Required education, experience and skills

Applicants must have a PhD/DrPH/ScD in health economics, public/health policy, epidemiology, biostatistics, or similar field with an orientation towards cancer epidemiology and/or public health nutrition (nutritional epidemiology). A strong record of original, first-author, publications in one or more of these areas is essential. Candidates should have quantitative research skills, experience using R, STATA, or SAS for both data management and analysis, excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to work independently and with collaborators.

Preferred education, experience and skills

The ideal candidate will have formal training in a combination of: A) health economics and/or public/health policy; and B) epidemiology, nutritional science or public health. Experience in one or more of the following areas is preferred: model development and implementation of cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit analyses, cost data collection, nutritional epidemiology, cancer epidemiology, NHANES data analysis, and meta-analysis/systematic reviews.

Duties & Responsibilities:

An outstanding candidate is sought to work on an original research project supported by the National Institutes of Health entitled “Comparative- and Cost-Effectiveness of Population Strategies to Improve Diet and Reduce Cancer”. He/she will work with the Principal Investigator and the research team to evaluate the cost and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based nutrition policies on reducing cancer burden and cancer disparities in the US.  This person will mainly be involved in the development and implementation of population-based cost-effectiveness models, collecting the cost data for nutrition interventions, reviewing the evidence on diet and cancer, and assisting the NHANES analysis to assess dietary intake of the US population. The findings will be critical to inform the planning, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based dietary strategies to reduce cancer burden and cancer disparities in the US. The publication of research results in high-quality journals and at international conferences is anticipated.

The research program and training will be directed by Fang Fang Zhang, Associate Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University.  The postdoctoral fellow will work with a multi-disciplinary team, including epidemiologists, statisticians/modelers, decision scientists, policy makers, and health economists, and will also have the opportunity to interface with international experts and stakeholders. Major emphasis will be placed on leading original analyses and manuscripts, career development, and transition toward an independent research career. A competitive salary, benefits, and travel/educational opportunities in the interdisciplinary environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy are offered.

In addition to this project, candidates will have the opportunity to participate in additional research given their experience and interests, within the larger research team of Dean Dariush Mozaffarian. Examples may include conducting pooled epidemiological analyses or collaborating with the development of a global dietary database.

The position is for a one-year period with renewal conditional on performance. Position available starting mid-summer or early fall 2017. Candidates from all over the world are encouraged to apply who are willing to conduct their research work in the US, at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA.

Application Instructions:

Application should include:

1.     Cover letter describing previous achievements, research interests and why the candidate is suitable for this position (maximum 2 pages)

2.     CV including a list of relevant publications

3.     Names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers for at least two academic referees

Applications should be sent by e-mail (one pdf file) with the subject heading “Cancer Post-Doc Application” to Hollis Gesen: Hollis.Gesen@tufts.edu (cc Dr Fang Fang Zhang: Fang_Fang.Zhang@tufts.edu). Applications will be considered as they are received.