Senior Research Associate

Job REQ Category Research and Clinical Support

Senior Research Associate – Los Angeles, CA – Hybrid work arrangement, University Park Campus in Los Angeles

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is a growing multi‑disciplinary center studying decision making and human behavior over the life‑course. We are seeking a Senior Research Associate to work on two teams running complex projects. The Senior Research Associate will be responsible for planning, designing, and conducting complex research projects independently and in collaboration with investigators across CESR. The position requires substantive expertise in longitudinal data analysis, quasi‑experimental methods, and integration of survey, biometric/wearable, and geospatial data sources.

The role requires initiative and innovation in addressing scientific questions related to aging, mental and behavioral health, cognition, and the social, environmental, and policy determinants of health.

• Contributes to ongoing policy domain research within the Center for Global Aging, including substance use policy (tobacco, alcohol) and mental health policy data harmonization
• Applies life course and exposome methods to aging‑related health outcomes
• Contributes to manuscript preparation, grant submissions, and dissemination of research findings
• Collaborates with Center investigators and external partners on the development of methodological infrastructure for exposome and life course research in aging populations

• Develops and leads research projects using ALiR Fitbit and UAS survey data, with primary thematic areas in behavioral and mental health, cognition, and the social and environmental determinants of health
• Conducts longitudinal and quasi‑experimental analyses linking wearable measures to monthly self‑reported health outcomes
• Integrates ALiR data with linked geospatial environmental, disaster, and policy datasets to examine contextual determinants of health and behavior
• Contributes to methodological development and documentation of ALiR data infrastructure
• Leads first‑authored manuscripts and contributes to ALiR's research dissemination as a benchmark resource for the broader digital health research community

Ideal candidate has a background in longitudinal aging surveys, an understanding of panel data, experience with wearable data and exposome linkages.

PhD

3 years minimum

Hybrid work arrangement, University Park Campus in Los Angeles

The annual base salary range for this position is $86,583 - $97,400. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to discovering how people around the globe live, think, interact, age, invest, and make important, life‑changing decisions. Our in‑depth research and analysis are deepening the understanding of human behavior in a wide range of economic and social contexts. Our ultimate goal: to improve social welfare by informing and influencing decision‑making in the public and private sectors.

Along the way, we are leading a creative revolution in how scientists conduct social science and economic research through the use of innovative technology.

The USC Schaeffer Institute (opens in new window) develops evidence‑based solutions to address the nation’s most pressing policy issues. It serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, fosters civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers. Established by an historic gift from Leonard

D. Schaeffer in 2024, it houses three flagship programs: the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy &…