Postdoctoral Associate
Description
Application Priority Review Date: August 25, 2025
JOB DESCRIPTION
Postdoctoral Associate position(s) available to pursue innovative, rigorous scholarship, examining whether
long-term neighborhood changes improve the health of families and the next generation. The postdoctoral
associate will collaborate on a recently funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) study focused on the
influence of housing policy and neighborhood environment on health: including fertility, infant, maternal
health and mortality, among families across generations. Application review begins on August 25, 2025, and
will occur on a rolling basis until a candidate is hired. Multiple hires are possible.
The successful candidate for this position will work under the supervision of Dr. Theresa Osypuk, Professor of
Epidemiology and Community Health, and Director of the Minnesota Population Center, to conduct
population health research. The candidate will be housed within the vibrant intellectual research environment
of the Minnesota Population Center, in the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation (ISRDI), at the
University of Minnesota.
MPC attracts more than 200 faculty, research staff, and student affiliates from two dozen academic units.
Established in 2000 and funded by the National Institutes of Health, MPC cultivates innovative population
research by providing a stimulating environment for interdisciplinary exchange, a growing population science
training program, and research support services designed to develop and nurture promising areas of new
population research. Affiliates of the MPC benefit from co-location in ISRDI with the renowned IPUMS data
infrastructure projects, the University of Minnesota’s Life Course Center, and the Minnesota Research Data
Center (which is part of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) network).
Diversity and inclusion are core values of MPC. We aspire to create a team that represents the diversity of our
city, our region, and our world, and to create a space that encourages and embraces inclusiveness, equal
opportunity, and respect. We strongly encourage women and members of racialized minority groups to apply.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Specific responsibilities include conducting empirical analyses with the project data; developing, writing,
presenting, and publishing research articles; collaborating with the interdisciplinary project team to execute the
project; and engaging in professional development and mentoring. The postdoctoral associate will be expected
to write, develop, and submit manuscripts to scientific journals; and present research findings at 1-2 scientific
meetings annually (e.g., Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (IAPHS), Population
Association of America (PAA), and/or Society for Epidemiology Research (SER)). The postdoctoral associate
will be mentored closely by Dr. Osypuk, meet with her at least weekly, and work closely with the cross-
institutional research team. The successful candidate will also be encouraged to engage in MPC’s rich
interdisciplinary intellectual environment. This may include attending research seminars and training workshops
(occurring weekly during the academic year); participating in MPC’s research and professional development
programming; developing professional connections with other researchers at MPC, ISRDI, and UMN; and other
activities.
APPOINTMENT DETAILS
The candidate is required to work on-site at the Twin Cities Campus of University of Minnesota for at
least 30 hours/week. On-site work includes accessing data in the FSRDC and attending team meetings,
events, activities, and professional development on Campus.
This benefits-eligible position offers an annual salary range of $61,008- $68,000, depending on
qualifications and experience.
The successful candidate will devote their effort to collaborative and independent research. The split of
research time includes: 90% effort allocated to research devoted to this project, with 10% independent
research (unrelated to this project, up to the discretion of the candidate).
The start date is early Fall 2025. This is a 100%, 12-month appointment with the possibility of
continuation subject to performance and availability of funding.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required Qualifications
● Doctoral degree in epidemiology, social epidemiology, public health, demography, or a related field by
the start date
● Established record of population health research and scholarship
● Record of scholarly publication
● Strong quantitative analysis skills, with a minimum of 3 years of statistical programming experience
with R, Stata, and/or SAS
● Excellent English language written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, especially with
respect to academic writing
● Ability to advance science independently, and as part of collaborative teams
● Interest in fostering an inclusive environment and appreciation of differences in the workplace
● The selected candidate must have, or be able to acquire, Special Sworn Status, to work in the Federal
Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC), of the Census Bureau
Preferred Qualifications*
● Current Census Bureau Special Sworn Status,
● Research experience or interest examining fertility, maternal morbidity (health conditions during
pregnancy), and/or infant health outcomes at birth
● Research experience or interest examining midlife mortality
● Expertise with linkage studies of administrative data, family structured data, nested data
● Experience analyzing data from the Moving to Opportunity Study, and/or cohort studies and/or social
experiment studies of families and adolescents
● Experience or interest in the long-term effects of social contexts (e.g. neighborhoods, housing),
structural factors, social policies, and their health effects
● Experience working in interdisciplinary teams
*Are you excited about this job and meet the required qualifications, but your past experience doesn't align
perfectly with every preferred qualification? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely
to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. If this is you, we strongly encourage you to apply
because you just may be the right candidate for this role.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Candidates can use the links below to submit their applications on the University’s job site:
External candidates: https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/369579
Internal candidates: https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/int/369579
Applications must include (1) a recent CV, (2) names and contact information of 3 references, as well as (3) a
cover letter addressed to Dr. Osypuk, describing your interest in and qualifications for the position.
Questions?
Contact Alex Lunde, HR & Operations Manager, at isrdi-jobs@umn.edu.
Location: Minneapolis,
Contact
Contact: Alex Lunde
Phone:
Email: isrdi-jobs@umn.edu
Website: