Senior Research Specialist; Neighborhoods Health Rsch Team

Senior Research Specialist (Neighborhoods + Health Research Team)

Hiring Department: Health Policy and Administration

Location: Chicago, IL USA

Requisition : 1041186

Posting Close Date: 7/29/2026

Salary: The budgeted salary range for this position is $81,000 - $98,000 per year.

About the University of Illinois Chicago: UIC is among the nation's preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent "Best Colleges" rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities.

UIC has over 300,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

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.

• 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.

• 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…