The Department of Preventive Medicine is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate to be part of the Social Media Analytics (SOMA) Lab at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. SOMA Lab comprises a multidisciplinary team of researchers conducting studies at the intersection of public health, communication, and technology. More information about SOMA Lab can be found at https://somalab.usc.edu/.
The Postdoctoral Research Associate will assist with several studies funded by the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program. In general, research projects at SOMA include: (1) identifying, quantifying, and describing promotional practices of companies across various industries and determining how such practices affect offline health-related behaviors; (2) examining user experiences with popular new tobacco products to understand their appeal, and the social and environmental characteristics surrounding their use; (3) identifying the extent of unsubstantiated health claims (or misinformation) pertaining to substances like nicotine, cannabis, and products like electronic cigarettes.
Overall, a successful candidate must have completed a Ph.D. in a social science setting, have excellent organizational skills, work well as a member of a research team, be able to work independently, and have good interpersonal skills. Successful applicants will be expected to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment under the mentorship of the SOMA Lab director.
Interested candidates should submit a letter outlining their research and career objectives (one page), CV with prior academic record, reprints of any relevant publications, and names of three references.
