Postdoctoral Scholar - Violence Prevention Research - Dept of Social & Behavioral Sciences

At VCU, we take pride in our deep commitment to our postdoctoral community. In 2026, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) named VCU as one of only 12 recipients of its inaugural Institutional Policy Awards, in recognition of our transformative efforts to elevate quality of life and workplace equity for postdocs.

VCU postdocs are Virginia state employees, with benefits mirroring 12-month faculty. We adhere closely to the NPA’s guidelines for best practices in postdoctoral training. We work closely with our local NPA chapter, the VCU Postdoc Association, to make this a welcoming and productive place to complete your training!

The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Public Health is seeking a highly motivated, research-focused Post-Doctoral Fellow to join the research program led by Dr. Nicholas Thomson. The fellow will contribute to a portfolio of federally funded research focused on gun violence, suicide and self-directed violence, violence, conduct disorder and externalizing psychopathology, developmental psychopathology, and the development and evaluation of innovative prevention approaches.

Current research examines biopsychosocial risk and protective processes associated with violence and behavioral health outcomes, with particular interest in understanding how individual, interpersonal, physiological, and contextual factors contribute to the development and persistence of violence, suicide risk, conduct problems, and related behavioral difficulties. The research program also includes the development and evaluation of scalable, technology-enabled prevention and intervention approaches.

The position is particularly well suited for an early-career scientist seeking intensive mentorship while developing an independent program of research. The fellow will have opportunities to lead manuscripts, develop grant applications, conduct analyses using longitudinal and intervention datasets, contribute to ongoing federally funded studies, present findings at national and international scientific meetings, and develop research aligned with their own emerging scientific interests.

Candidates with expertise or a developing research program focused on suicide or self-directed violence are of particular interest. Experience or interest in psychophysiology, including the assessment of autonomic or other physiological processes associated with emotion, threat, decision-making, or behavioral regulation, is also highly desirable. Candidates with experience using technology in behavioral or prevention research, including digital health, virtual reality, mobile technologies, wearable sensors, or related approaches, are especially encouraged to apply.

The successful candidate should have research interests that complement one or more areas of the program, including:

• Gun violence and firearm-related harm
• Suicide and self-directed violence
• Interpersonal violence and aggression
• Conduct disorder and externalizing psychopathology
• Developmental psychopathology
• Psychophysiology and biobehavioral mechanisms
• Youth behavioral and mental health
• Prevention and intervention science
• Technology-enabled behavioral health and prevention research
• The fellow will be expected to contribute intellectually to the research program while developing a coherent and increasingly independent line of scholarship.

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will participate in the scientific activities of ongoing research studies and receive structured mentorship in scientific writing, grantsmanship, quantitative analysis, study design, and career development.

Responsibilities will include:

• Leading and contributing to peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts.
• Devel…