Staff Scientist

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The WHSP Institute is dedicated to advancing female athlete health and performance, and features world‑renowned sports medicine, science and research practitioners. Primarily supported by philanthropic funding from co‑founders David and Jane Ott and the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance (Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation), the WHSP Institute’s mission is to “Inspire, empower, educate and convene researchers, clinicians and the broader sports community to drive advancements in our understanding of female athlete health and performance.”

The Institute houses a state‑of‑the‑art physiology laboratory, a research‑grade strength and conditioning (S&C) high‑performance gym with 3D biomechanical analysis capabilities, a teaching and research metabolic kitchen, and dedicated research space, and is co‑located with its strategic partner WHSP Medical , a full‑service sports medicine practice. WHSP Institute is designed for tightly integrated clinical, performance, and translational research. Core research domains include sports endocrinology and hormonal health; sports nutrition and energy availability; performance optimization (training, biomechanics, and recovery); injury prevention and return‑to‑play; and mental health and mental performance in sport, with a focus on female athletes across the lifespan. The Institute partners with leading universities, sports organizations, and governing bodies to deliver peer‑reviewed science, clinician education, and field‑shaping best practices. Along with these partnerships, the Institute already has a strong and existing national and international research collaboration network, with an existing scientific study portfolio.

Position Summary

The Staff Scientist – Behavior Change & Pragmatic Sciences (SS-BC&PS) will lead and support a rigorous, theory‑informed research program focused on behavior change and knowledge translation in female health and performance across the lifespan. We are seeking a mid‑career scientist with expertise in designing and conducting high‑impact, collaborative research, with particular emphasis on:

• Advanced qualitative research methodologies
• Mixed‑methods and implementation science designs
• Translation of findings into scalable interventions, education, and policy
• Quantitative research methodologies and statistical approaches considered an asset

The successful candidate will design, implement, and evaluate interventions targeting female health and performance domains such as menstrual health, REDs, mental health / mental performance, pregnancy/postpartum performance, peri‑/post‑menopause, and long‑term athlete health. The position requires a scientist who is equally comfortable leading in‑depth qualitative inquiry (e.g., participant interviews, ethnographic observations focus groups, implementation mapping), as well as leveraging quantitative methods to evaluate intervention efficacy and implementation outcomes as applied to mixed‑methods research designs. The successful candidate will need to collaborate internally and externally with many collaborators to design and conduct pragmatic and implementation‑focused research across real‑world settings.

Together with the Director of Research & Development, the SS-BC&PS will share in setting a clear R&D vision, fostering collaboration, and successfully executing research projects from conception to publication and dissemination. Key attributes include a deep understanding of research methodologies, the ability to secure and track funding/budgets, and strong interpersonal skills to engage diverse stakeholders and lead and motivate a research team. An established, internationally respected research network is a strong asset.

Qualifications

Required:

• Advanced degree in Behavioral Science and/or Health Psychology and/or Implementation Science and/or Public Health and/or Kinesiology and/or Sport Science, and/or related discipline (e.g., MPH, PhD, MD) with minimum 5 years of independent research experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least three of the following seven core areas: 1) female athlete research, 2) psychology, 3) advanced qualitative methods, 4) social / behavior change sciences, 5) knowledge translation sciences, 6) mental health / mental performance, and/or 7) human clinical research.
• Experience leading field or lab‑based research projects and/or industry‑academic studies against timelines with high scientific rigor.
• Track record of study design, IRB/regulatory processes and scientific writing (manuscripts and abstracts).
• Competence in data analysis and interpretation, with strong statistical skills
• Excellent scientific communication skills, with the ability to present and write for both peer‑reviewed / academic audiences and practitioner audiences.
• Experience leading or collaborating on grant proposals.

Preferred:

• Expertise in applied quantitative testing constructs.
• Familiarity with one or more of the following: community health/wellness, biostatistics, epidemiology.
• Advanced working knowledge of statistical software.
• Experience in stewarding philanthropy‑supported research.

Primary Report to: Dr. Trent Stellingwerff, Director of Research & Development, WHSP Institute

Secondary/Indirectly Reporting to: Dr. Kathryn Ackerman, Executive Director, WHSP Institute, and to the WHSP Institute Scientific Advisory Group (SAG)

Staff Reporting: With more WHSP hires, the SS-BC&PS will eventually also directly lead (and/or co‑lead, depending on the project) 1 to 2 research assistants / managers and several students, and will hold leadership roles on several research projects both internally at the WHSP Institute and externally.

Key Responsibilities

As the WHSP Institute is a new Institute, key responsibilities for this role reflect the reality of the administrative logistics required to get WHSP R&D “up and running” over the first approximately 12 months. Key responsibilities for the SS-BC&PS are anticipated to shift to include a greater balance of leadership and oversight functions thereafter.

Training and mentorship : Provide hands‑on leadership, mentorship, and direct oversight to research staff on research methods, statistics, and scientific writing; model best practices for open and reproducible science.

Study design and execution : Lead internally and collaborate externally on research protocol development, IRB submissions (in collaboration with site PIs), SOPs, case‑report forms, and staff training for study designs that will include qualitative and mixed methods approaches.

Methods and data standards : Lead rigorous qualitative inquiry to identify behavioral determinants, contextual barriers, and system‑level influences through methods which may include semi‑structured interviews, questionnaires, focus group, content and thematic analysis, and related; leverage expertise in associated quantitative and statistical methods.

Analysis and interpretation : Lead and/or oversee analytic plans, perform and/or supervise statistical analyses, and synthesize findings with the Director and appropriate internal and external personnel as specific to each research project; ensure conclusions are supported by data and limitations are transparent.

Publications and dissemination : Drive manuscripts, conference abstracts, white papers, and invited talks; ensure consistent Institute acknowledgment and branding across outputs.

• Continuing education : Maintain awareness of the latest science developments through attending and presenting at national and international conferences, and through self‑directed study [N.B., there are no teaching commitments with this position].
• Governance and collaboration : Convene regular reviews with the Director and Strategic R&D Managers; track milestones, risks, and decisions, and document them for transparency and continuity. Work to build collaborative partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally, and within the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance.
• Compliance and ethics : Maintain IRB approval records, data privacy, and participant safety; oversee data‑sharing agreements and material/data transfer processes.
• Communication/Outreach : When requested, write and/or edit athlete‑/coach‑/stakeholder‑facing educational materials for the WHSP Institute website and other platforms and tools. When requested, participate in/lead community/athlete education sessions at WHSP Institute and other locations, as needed.

Other duties/responsibilities may be assigned as the WSHP Institute Director sees fit.

End of Year 2 Success Indicators

• 2 IRB‑approved studies launched (either internal or external collaborative studies).
• 5 peer‑reviewed publications over the first 2 years (which can include reviews and existing publications from prior position).
• Co‑lead/lead in hiring 1 - 2 research assistants/managers and several students.
• Co‑developed psychology‑/behavior change‑based research methods standardized operating procedures.
• At least one submission to an external targeted research grant.

Role Logistics

Travel: Occasional domestic and international travel for study oversight, conferences and Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance events. May be periodically required to oversee / attend major external research projects over a few-week periods.

WHSP Institute is an equal opportunity employer. WHSP Institute provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, or military service. National and international applicants welcome.