Research Assistant Position

Position Description:

The Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, in the SBS department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is seeking four (4) paid, part-time (10-15 hours a week) Research Assistants (RA) to work throughout the 2022 Fall semester, with possibility of extension.

The research assistants will support one of the projects below, supervised by a Center Scholar:

Project One

Working with Dr. Mesfin Bekalu: We are currently working on several projects that draw data from surveys and longitudinal studies conducted in the United States and abroad. The projects focus on the interplay among well-being, digital media use, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The research assistant will be assisting with literature review, data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript writing.  As such, the ideal candidate will be a graduate student (doctoral student preferable) and have the following knowledge/skills/experience:

  • Knowledge of survey and longitudinal data analysis
  • Skills/experience using SPSS or other statistical software
  • Skills/experience conducting literature review
  • Skills/experience writing or contributing to manuscripts
  • Experience managing project-related administrative duties

Project Two

Working with Dr. Laura Marciano: The RA will participate in research activities related to well-being, young people, and digital media use. In particular, it will be requested to help in literature search, systematic literature review, drafting of reports, communication of results (also on social media), preliminary data analysis and preparation of power-point presentations. With the possibility of being involved in research papers. Open to undergraduate and graduate students, with the following skills/knowledge/experience:

  • Experience in Excel and SPSS or R is requested, better if with a background in one of the following areas: psychology, health communication, epidemiology, public health, or statistics

Project Three

Working with Dr. Anne-Josée Guimond, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Health and Happiness: In this project, we will use data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the prospective association of several facets of psychological well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, enjoyment of life) with changes in lung function (i.e., clinically assessed forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity) as well as with chronic lung disease incidence.

Your role: As the main research assistant for the project, you will work closely with Dr. Guimond. Your main tasks will include: conducting literature searches, assisting with data analysis, creating tables, graphs, charts, and/or presentations, as well as assisting with manuscript writing and administrative aspects of preparing manuscripts for publication. The ideal candidate will have the following skills:

  • Prior training/experience with data analysis (e.g., logistic regression, survival analysis, linear mixed model) using statistical programs such SAS or R. Experience with large datasets is an asset.
  • Strong interpersonal and organization skills.
  • Good written and verbal communication skills.
  • Comfortable with use of word processing, spreadsheets, graphical and presentation software applications (e.g., Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Powerpoint).

Project Four

Working with Dr. Anne-Josée Guimond, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Health and Happiness:  In this project, we will assess the prospective association of several facets of psychological well-being (i.e., optimism, life satisfaction, purpose in life, and positive affect) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence as well as with changes in biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk over time in older American adults from the Health and Retirement Study. We will seek to understand whether the cardiometabolic risk biomarkers mediate the association between psychological well-being and reduced CVD risk.

Depending on time/interest, you might also work on other projects aiming to explore the interplay between psychological functioning (e.g., emotion regulation) and physical health outcomes.

Your role: As the main research assistant for the project, you will work closely with Dr. Guimond. Your main tasks will include: conducting literature searches, assisting with data analysis, creating tables, graphs, charts, and/or presentations, as well as assisting with manuscript writing and administrative aspects of preparing manuscripts for publication. The ideal candidate will meet the following qualifications:

  • Prior experience with literature review is an asset.
  • Prior training/experience with data analysis (e.g., logistic regression, survival analysis, linear mixed model) using statistical programs such SAS or R. Experience conducting data analysis in large datasets is an asset.
  • Strong interpersonal and organization skills.
  • Good written and verbal communication skills.
  • Comfortable with use of word processing, spreadsheets, graphical and presentation software applications (e.g., Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

 Applications

Applications are due Friday, September 16th, 2022, at 7:00PM. If you are interested in one of these positions, please send an email to Kelsey Hunt (khunt@hsph.harvard.edu) with “RA application” in the subject line. Please attach:

  1. Your updated CV
  2. A copy of your transcript (informal is okay)
  3. Statement of interest describing which project(s) you are interested in working on and how your skills, background, and motivations relate to the position.
  4. Your local mailing address.
  5. One letter of recommendation (two pages max)