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The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is a growing multi-disciplinary center studying decision making and human behavior over the life-course. We are seeking a Senior Research Associate to work on two teams running complex projects. The Senior Research Associate will be responsible for planning, designing, and conducting complex research projects independently and in collaboration with investigators across CESR. The position requires substantive expertise in longitudinal data analysis, quasi-experimental methods, and integration of survey, biometric/wearable, and geospatial data sources. The role requires initiative and innovation in addressing scientific questions related to aging, mental and behavioral health, cognition, and the social, environmental, and policy determinants of health.
Position Requirements:
GECC (Gateway Exposome Coordinating Center);
- Contributes to ongoing policy domain research within the Center for Global Aging, including substance use policy (tobacco, alcohol) and mental health policy data harmonization
- Applies life course and exposome methods to aging-related health outcomes
- Contributes to manuscript preparation, grant submissions, and dissemination of research findings
- Collaborates with Center investigators and external partners on the development of methodological infrastructure for exposome and life course research in aging populations
ALiR (America Life in Realtime);
- Develops and leads research projects using ALiR Fitbit and UAS survey data, with primary thematic areas in behavioral and mental health, cognition, and the social and environmental determinants of health
- Conducts longitudinal and quasi-experimental analyses linking wearable measures to monthly self-reported health outcomes
- Integrates ALiR data with linked geospatial environmental, disaster, and policy datasets to examine contextual determinants of health and behavior
- Contributes to methodological development and documentation of ALiR data infrastructure
- Leads first-authored manuscripts and contributes to ALiR's research dissemination as a benchmark resource for the broader digital health research community
Ideal candidate has a background in longitudinal aging surveys, an understanding of panel data, experience with wearable data and exposome linkages.
Preferred Education: PhD
Required Work Experience: 3 years minimum
Work Arrangement: Hybrid work arrangement, University Park Campus in Los Angeles
Compensation
The annual base salary range for this position is $86,583 - $97,400. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.
About the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR)
The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to discovering how people around the globe live, think, interact, age, invest, and make important, life-changing decisions. Our in-depth research and analysis are deepening the understanding of human behavior in a wide range of economic and social contexts. Our ultimate goal: to improve social welfare by informing and influencing decision-making in the public and private sectors. Along the way, we are leading a creative revolution in how scientists conduct social science and economic research through the use of innovative technology.
About the USC Schaeffer Institute
The USC Schaeffer Institute develops evidence-based solutions to address the nation’s most pressing policy issues. It serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, fosters civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers.
Established by an historic gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer in 2024, it houses three flagship programs: the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service, and the Center for Civic Society. Schaeffer experts have testified before numerous Congressional committees and are regularly sought out by media outlets—including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—to provide insight on policy issues.
The Schaeffer Institute is home to more than 150 scholars and staff, including three Nobel Laureates and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It has offices at USC in Los Angeles and at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.
About the Sol Price School of Public Policy
Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.
The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.
Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.
Together, these departments and research enterprises provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Price graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from a variety of backgrounds and opinions.
Minimum Education: PhD or equivalent doctorate Minimum Experience: 3 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Directly related education and experience in research specialization with advanced knowledge of equipment, procedures, analysis methods, principles, theories and concepts.
Job ID REQ20178225 Posted Date 08/01/2026
