POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR

Full Time

100%

• The postdoctoral research scholar position provides an exciting opportunity for a dual appointment within 1) the CADRE Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) Center of Innovation (COIN) at ICVAHCS, a group that conducts cutting-edge clinical research with the primary aim of improving health services for Veterans, particularly in the areas of blood pressure control, acute and chronic kidney disease, antibiotic stewardship, and rural Veteran access to care, and 2) the award-winning Business Analytics Department at Tippie College of Business, which specializes in machine learning, data science, and mathematical optimization, among other topics.  



• The post-doctoral research scholar will work primarily with CADRE Associate Director Dr. Diana Jalal, and with Tippie Associate Dean for Research Prof. Nick Street.  Additional collaborators will include Dr. Michihiko Goto and Dr. Benjamin Griffin, CADRE investigators conducting clinical research incorporating machine learning approaches in the areas of antibiotic stewardship and acute kidney injury, respectively.



• The scholar will analyze VA data, construct machine learning models (including but not limited to interpretable models) focusing on clinical outcome prediction, develop manuscripts to submit to leading journals, develop grant proposals, and take an active role in current and future research.



• Current and forth coming projects include prediction of acute kidney injury development due to nephrotoxic medications, determination of predictive variable importance in the prediction of acute kidney injury of varying severity and duration, and use of machine learning to construct and maintain an antibiogram to guide antibiotic decisions within the VHA system.  Future studies include analyses of Veterans with chronic kidney disease to determine optimal medication dosing to maintain long-term kidney function. 



• The post-doctoral position is a one-year full time appointment. Reappointment for additional years is possible depending on the fellow’s performance as it relates to their initiative, support of the lab, their publication record, and available funding.

• A PhD degree (or about to complete) in machine learning, or a closely related field, is required.

• Practical experience in developing predictive machine learning models and a willingness to acquire new complementary skills is required.



• Applicants should be passionate about conducting scientific research as it relates the core focus of CADRE, which is developing systems and programs to improve health delivery for Veterans across a variety of areas, including (but not limited to) hypertension, kidney disease, and infectious disease.



• The applicant must be able to contribute effectively to the success of the CADRE group. Excellent attention to detail and the ability to work independently are essential to success in this position, as are good communication and organizational skills.



• The post-doctoral scholar is expected to have excellent interpersonal skills, writing skills and the ability to effectively work with other members of CADRE and the Business Analytics Department. 

• Expertise in the specific areas of reinforcement learning and/or interpretable machine learning is highly desired.



• Experience in use of machine learning within clinical applications is preferred, but not required. 

Curriculum Vita

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