Post-Doctoral Research Fellow ( Healthy Aging Initiative)

The Healthy Aging Initiative at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research housed within Hebrew SeniorLife (a Harvard Medical School affiliate) is seeking candidates for a Postdoctoral Fellow position to support our longitudinal cohort study, an initiative to empower older adults to live their best lives through translational research in healthy aging. In collaboration with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, and Co-Investigators, this individual will be engaged in a variety of research-related activities (e.g., study implementation, program development, data management, analyses and interpretation) with an emphasis on production of scholarly products using current and previously collected data. Additionally, this individual may help design and lead primary data collection that pertains to the goals and aims of Healthy Aging Initiative. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are required as this person will interact with a large research team including senior scientists, data managers, and biostatisticians. An established publication record and excellent writing skills are preferable.

An advanced degree, PhD or equivalent, in a gerontological related field is required (e.g., gerontology, gero-science, human development and aging, social health psychology, clinical psychology, gerontology, social work, nursing, etc.).

The Postdoctoral Fellow will be involved in developing primary data collection projects, developing analytic tools, conducting the analysis, and preparing/publishing manuscripts. This an ideal opportunity for independent research using state-of-the-art outcome measures under the mentorship of experts in the field of brain and behavioral health and aging.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will work collaboratively with the Healthy Aging Initiative research team to implement research plans and write reports and manuscripts utilizing an advanced level of social science research knowledge, including quantitative and qualitative analyses, and excellent writing skills. The Postdoctoral Fellow will apply critical thinking skills, particularly synthesizing a body of research to identify broader themes and convey these themes through written research reports. The Postdoctoral Fellow will also be involved in research presentations and provide additional mentorship for research assistants.

• The above covers the most significant responsibilities of the position.  It does not, however, exclude other duties, which would be in conformity with the level of the position. Completes special projects as assigned.

• PhD with less than 3 years of postdoctoral experience, with demonstrated applied program of research in aging and social/health (e.g., nursing, psychology, development, public health, gerontology)
• Advanced research experience including research literacy and writing experience--history of independent skills in writing and leading peer-reviewed publications)
• Advanced statistical and research methods. Candidates must be able to run and interpret statistical models, aid in the writing of reports and manuscripts, critically evaluate individual studies and bodies of literature, and translate research into everyday language to explain scientific findings to audiences without a research background.
• Experience with qualitative coding systems (NVivo, Dedoose) is desirable but not required
• Must be professional, proactive, collaborative, conscientious and results-oriented individual. Must have an optimistic and positive demeanor, excellent oral and written communication skills, good intuition and able to adapt to changing priorities and display good, sound judgment with a sense of humor. 

• Superb organizational skills. Must be creative and proactive yet disciplined, discriminating and able to streamline work volume in order to maintain bottom line efforts in midst of multi-tasking and daily re-prioritizing. Must have ability to innovate, think strategically and conceptually, manage multiple projects simultaneously and handle even difficult situations.
• Must be motivated to learn and flexible to change.
• Computer literacy required; experience with databases, Windows, Word, Excel, REDCap, statistical software such as MPlus, SPSS, R, Python