Job Details

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Working under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, as the Postdoctoral Research Associate you will join a dynamic, interdisciplinary research program focused on improving behavioral health outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders. This position offers opportunities to contribute to federally funded studies centered on Contingency Management interventions and/or the development and application of alcohol biomarkers (e.g., PEth, EtG, breath tests) in clinical and community-based settings.

Research foci include investigating methods to improve contingency management and strategies for disseminating and implementing this intervention in clinical and non-clinical settings. Alcohol biomarker research includes the use and feasibility of alcohol biomarkers in contingency management or in other clinical applications, as well as improving the feasibility and reducing costs of alcohol biomarkers. Given the differential impact of addiction in underserved populations, applicants with an interest in community based participatory research approaches to improving or disseminating contingency management or using alcohol biomarkers will be considered. Extensive training in manuscript and grant writing will be provided, with the outcome of the fellowship being a submitted National Institutes of Health or other extramural grant application. The fellow will collaborate with behavioral health researchers as part of the Promoting Research Initiatives in Substance Use and Mental Health (PRISM) Collaborative and the position will be housed in our Department of Community and Behavioral Health.

The primary duties of this position include defining research questions and hypotheses, designing and implementing study protocols, conducting complex analyses (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods), interpreting results, and disseminating findings through peer-reviewed publications and presentations.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Assist in the coordination and execution of ongoing contingency management or biomarker-focused research projects.
• Publish key findings in peer-reviewed journals.
• Support the PI and collaborators with scientific development, data analysis, and grant writing.
• Apply for extramural research funding and take steps toward becoming an independent investigator, through NIH or other funders.
• Participate in didactic training and mentoring opportunities at Washington State University.
• May perform other duties as required.

Effort distribution:

• 80% Research
• 15% Professional Development
• 5% Other

Annual salary: $60,000 - $65,000 | Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Earned terminal degree (PhD, DrPH, MD, etc.) in public health, psychology, social work, neuroscience, pharmacology, biomedical sciences, or a related field.
• Experience authoring professional presentations or peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience preparing technical reports and manuscripts.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• High ethical standards and confidentiality in handling scientific data.
• Proficiency in qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and research database platforms (e.g., REDCap).
• Willingness to work occasional evenings/weekends to meet project needs.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience conducting substance use or behavioral health research.
• Strong scientific writing and oral presentation skills.
• Proficiency in data analysis software (e.g., Stata, R, SPSS, NVivo, Atlas.ti).
• Experience managing research studies and preparing reports for NIH and IRBs.
• Experience working with large multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience with or career aspirations to research in contingency management or alcohol biomarkers.
• Familiar with intervention research and/or assay development

Washington State University encourages all qualified candidates to apply, including members of the military and veterans, and persons with disabilities.