Scientist III Environmental Epidemiologist

University of Wisconsin Madison•Madison, WI

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Population Health Sciences seeks a Scientist III to lead and support complex population-based environmental epidemiology and cohort-based research. This position will contribute senior scientific expertise in environmental exposure assessment, human biomonitoring, geospatial linkage, longitudinal cohort methods, community-engaged recruitment and data collection, grant development, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. The position will support studies examining environmental exposures, sleep, aging, respiratory and cardiometabolic outcomes, Alzheimer’s disease-related biomarkers, and other population-health outcomes using resources such as the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort. This position is full or part-time, 50%-100%. This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location. Must provide a valid driver's license. Employees may use their own transportation or receive approval for University Car Fleet usage. Employment is conditional pending the results of a Pre-hire Driver Authorization Check. University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position, you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work. This position has been identified as a position of trust with access to vulnerable populations. The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial caregiver check to be eligible for employment under the Wisconsin Caregiver Law and every four years.

Requirements

At least 5 years of collaborative and independent research experience in epidemiology, population health sciences, environmental health, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience with grant writing, scientific communication, peer-reviewed publication, methodologic development, and oversight or implementation of data collection, data management, and data analysis.
Experience working with human-subjects research data and maintaining confidentiality, protocol fidelity, and regulatory compliance.
Experience with cohort infrastructure, recruitment and retention, survey/interview development, biospecimen collection workflows, and data/specimen logistics.
PhD required in epidemiology or population health or a closely related field

Nice To Haves

Experience leading or co-leading population-based, longitudinal, community-engaged, or clinical research studies.
Expertise in environmental epidemiology, environmental exposure assessment, human biomonitoring, PFAS/pesticides/metals or related exposures, air pollution, or other environmental determinants of health.
Experience with geospatial linkage, residential history construction, ArcGIS or related GIS tools, and life-course exposure assessment.
Experience with cohort infrastructure, recruitment and retention, survey/interview development, biospecimen collection workflows, and data/specimen logistics.
Experience analyzing complex observational data using R, SAS, SQL, Stata, ArcGIS, or similar tools.
Experience supervising or mentoring analysts, field staff, trainees, or research teams.
Experience developing manuscripts, reports, stakeholder presentations, and extramural grant applications.
Familiarity with sleep, aging, Alzheimer’s disease-related biomarkers, respiratory, cardiometabolic, or environmental-health outcomes.
Interest in environmental/respiratory/aging epidemiology
Interest in large cohort study management and administration and epidemiologic study design
Ability to work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders both in a hybrid work environment
Excellent time management skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to problem solve and collaborate with colleagues

Responsibilities

Attends and assists with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
Conducts literature reviews, prepares reports and materials and, disseminates information to appropriate entities
Monitors program budget and approves unit expenditures
Leads statewide human biomonitoring and environmental epidemiology initiatives focused on emerging contaminants (e.g., PFAS, micro- and nanoplastics, pesticides, metals), exposure assessment, and associated health outcomes through partnerships with Wisconsin state agencies, including the Department of Health Services, Department of Natural Resources, and Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene.
Lead interdisciplinary research examining how environmental exposures and sleep interact across the life course to influence neurocognitive aging, Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers
Leads development and implementation of life-course geospatial exposure linkage methods, including residential history reconstruction, contextual neighborhood-level environmental and social disadvantage metrics, and integration of environmental monitoring data (e.g., industrial and agricultural air emission sources, satellite-derived exposure models) with longitudinal cohort and biomonitoring infrastructure to evaluate environmental exposure pathways and impacts on respiratory, cardiometabolic, and aging-related health outcomes.
Collects and analyzes highly complex research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures
Develop and lead community-engaged and agency-partnered research initiatives in collaboration with community leaders, public health agencies, academic investigators, and stakeholder organizations to identify emerging environmental health concerns, vulnerable populations, and priorities for translational environmental health research and public health action.
Serves as an institutional subject matter expert and liaison with key internal and external stakeholders providing expert level information and representing the interests of a specialized research area
Identifies research problems and develops highly complex research methodologies and procedures.
Publishes and presents results to help advance research
May supervise the day-to-day activities of a research unit and staff and resolve routine personnel issues
Identifies, writes, or assists in developing grant opportunities, grant applications, and proposals to secure research funding