Managing Research Scientist
Future Health Scenarios
Job posting information
Job type: Researcher
Salary range: $9360 - $10,625 per month
Location: Seattle, WA, USA; Remote eligible
Date posted: August 7, 2023
IHME has an excellent opportunity for a Managing Research Scientist on the Future Health Scenarios (forecasting) team. The Future Health Scenarios (FHS) team at IHME produces forecasts and alternative health scenarios for more than 300 causes of disease and disability, over 70 risk factors contributing to health loss, and many other determinants of health, such as fertility, education, and vaccine coverage. The FHS platform produces probabilistic forecasts as well as alternative scenarios that quantify the lives saved and disease burden changes resulting from effective policies that reduce risk exposure or improve other determinants of health, including new interventions and vaccine coverage rates. Results from the FHS team are used by stakeholders around the world to chart the course for improving health outcomes in their communities.
We are looking for someone ready to advance in their career in global health research. As a Managing Research Scientist, you will be a supervisor on your research team by contributing to research design and training and mentoring junior staff. IHME researchers analyze and produce key estimates for their assigned research team and will assess all available relevant quantitative data – including those on causes of death, epidemiology, and a range of determinants such as education and income – from surveys, vital registration, censuses, literature, registries, and administrative records. Managing Research Scientists play a critical role in supervising and managing research team staff.
You will be integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. You are someone who is capable of keeping your team on track to meet deadlines and research objectives. You have experience with the publication process, and at IHME, you will build out your portfolio with several peer-reviewed papers. You thrive in a collaborative work environment and are capable of working on multiple projects concurrently while meeting deadlines. You keep current of recent scientific, engineering, and technical advances and are able to translate these into your research. This position is contingent on project funding availability.
Supervision and Management
- Manage staff, to include hiring and training, assigning work hours, managing workflow, priority setting, contributing to professional growth and performance assessment, resolving complaints, and initiating disciplinary action for supervisees.
- Train team members, providing guidance, coaching and support, and course-correcting guidance when necessary.
- Ensure the team delivers to the highest standards of the organization.
- Identify and foster opportunities to advance individuals’ knowledge and abilities.
- Ensure the team works effectively with other groups at IHME; promote cross-organization teamwork.
- Assess and map project deliverables to resource needs and allocate resources accordingly; advise PI on short- and long-term team structure. Provide ideas and content and support for the development of internal trainings, for your team, IHME, and external audiences. Teach established trainings.
Research Dissemination
- Exhibit command of team research area, including the methodology, components, and how it intersects and intertwines with the larger Global Burden of Disease enterprise in order to effectively manage the work, engage partners in the research process, as well as lead trainings, give presentations, and conduct seminars on substantive research topics to internal and external partners.
- Independently carry out quantitative analyses and participate in reciprocal research projects. Interpret and vet results from staff, formulate conclusions, and inform team leaders.
- Develop and implement new computational and statistical methods. Create, test, and use relevant computer code (R, Python).
- Contribute to research design.
- Draft presentations and manuscripts and contribute to funding proposals. Lead and co-author scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.
- Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.
- Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team. Growing peer network where sought out as having solid command with engineering/technical areas, a given disease, risk, key indicator, relevant methodological area, and the related data sources and scientific underpinnings.
Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences, or related discipline plus four years' related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
- Excellent analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
- Results- and detail-oriented individual who can initiate and complete tasks under tight deadlines and changing priorities both independently and in a team environment. Flexibility with hours and workload is key.
- Experience devising and executing statistical modeling techniques.
- Demonstrated ability to quickly recognize problems in results and identify root causes in data, methods, and code.
- Ease in designing, executing, and troubleshooting code in one or more languages (e.g., R, Python).
- Excellent written and oral communication skills required, including track record of success in co-authorship on multiple scientific papers, presenting results, and representing research at meetings.
- Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team.
- A long-term interest in a research scientist position contributing to the overall mission of our research.
- A commitment to working alongside others at IHME to illuminate the health impacts of systemic racism and to work within IHME to make our organization more diverse and inclusive. See IHME’s DEI statement here.
- MD or PhD in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, or quantitative social sciences plus two years’ experience preferred.
- Experience supervising employees.
- Experience with machine learning, data mining, and analytic techniques.
- Experience mentoring and developing junior employees on soft and technical skills.
- Experience with project management methods.
- Peer-reviewed publication record.
- Experience implementing hierarchical models, particularly small area estimation or geospatial models.
- Experience working with US survey, census, vital registration, and other data sources.
Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the US. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.
Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Application information
The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington (UW). Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.
IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.