California Dementia Epidemiology Postdoctoral Training Program

Posted 27 Feb 2023

Employer:  University of California

Principal Investigators:

Dr. Elizabeth Rose Mayeda-UCLA;Dr. Rachel Whitmer-UC Davis; Dr. Maria Glymour-UCSF; Dr. Maria Corrada-UC Irvine

Contact:  Sara Faraj or any of the PIs listed above

Description

We invite applications from prospective postdoctoral fellows to a postdoctoral training program in the epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Fellows will work with faculty at four University of California campuses (UCLA, UC Davis, UCSF, and UC Irvine) on multiple research projects related to the epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and cognitive aging. This program arises from collaborative projects of faculty members at the four campuses (Dr. María Corrada, UC Irvine; Dr. Paola Gilsanz, UCSF and Kaiser Permanente Northern California; Dr. Maria Glymour, Boston University, formerly UCSF; Dr. Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, UCLA; and Dr. Rachel Whitmer, UC Davis). The specific projects vary across campuses, but emphasize racial/ethnic inequalities, social determinants, vascular risk factors, and causal inference methods.

Fellows will choose a primary faculty mentor and campus, which will be the site of their primary appointment, but collaborate with fellows and faculty at the other campuses. We believe that the strongest and most exciting training and research opportunities arise from experiences across multiple research settings, and support will be provided for fellows to spend week-long rotations at one or more other campuses to enhance their learning and research collaboration opportunities.

During their training, fellows will be expected to publish first-authored manuscripts on projects aligned with the home research group, collaborate on projects  outside the home research group (i.e. with one or more of the other campuses), engage in peer collaborations, participate in career development activities, and prepare grant applications to establish research independence. Fellows will also have opportunities to develop mentoring skills within their research groups. Salaries are competitive at the home campus, and additional support will be provided for travel, research presentations, and research expenses.

We are looking for bright and curious researchers interested in applying their skills to tackle complex epidemiologic problems to address dementia, an important public health challenge. Applicants should have a PhD or equivalent degree in epidemiology, neuropsychology, biostatistics, or related quantitative health field. Research experience in social determinants of health, health disparities, cognitive aging, dementia, vascular health, neuropathology, or neuroimaging is desirable, but not required. Methodologic expertise in causal inference methods, longitudinal data analysis, psychometric methods, simulation modeling, or
structural equation modeling is also desirable. The earliest start date is summer 2023, but we would consider later start dates for competitive candidates.

To indicate interest in the position, submit a cover letter, CV, statement of research (outlining research interests and past work), and one manuscript (published or unpublished), as a single document, to Sara Faraj (mrgadmin@g.ucla.edu). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. In your cover letter, please indicate your preferred primary faculty mentor(s) and campus(es) and your goal start date. If you have questions about this position, please contact María Corrada (mcorrada@uci.edu), Paola Gilsanz (paola.gilsanz@kp.org), Maria Glymour (maria.glymour@ucsf.edu), Elizabeth Rose Mayeda (ermayeda@ph.ucla.edu), or Rachel
Whitmer (rawhitmer@ucdavis.edu).