Assistant/Associate Project Scientist- Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology -Berkeley School of Public Health and Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Do you want to work in a fast-paced environment with a multi-disciplinary group of researchers and community collaborators working at the nexus of environmental health science, community-based participatory research, and environmental justice?

The Sustainability and Health Equity (SHE) Lab at the University of California, Berkeley seeks highly motivated applicants for an Assistant/Associate Project Scientist position in Environmental Health Science and Epidemiology to help lead UC Berkeley's Superfund Research Center's Water Equity Science Shop, a community-academic research collaboration between the Community Water Center (CWC), a California-based water justice organization, and a multidisciplinary science team from the Universities of California Berkeley (UCB) and Los Angeles (UCLA), Silent Spring Institute (SSI) and the CA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).

Research Responsibilities:

Together, WESS collaborators undertake multidisciplinary research projects to understand and address the health effects posed by cumulative exposures to drinking water contaminants using advanced mixtures and machine learning techniques; applying targeted and innovative non-targeted analysis methods to detect and characterize the presence of novel hazardous substances in household tap water; reporting back results to study communities in ways that elucidate opportunities for individual and collective action; and developing online bilingual data tools for diverse end-users, including communities and decision-makers, to visualize, map and understand potential drinking water quality and access threats to groundwater-reliant households served by domestic wells and community water systems. The WESS additionally responds to the critical needs of three stakeholder groups: (1) rural residents of low income, largely Latino communities from CA regions that experience some of the greatest hardships from drinking water contamination in the state-- the Tulare Lake Basin located in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley and the Salinas Valley along the Central Coast; (2) community-based organizations serving these residents; and (3) CA agencies responsible for characterizing health risks associated with drinking water contaminants and implementing regulations that protect community environmental health.

The SHE Lab is a multi-disciplinary and committed group of scientists, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, and community collaborators who advance scientific inquiry and knowledge, professional training, research translation, and environmental policies to reduce the impacts of environmental hazards on human health. Based in the School of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, the SHE Lab investigates the health equity and environmental justice implications of a wide range of environmental health hazards, from toxic chemicals to climate change. We seek to advance scientific understanding of structural determinants of environmental health with a focus on inequality, racism, psychosocial stress and how these factors interact with environmental hazard exposures to produce health inequalities. We also mentor and promote early career scientists by supporting their training and enhancing their capacity to engage in environmental health research, policy, community-engaged projects, and education.

The SHE lab also collaborates with other scientists, communities, and regulators to develop science-policy tools for assessing the cumulative impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors to improve regulatory decision-making and advance environmental justice. This work has served as a foundation for Cal-EPA's CalEnviroScreen, US EPA's EJSCREEN, and the Biden Administration's Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. Other tools include Toxic Tides, which projects sea-level rise flooding threats to hazardous sites in environmental justice communities, and the Drinking Water Tool, which characterizes drinking water quality and access threats for communities relying on public water systems and domestic wells.

Specific Job Duties:

• designing and executing exposure and epidemiological studies on drinking water quality, access, and myriad health outcomes
• data management and data analysis
• manuscript preparation
• presenting research
• contributing to and leading grant proposals
• mentoring students
• liaising with agencies charged with drinking water regulation and health assessments (e.g., Water Board, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, among others)
• leading Community-engagement and research translation activities of the WESS

Lab: https://nature.berkeley.edu/morellofroschlab/

Program: https://superfund.berkeley.edu/

PhD (or equivalent international degree).

* PhD or equivalent international degree in environmental health science, epidemiology, biostatistics, analytical chemistry, or other relevant environmental health or engineering-related fields.

* 1-2 years of Postdoctoral experience.

* The ideal candidate will have a strong background in environmental health, epidemiology, GIS and spatial analysis, community-based participatory research methods, extensive subject matter expertise in drinking water quality and its health implications, and experience in research translation activities with agencies and decision-makers.

* Excellent track record of leading/co-leading projects with a multi-disciplinary team, mentoring students, logistical problem-solving, and creative and interdisciplinary thinking.

* Strong programming skills in R, Python, Stata and/or SAS, GIS or other relevant software.

* Excellent oral and written communication skills.

* Track record of published or forthcoming peer-reviewed publications related to drinking water quality and health.

* Demonstrated success in or potential to secure extramural funding to support research projects.

* Track record of applying community-based participatory research methods in drinking water quality projects.

• 3 required (contact information only)

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy (APM 210 1-d). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity 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 more information, please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment