Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate (usc)

Job Description

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, staff, and students that make the university a great place to work.  

As a community of Dornsife College “we are committed to the creation, preservation, and communication of fundamental knowledge in all its forms…as well as a lifelong passion for learning and a commitment to the betterment of society.”  The academic mission of Dornsife College can only be realized to its fullest potential when we build and protect a representative, equitable, inclusive culture of scholarship for students, faculty, and staff.  This is not done through initiatives but by embedding these values into the everyday interactions, relationships, policies, and practices of the College.  What is required is a seamless integration of the tenets of equity and inclusivity into every facet of academic life.  If we want our scholars, staff, and students to be able to give their very best, we must create an academic environment that portends success.  

Success is possible when every member of the Dornsife community owns their role as a steward of the culture in which we learn, research, and work; when we believe that it is because of who we are that we are able to do what we do: achieve excellence, together. 

Achieving a robust and inclusive academic culture requires more than just the completion of a task, but includes that person’s capacity to contribute positively to the relationships and culture of their office or department.  Therefore, any applicant seeking to advance the mission of Dornsife College should also be assessed on their capacities beyond the technical elements of their work, and demonstrate an understanding of their impact on others, and to articulate how they contribute positively to those around them.

The USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) department. The largest and oldest of the USC schools, USC Dornsife functions as the academic core of the university, offering courses and advancing knowledge across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

The Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) Consortium in coordination with CESR at USC seek to hire a post-doctoral scholar for a 2-year tenure with a start date to be determined by the scholar’s needs and current position. This scholar will support a newly awarded NIA grant (R01 AG081248) titled “Country, cohort, and gender disparities in the relationship between education and ADRD” which combines multiple measures of education to explore the education/ADRD relationship, noting that these relationships may vary as a function of diverse social environments—captured in our study as gender, country, and birth-cohort variation. In addition to working with the researchers on the awarded R01, scholars will also have the ability to work with the more than 30 researchers in 6 different countries that constitute the IGEMS research network. Travel to IGEMS research sites (U. Colorado, Penn State, UC San Diego, Karolinska Institute) and collaboration with researchers and post-docs working on related IGEMS projects will be coordinated as appropriate.

We are seeking a scholar with a background in classical twin studies, social genomics, or a related field. The candidate must have a Ph.D. at the time of application or prior to the TBD start date. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and list of references.

Salary range: The salary range for this position is $68,840 - $72,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Required Documents and Additional Information:

• Resume, cover letter and list of references required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.

The University of Southern California is an Equal Opportunity Employer that Values Diversity.

USC is a smoke-free environment

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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