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Post Doctoral Scholar - Trellis Lab

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Position description

The Translational Research in Early Life Learning for Impact at Scale (TRELLIS) lab in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis is currently seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar, 100% time for duration of 12 months with the possibility of extension.

Successful candidates will have strong quantitative and analytic skills, with experience analyzing data from computerized cognitive assessments or automated eye-tracking studies. This position will involve analyzing these types of data from existing cohorts and writing papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals. One dataset comprises assessments of declarative and procedural memory using word list memory and serial reaction time tasks among 3000 children age 9-12 years in Indonesia whose mothers participated in a randomized nutrition trial during pregnancy. Another dataset comprises cognitive assessments using the Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tablet-based tasks among 900 children age 4-6 years in Ghana whose mothers participated in a randomized nutrition trial during pregnancy. In a third dataset, 600 children in Malawi were randomized to receive an egg per day from age 6 to 12 months, with assessment of memory and attention using automated eye-tracking tasks at baseline and endline. These are some of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal datasets of health, growth, and development from low- and middle-income countries, which present the opportunity for ground-breaking findings. The successful candidate will conduct literature reviews, develop analysis plans, and analyze these data to answer research questions such as: (1) What factors determine individual differences in these scores in low- and middle-income country contexts? (2) Are computerized and eye-tracking tasks more sensitive and accurate measures of cognitive abilities than traditional behavioral assessments? (3) What early life exposures are associated with later cognitive and behavioral abilities? (4) What are the potential neural mechanisms of these effects? (5) Are children who experience early risks more vulnerable to the effects of later risks? The successful candidate will also participate in the design and preparation for new studies using these types of tasks.

Qualifications: Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Nutrition, or a related field. The individual should possess the ability to independently process and analyze raw data from computerized cognitive tasks or eye-tracking tasks. Programming experience and proficiency in SAS or Stata is preferred. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal, communication, and decision-making skills, as well as the ability to work well independently and as part of a team.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/dod4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.

UC Davis is a smoke & tobacco-free campus (http://breathfree.ucdavis.edu/.)
If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact the recruiting department.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter

  • Statement of Research (Optional)

  • Statement of Teaching (Optional)

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Diversity contributions documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/faculty-equity-and-inclusion for guidelines about writing a diversity statement and why one is requested.
    (Optional)

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)
2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Diversity 2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Women

Job location

UC Davis, CA