University of Wisconsin-Madison
Apply for the
Sexual Health Researcher
role at
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Job Category:
Academic Staff
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Data Scientist II
Key Responsibilities
Documents approaches to address research questions and contributes to the establishment of reproducible research methodologies and analysis workflows
Independently identifies and implements appropriate data science techniques to find data patterns and answer research questions chosen by the lead researcher including data visualization, statistical analysis, machine learning, and data mining
Composes and assembles reproducible workflows and reports to clearly articulate patterns to researchers and/or administrators
Organizes and automates project steps for data preparation and analysis
Prepares data sets for analysis including cleaning/quality assurance, transformations, restructuring, and integration of multiple data sources
Department and Project Overview We are seeking a Data Scientist to become an integral team member and collaborator on the development, design, and implementation of a community‑engaged, mixed methods research project funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The Data Scientist will primarily conduct analyses and disseminate findings within a research team led by Drs. Lara Gerassi (PI) and Kate Walsh (co‑I). The project uses rigorously developed, adapted, and tested Sexual Acts and Materials for Pay or Compensation (SAMP) measure to understand the prevalence and characteristics of young adults (ages 18 to 34) who report SAMP. At the time of hire, the Data Scientist will primarily work on the second and third specific aims of this 5‑year, community‑engaged project. First, we will identify the prevalence and associated characteristics (e.g., adverse experiences, substance use, mental health problems, harm reduction strategies, and violence) of SAMP in a nationally representative, probability‑based sample (Amerispeak) of young adults (ages 18‑34) using our adapted measure. We will (a) report the prevalence of sex trading, (b) use Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to examine typologies of those who report providing and considering sex trading and their reasons for doing so, and (c) examine associated health consequences and financial characteristics. Second, we will examine the characteristics of SAMP in a non‑probability sample of young people who report having participated in at least one sex trading behavior (ages 18‑34). We will use web‑based, Respondent Driven Sampling (webRDS) to recruit this hard‑to‑reach population and replicate and extend aim 2’s LCA to understand differences and similarities in sex trading among young adults who report providing different types of sex trading acts, as well as those who endorse particular types and report considering others. Findings will result in a comprehensive understanding of SAMP and consequences in the United States, which is needed to inform prevention and intervention strategies to reduce harm.
What You Can Expect To Do
Lead data cleaning and documentation procedures under the direction of PI and co‑Is
Analyze complex research data sets including nationally representative samples and community‑driven, non‑representative samples
Execute analytic plans to identify national prevalence estimates of SAMP and identify harm‑increasing and reducing circumstances of SAMP
Conduct Latent Class Analyses and general multivariate statistics (e.g., regression) across multiple samples.
Organize and document analysis code for research transparency, standardization, and replication
Support and prepare documents in accordance with data sharing procedures as required by funder
Support administrative processes related to participant compensation and other tasks related to the project’s grant.
Supervise research specialist/project coordinator on tasks to support this grant‑funded project
Assist in the preparation of annual progress reports, reports for the community, manuscripts, and community and peer‑reviewed presentations
Local candidates may choose to work in a hybrid, in‑person, or fully remote work arrangement.
The initial term of this appointment is 2 years, with the possibility of being extended based on funding.
Compensation The typical starting salary for this position will be $75,000 - $85,000 for experienced candidates. Actual pay will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays and paid time off; competitive insurance and saving accounts; and retirement benefits.
Required Qualifications
Knowledge of sexual health, sexual violence, sex work and/or sex trafficking research
Strong background in quantitative statistics including:
Data cleaning and wrangling
Multivariate statistical analyses including regression
Latent variable models including factor analysis and/or latent class analysis
Quantitative analytic skills in statistical packages, such as SPSS, STATA, R and/or MPlus
Excellent writing skills with regard to publication
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to remain highly organized, attend to detail, manage a variety of tasks, and meet required deadlines
Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of faculty, affiliates, staff, and students
Ability to work independently on set tasks
Ability to engage in creative and independent problem solving
Preferred Qualifications
Lived (personal) and/or work (professional) experiences or expertise related to sex work, sex trafficking, or providing SAMP
Prior research experience with sexual health, sexual violence, sex work and/or sex trafficking research
Experience with Latent Class Analyses
Education PhD in social work, psychology, sociology, public health, or related discipline, preferred.
How to Apply Click the "Apply" button to start the application process.
You will be prompted to upload the following documents:
Cover letter
Resume/CV
1 writing sample - with strong preference for a manuscript, article, or dissertation chapter that uses quantitative analyses.
Applicants should ensure their resume/CV and cover letter detail their training and experience relating to the required and preferred qualifications referenced above. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine which qualified applicants will advance in the recruitment process. Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all of your documents in the attachment field.
Once finalists are identified, they will be asked to provide names and contact information for at least three professional references, including a current/former supervisor. References will not be contacted without advanced notice.
Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.
Contact Information Lara Gerassi, gerassi@wisc.edu
Institutional Statement on Diversity and EEO Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.
To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre‑employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.
Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Sexual Health Researcher
role at
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Job Category:
Academic Staff
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Data Scientist II
Key Responsibilities
Documents approaches to address research questions and contributes to the establishment of reproducible research methodologies and analysis workflows
Independently identifies and implements appropriate data science techniques to find data patterns and answer research questions chosen by the lead researcher including data visualization, statistical analysis, machine learning, and data mining
Composes and assembles reproducible workflows and reports to clearly articulate patterns to researchers and/or administrators
Organizes and automates project steps for data preparation and analysis
Prepares data sets for analysis including cleaning/quality assurance, transformations, restructuring, and integration of multiple data sources
Department and Project Overview We are seeking a Data Scientist to become an integral team member and collaborator on the development, design, and implementation of a community‑engaged, mixed methods research project funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The Data Scientist will primarily conduct analyses and disseminate findings within a research team led by Drs. Lara Gerassi (PI) and Kate Walsh (co‑I). The project uses rigorously developed, adapted, and tested Sexual Acts and Materials for Pay or Compensation (SAMP) measure to understand the prevalence and characteristics of young adults (ages 18 to 34) who report SAMP. At the time of hire, the Data Scientist will primarily work on the second and third specific aims of this 5‑year, community‑engaged project. First, we will identify the prevalence and associated characteristics (e.g., adverse experiences, substance use, mental health problems, harm reduction strategies, and violence) of SAMP in a nationally representative, probability‑based sample (Amerispeak) of young adults (ages 18‑34) using our adapted measure. We will (a) report the prevalence of sex trading, (b) use Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to examine typologies of those who report providing and considering sex trading and their reasons for doing so, and (c) examine associated health consequences and financial characteristics. Second, we will examine the characteristics of SAMP in a non‑probability sample of young people who report having participated in at least one sex trading behavior (ages 18‑34). We will use web‑based, Respondent Driven Sampling (webRDS) to recruit this hard‑to‑reach population and replicate and extend aim 2’s LCA to understand differences and similarities in sex trading among young adults who report providing different types of sex trading acts, as well as those who endorse particular types and report considering others. Findings will result in a comprehensive understanding of SAMP and consequences in the United States, which is needed to inform prevention and intervention strategies to reduce harm.
What You Can Expect To Do
Lead data cleaning and documentation procedures under the direction of PI and co‑Is
Analyze complex research data sets including nationally representative samples and community‑driven, non‑representative samples
Execute analytic plans to identify national prevalence estimates of SAMP and identify harm‑increasing and reducing circumstances of SAMP
Conduct Latent Class Analyses and general multivariate statistics (e.g., regression) across multiple samples.
Organize and document analysis code for research transparency, standardization, and replication
Support and prepare documents in accordance with data sharing procedures as required by funder
Support administrative processes related to participant compensation and other tasks related to the project’s grant.
Supervise research specialist/project coordinator on tasks to support this grant‑funded project
Assist in the preparation of annual progress reports, reports for the community, manuscripts, and community and peer‑reviewed presentations
Local candidates may choose to work in a hybrid, in‑person, or fully remote work arrangement.
The initial term of this appointment is 2 years, with the possibility of being extended based on funding.
Compensation The typical starting salary for this position will be $75,000 - $85,000 for experienced candidates. Actual pay will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays and paid time off; competitive insurance and saving accounts; and retirement benefits.
Required Qualifications
Knowledge of sexual health, sexual violence, sex work and/or sex trafficking research
Strong background in quantitative statistics including:
Data cleaning and wrangling
Multivariate statistical analyses including regression
Latent variable models including factor analysis and/or latent class analysis
Quantitative analytic skills in statistical packages, such as SPSS, STATA, R and/or MPlus
Excellent writing skills with regard to publication
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to remain highly organized, attend to detail, manage a variety of tasks, and meet required deadlines
Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of faculty, affiliates, staff, and students
Ability to work independently on set tasks
Ability to engage in creative and independent problem solving
Preferred Qualifications
Lived (personal) and/or work (professional) experiences or expertise related to sex work, sex trafficking, or providing SAMP
Prior research experience with sexual health, sexual violence, sex work and/or sex trafficking research
Experience with Latent Class Analyses
Education PhD in social work, psychology, sociology, public health, or related discipline, preferred.
How to Apply Click the "Apply" button to start the application process.
You will be prompted to upload the following documents:
Cover letter
Resume/CV
1 writing sample - with strong preference for a manuscript, article, or dissertation chapter that uses quantitative analyses.
Applicants should ensure their resume/CV and cover letter detail their training and experience relating to the required and preferred qualifications referenced above. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine which qualified applicants will advance in the recruitment process. Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all of your documents in the attachment field.
Once finalists are identified, they will be asked to provide names and contact information for at least three professional references, including a current/former supervisor. References will not be contacted without advanced notice.
Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.
Contact Information Lara Gerassi, gerassi@wisc.edu
Institutional Statement on Diversity and EEO Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.
To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre‑employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.
Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
#J-18808-Ljbffr