Senior Research Specialist; Neighborhoods + Health Rsch Team

Senior Research Specialist

The Senior Research Specialist (SRS) provides high-level project and staff leadership of the Neighborhoods + Health Research Team, housed in the Division of Health Policy and Administration at UIC's School of Public Health. Our team studies how social, built, and commercial environments shape health and contribute to health disparities and both informs and evaluates policy, systems, and environmental changes. In collaboration with the Principal Investigator (PI), the SRS oversees and manages all aspects of research projects across all phases.

This includes operationalizing and coordinating research activities, implementing research projects, managing all students and staff, disseminating advances and findings, and securing funding.

Duties & Responsibilities

Research

• Designs, plans, manages, implements, and conducts rigorous research in population-based and public health sciences using scientific methodologies in an efficient and ethical manner, in accordance with the research program's agenda and in compliance with financial and administrative policies and regulations.
• Directs multiple research projects—both primary data collection with human participants and secondary data analysis--throughout the study life cycle, establishing long- and short-term research objectives.
• Oversees the execution of primary data collection projects by selecting appropriate study designs, selecting data collection instruments, developing data collection protocols and tracking systems, recruiting research participants, and overseeing and/or implementing all participant scheduling and engagement, adherence, follow-up, and payment.
• Oversees secondary data analysis projects including securing data, organizing and documenting its storage, and coordinating data analysis.
• Directs and conducts literature reviews effectively, extracting relevant data to inform and guide research.
• Tracks and ensures all standards for conducting research are met, inclusive of developing IRB protocols and meeting IRB requirements, ensuring research team adherence to standards for conducting research (e.g., CITI training), and ensuring staff are appropriately trained and prepared to conduct research activities (e.g., research project-specific trainings).
• Ensures creation and delivery of high-quality reports for funders.
• Seeks out new funding opportunities and writes proposals in support of these opportunities.
• Performs other related duties and participates in special projects as assigned.

Coordination and Communication

• Prepares, organizes, and communicates theoretical contributions, methodological advances, and empirical research results through the development, coordination, editing, and submission of scientific papers, briefs, reports, and presentations.
• Authors and co-authors papers for publication, presentations, and other products for a variety of audiences.
• Coordinates with university staff to develop products and messaging to ensure accessibility and widespread dissemination and promotion of research projects and study findings across traditional and alternative media platforms.
• Creates and manages project timelines and ensures deliverable quality and timeliness across research projects.
• Documents meetings, decisions, processes, and procedures to ensure institutional memory and reproducibility.
• Facilitates hiring and work of contractors and consultants.
• Acts as a liaison to community, public health, academic, and University partners.

Staff Management

• Hires, trains, develops, and manages students and staff to ensure a well-qualified and efficient research team.
• Supervises research and training activities of all students and staff hired and assigned to the projects.
• Plans, assigns, and reviews work of students and staff and provides resources to ensure that the project's objectives are met.
• Develops and delivers appropriate project-specific trainings to students and staff.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social science or related field required.
• A minimum of 5 years related research experience in public health, social science, or related field.
• Possesses and applies advanced knowledge of research principles, concepts,…