ABCD Study Director

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health is seeking exceptional candidates for the position of Project Director, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Program, Division of Extramural Research (DER).

NIDA's mission is to advance science on drug use and addiction and apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health. NIDA supports a broad and multidisciplinary portfolio of basic, clinical, behavioral, epidemiological, prevention, treatment, and translational research and promotes the dissemination and application of scientific findings to improve health and inform research and practice.

The Division of Extramural Research provides leadership, coordination, and oversight for NIDA's extramural research enterprise. DER advises NIDA leadership on the development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of extramural research programs and policies and supports the effective stewardship of NIDA's extramural research investments. The Division's responsibilities include grants management, extramural policy, clinical research and clinical trials stewardship, research integrity, operations planning and funding opportunity development, scientific portfolio analysis, and the coordination and oversight of major collaborative and trans-NIH research initiatives.

THE POSITION
The position of ABCD Study® and ABCD-E Study Project Director offers a unique opportunity for scientific, strategic, and programmatic leadership of one of NIH's most significant longitudinal research programs.

The ABCD Program is embarking on the next phase of the landmark Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child and adolescent health in the United States. The original ABCD Study established a cohort of nearly 12,000 participants recruited at ages 9–10 and followed them through adolescence. The next phase will extend longitudinal follow-up of this cohort into young adulthood, a critical developmental period during which important outcomes related to physical and mental health, substance use, educational and vocational attainment, interpersonal relationships, and well-being continue to emerge.

ABCD provides an unprecedented opportunity to examine how biological, environmental, behavioral, and social factors interact across development to influence brain and behavioral development and a broad range of health and functional outcomes. The study integrates longitudinal assessments across multiple scientific domains, including developmental and cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, neurocognition, mental and physical health, substance use and addiction, behavioral and social sciences, biospecimens, epidemiology, and other measures relevant to understanding development from adolescence into young adulthood.

The ABCD Program is a highly visible, complex, multidisciplinary research program supported through cooperative agreements, under which NIH scientific and program staff have substantial involvement in study activities. The ABCD Consortium includes 21 linked Research Project Sites, one Coordinating Center (CC), and one Data Analysis, Informatics, and Resource Center (DAIRC). Together, these components support longitudinal participant follow-up; standardized phenotypic, neurocognitive, neuroimaging, electrophysiological, and biospecimen data collection;

study coordination; data quality and harmonization; informatics; analysis; and broad scientific data and biospecimen sharing.

ABCD will continue to provide a major scientific resource for the research community. Its longitudinal data will support research examining developmental trajectories; risk and resilience factors; biological, environmental, behavioral, and social influences on health and development; and predictors of important young-adult outcomes. Through broad and responsible data sharing, ABCD will enable investigators to address scientific questions across multiple disciplines and maximize the long-term scientific and public health value of this unique national cohort.

As a Science Program Leader, the Project Director reports directly to the Director, DER, and provides overall scientific and programmatic leadership for this highly visible and complex trans-NIH research program.

The Project Director establishes scientific priorities and strategic objectives; makes high-level recommendations and decisions regarding overall program direction; advises on resource allocation;…