Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social Policies and Health at Harvard University Harvard University in United States

Postdoctoral Fellowship Opening: Social Policies and Health at Harvard University’s Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS) and the Social Policies for Health Equity Research (SPHERE) Center at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

This postdoctoral position supports NIH-funded research on how pandemic-era social and economic policies affected health inequities. The fellow will link policy data with national health datasets containing individual-level mental health and healthcare utilization information, with a focus on understanding disparities in outcomes across populations.

Research areas: public health, social epidemiology, health policy, economics, political science, statistics, and quantitative methods. The role involves statistical analysis using quasi-experimental techniques, longitudinal analysis, and econometric methods such as instrumental variables and difference-in-differences.

Mentorship and environment: The fellowship is led by principal investigator Dr. Rita Hamad, Professor of Social Epidemiology and Public Policy at Harvard Chan School, and Director of SPHERE and HCPDS. The position is based at Harvard Chan School in Boston, with office space provided and an expectation to work on-site at least three days per week. Data analysis at the Federal Statistical Research Data Center in Boston is also required.

Funding: Salary is $75,000/year plus fringe benefits including subsidized health insurance. Additional support is available for travel, presentations, and research expenses. The appointment is for one year with a possible extension to a second year.

Eligibility: Applicants must hold a doctoral degree (PhD, DrPH, or equivalent) in epidemiology, health policy, economics, political science, or a related field. Strong quantitative and writing skills are required, with experience in Stata or R. Experience in social determinants of health, policy evaluation, racial/socioeconomic disparities, and population-level datasets is preferred. Candidates must be eligible to work in the US.

How to apply: Send a cover letter, CV, one manuscript, one sample of statistical code, and three references to Laura Price at [email protected] with the subject line “SPHERE Postdoc Application.” Screening begins immediately and continues until the position is filled.