businesses in Latin America and the United States.
Ability to serve as an exposure science and industrial hygiene consultant to collaborators, industries, and companies.
Ability to analyze research data, prepare graphs and tables, and collaborate on research publications and grant applications.
Ability to prepare and deliver presentations for scientific and community audiences, including employers, workers, and other stakeholders.
Senior Research Scientists must demonstrate the ability to lead a team conducting complex, field-based research protocols domestically and internationally.

Nice To Haves

Certification in Industrial Hygiene (CIH).
Conversational Spanish-language proficiency.
Proficiency with data collection and analysis software such as RedCAP, R, SAS, STATA, or Excel.
Experience applying AI and machine-learning technologies as appropriate.
Experience mentoring graduate students and junior faculty members.
Ability to teach graduate students, residents, and postgraduate-level trainees.

Responsibilities

Conduct research-grade workplace exposure assessments for chemical, physical, and biological hazards, including solvents, particulate matter, dust, noise, heat, radiation, mold, and infectious agents.
Participate in international research requiring travel to Latin America for one- to two-week periods multiple times per year, based on research protocol needs.
Participate on exposure assessment teams as part of the CHWE international research team; Senior Research Scientists may lead these teams.
Develop and maintain the CHWE industrial hygiene program, including managing equipment and supplies needed for grant-funded research protocols.
Establish standard operating procedures and protocols, with careful attention to data collection, recordkeeping, and integration into data systems in a team-science environment.
Contribute to the design, writing, submission, and publication of peer-reviewed research manuscripts and grants related to exposures and health effects.
For Senior Research Scientists, potentially lead preparation of manuscripts, presentations, and grant applications.
Present research at regional, national, and international meetings.
Optionally teach exposure science, industrial hygiene, or safety courses and content in the Colorado School of Public Health.