Postdoctoral Fellowship in Substance Use and Mental Health Longitudinal Research
Description
The University of Southern California Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the
Keck School of Medicine and Institute for Addiction Science are recruiting a postdoctoral fellowship
position. The postdoctoral fellow will join a team of investigators carrying out NIH-funded
longitudinal and cross-sectional research on causes, correlates, and consequences of substance use and
emotional health. The fellow will have access to various longitudinal cohort data sets, including those
actively collecting data among youth, young adults, and adults. The primary dataset of interest
collected 34 bi-weekly/monthly survey waves in a nationally-representative sample of ~9,000 adults
participating in the Understanding America Study. The dataset contains rich information on
sociodemographic and sociocultural characteristics, health behaviors, and use of e-cigarette, cigarette,
cannabis, alcohol, or other substances. There is potential for extending the data source by integrating
survey response data with geospatially linked policy and social determinant exposures.
The aim of the fellowship is to provide the candidate with opportunities to lead and collaborate on
data analysis and papers with this dataset and other data sources under the mentorship of Adam
Leventhal, Ph.D. and Junhan Cho, Ph.D., and collaborate with other study investigators. The
position also provides training in building an independent research program, grant writing, and other
career development activities as desired. The ideal candidate would possess excellent writing ability,
outstanding data analytic skills (preferably in intensive longitudinal analysis or other types of
longitudinal/repeated measures modeling), and an interest in pursuing a career as a methodologically savvy
researcher of addiction and/or mental health.
The position is housed within the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Department of Population and
Public Health Sciences Division of Health Behavior Research and the Institute for Addiction Science,
which collectively administer various research and training programs, including a NIH Tobacco
Center for Regulatory Science.
Application review will begin December 15, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. Start
date is flexible but should be no later than summer/fall 2025. To apply, please send a cover letter,
statement of research interests, three paper reprints, and CV and also arrange to have three letters of
recommendation sent to: Adam Leventhal adam.leventhal@usc.edu and Junhan Cho
junhanch@usc.edu. All materials should be sent via email. Candidates are encouraged to contact Drs.
Leventhal or Cho if they have pre-application questions about the role.
Location: Los Angeles,
Job Type: Full-time
Contact
Contact: Adam Leventhal
Phone:
Email: adam.leventhal@usc.edu
Website: