Postdoctoral Research Associate / Research Fellow

The University of Sydney

Postdoctoral Research Associate / Research Fellow - Health Data Analytics
Menzies Centre for Health Policy
Sydney School of Public Health
Reference No. 1412/0816

Perform applied and valuable work in the health services field

Full-time or part-time (0.8FTE) fixed term for two years; available for immediate start

Remuneration package: base salary of $87K - $116K p.a. (full-time) plus leave loading and up to 17% superannuation

The University of Sydney is Australia's first university and has an outstanding global reputation for academic and research excellence. It employs over 7600 permanent staff, supporting over 60,000 students.

The University's Menzies Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) has developed a 'Value in Health Care' program of work which oversees numerous grants, including from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), to undertake research related to the efficiency of the Australian health care system.

One cutting edge stream of work focuses on measuring the prevalence, characteristics and costs associated with 'low-value care'. The approach combines elements of health policy, health economics, epidemiology, public health, biostatistics and epidemiology. The MCHP, and its Value in Health Care stream, is about providing a better understanding of the efficiency of the health care system and conducting research that can inform policy makers, clinical providers and patients and community members.

We are seeking a part- or full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate or Research Fellow to support a NHMRC project grant entitled 'Measuring low-value health care for targeted policy action'. You will conduct analyses within large population-based health administrative databases, including but not limited to the Medicare Benefits Schedule; Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (including the linked MBS/PBS dataset); and the New South Wales Admitted Patient Data Collection (NSW APDC). You will have the opportunity to perform applied and valuable work in the health field, to work with a team of emerging and leading scientists, to supervise PhD candidates, and to interact with the lead industry partners such that findings will be translated into tangible outcomes.

You will be based at The University of Sydney (Camperdown Campus).

To succeed in securing this role you will have:

A PhD (or equivalent) in relevant health or related discipline (epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, health economics)

proven ability to work with large administrative or survey data sets

experience with Matlab/R; SAS; excellent computer programming skills and be comfortable with the analysis of complex and large data sets

a strong academic record (relative to opportunity) with strong written and verbal communications skills, as evidenced by a track record of publications in peer reviewed journals

a proven ability to work within collaborative research teams

successful research project management experience including delivering projects on time

experience conducting analyses within large Australian population-based health administrative databases, including but not limited to the Medicare Benefits Schedule; Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (including the linked MBS/PBS dataset); and the New South Wales Admitted Patient Data Collection (NSW APDC).

For appointment at the higher level you will also have:

a track record of obtaining competitive research funding (desirable)

demonstrated ability to conceptualise novel research questions in areas relevant to public health or health services research, and to develop these into research protocols

evidence of an increasing trajectory of research excellence and productivity

evidence of outstanding potential to lead research projects independently

an understanding of key issues in research relating to quality use of health care interventions

a thorough understanding of, and a demonstrated track record in research focusing in, the Australian health care system

experience leading and submitting successful human research ethics applications.

All applications must be submitted via the University of Sydney careers website. Visit http://sydney.edu.au/recruitment and search by the reference number for more information and to apply.

CLOSING DATE: 11pm 26 September 2016

The University is an equal opportunity employer committed to equity, diversity and social inclusion. Applications from equity target groups, including women and people with disabilities are encouraged. As the University of Sydney has established a scheme to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff employed across the institution, applications from people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are also encouraged.