The Merten Research Lab, under the direction of Dr. Natascha Merten, Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences and in the Department of Medicine (Geriatrics & Gerontology), and the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, is looking to hire a Researcher to join the growing program of NIH funded research studies of aging. Dr. Merten's research focuses on human brain aging. The research program aims to assess general aging processes that affect multiple domains of brain aging focusing on sensory and cognitive aging and dementia. Her studies consider risk factors of Alzheimer's pathology and inflammation, vascular and metabolic systems to identify common pathways and biomarkers of neurodegeneration and brain aging. In addition, the lab aims to assess potentially modifiable risk factors of brain aging with a particular focus on the roles of psychosocial and behavioral factors. The team has just started the Beaver Dam Offspring Study-Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS), an 18-year follow-up study in the longitudinal Beaver Dam Offspring Study cohort. With this project, the Merten Lab aims to study the shared etiology of sensory and cognitive aging.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively with a team on all aspects of planning and management of a large cohort study including recruitment and retention, field operations, data management, quality assurance, and storage and shipping of the program's large biorepository of blood samples. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a new phase of an established longitudinal cohort study.

The Researcher will collaborate with the principal investigator, co-investigators, epidemiologists and other research program staff in the development, implementation and documentation of research protocols and data collection instruments. They will take on primary responsibility for study data collection protocols such as those for sensory (including hearing, vision) and cognitive function assessments. They will be responsible for training and supervising field staff conducting the exam. The Researcher will monitor field operations and adherence to protocols and assist with data collection. They will work with the data manager and computing staff to develop systems to monitor the quality of the data.

The Researcher will be based in Madison and will travel to Beaver Dam, WI, regularly as needed during the examination phase to monitor field operations. The Researcher will, under the direction of study investigators, notify study participants about conditions that require clinical follow-up. The Researcher will assist the Principal Investigator and study staff in manuscript preparation by suggesting research questions, performing literature searches, contributing to data analyses, editing, and proofreading papers. The Researcher will have the opportunity to author papers.

An ideal candidate will have a strong attention to detail and organizational skills, excellent communication skills and experience following standard operating procedures. Strong computer and analytic skills and experience with SAS and R are desirable. Previous experience with sensory or cognitive assessments is beneficial.

Employees in this academic staff position will receive University of Wisconsin benefits, such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave, competitive insurances, savings accounts, and retirement benefits.

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Required
Master's Degree in Epidemiology or related field

Preferred Qualifications:
- 2 years of experience in epidemiological research
- Research experience in human sensory and/or cognitive aging
- Experience in research data collection
- Experience training staff in research protocols
- Excellent skills in using SAS and R
- Experience working with laboratory or clinical (such as audiometers, ocular imaging) instrumentation

Qualified applicants will have the following skills & abilities:
- Strong attention to detail
- Analytic thinking skills
- Strong organizational skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
- Ability to understand critical aspects of research study operations including recruitment and retention, field study management, and quality assurance
- Work experience that demonstrates dependability, flexibility, and maturity
- Comfortable working with human blood samples and willing to learn phlebotomy
- Comfortable having face-to-face interactions with human research subject participants

Full or Part Time: 60% - 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $58,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
This position is eligible for a hiring bonus in the amount of $1,000.

The starting salary for the position is $58,000 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Benefits information can be found at ().

SMPH Academic Staff Benefits flyer: ()

Applicants for this position will be considered for the titles listed in this posting. The title is determined by the experience and qualifications of the finalist.

University sponsorship is not available for this position. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. UW-Madison is not an E-Verify employer, and therefore, is not eligible to employ F1-OPT STEM Extension participants.

This position has been identified as a position of trust with access to vulnerable populations. The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial caregiver check to be eligible for employment under the Wisconsin Caregiver Law and every four years.

This vacancy is being announced simultaneously with PVL 296216; please note that only one vacancy exists. Having two job postings allows the School of Medicine and Public Health to consider candidates with a variety of experience and education levels for this position

Travel is required. Must provide a valid driver's license. Employees may use their own transportation or receive approval for University Car Fleet usage. Employment is conditional pending the results of a Pre-hire Driver Authorization Check. See (click on Become an authorized driver, then click on Required criteria).

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply Now" button. You will be asked to upload a current resume/CV and a cover letter briefly describing your qualifications and experience. To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply Now" button. You will be asked to upload a current resume/CV and a cover letter briefly describing your qualifications and experience

Brittany Brown

608-265-2978
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See for further information.

Researcher II(RE041) or Researcher III(RE042)

A53-MEDICAL SCHOOL/POP HEALTH SCI/POP HLTH

Academic Staff-Renewable

296125-AS