Research Associate (Centre for Research in Health Systems Performance)

Job Description

The National University of Singapore invites applications for Research Associate in Health Services and Data Science (Project: Development of Natural Language Processing and Item response Theory based systems for Patient Reported Outcome Measurement) in the Centre for Research in Health Systems Performance, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

Optimizing the performance of health systems is essential to ensuring the wellbeing and longevity of populations worldwide. Singapore is particularly well placed to lead research in this field as its health system has been consistently ranked as one of the best in the world based in independent evaluation with the Global Burden of Disease data. The new Centre for Research in Health Systems Performance (CRiHSP) aims to advance research in this area within the Yon Loo Lin School of Medicine of the National University of Singapore (NUS) as the leading centre for research in health systems in Asia. CRiHSP will be composed of a multidisciplinary team of researchers in health systems (health services and policy researchers, data scientists, social scientists, and others), and administrators. It will provide an exciting and dynamic place in which people of diverse backgrounds collaborate towards the common goal of achieving excellence in Health Systems Research.

CRiHSP is collaborating with the Department of Family Medicine (DFM) at NUHS, which was established in 2017 with the aim of supporting the Division of Family Medicine within the Yon Loo Lin School of Medicine of the National University of Singapore (NUS). DFM’s multidisciplinary team of clinicians, researcher, medical educators, and administrators works towards the common goals of achieving achieve excellence in Family Medicine education, research and practice. CRiHSP and DFM also benefit from a significant expansion in related fields and collaborations with the new Centre for Sustainable Medicine (CoSM) and the Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences Interventions (BISI) at the School of Medicine and the Saw See Hock School of Public Health.

Job Description

NUS offers highly competitive remuneration packages. The successful applicant will be offered an annual salary plus benefits commensurate with his or her qualifications, experience and expertise and will have access to travel support to disseminate research outcomes at international academic conferences.

The position is full-time for 1 year in the first instance, depending on project commitments and candidate’s career objectives. Start date is flexible, with the position expected to commence in the first half of 2024.

Purpose of the Post

CRiHSP is hiring a highly motivated and skilled Research Associate to contribute to a research project employing mixed-methods for the development of methods for measuring patient reported outcome measures in the population of Singapore based on the efficient application of Natural Language Processing and Item Response Theory to existing measurement systems working under the project Principal Investigator (PI), CRiHSP Director, Prof Jose M Valderas. The successful candidate will report the Senior Research Fellow responsible for the project.  The role provides a rare opportunity to work at the centre of this rapidly evolving field, shaping the future of healthcare and clinical practice.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The Research Associate will have the following duties:

• Contribution to the management of research activities including grant and IRB/DSRB applications, budgeting, planning and monitoring project timelines and generally support project management and coordination and liasing with internal and external stakeholders
• Conduct literature reviews, including collation and synthesis of the literature
• Support the design and interpretation of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews and focus groups and collect data
• Contribute to and lead (where appropriate) protocol, manuscript and report timely writing, editing and submission. 
• Present work for feedback and dissemination at workshops or conferences locally and/or internationally

The post holder will be expected to be flexible in their role as the CRiHSP´s capacity evolves.

Qualifications

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following selection criteria:

Qualifications

• Masters in Life Sciences, Health & Social Sciences

Experience

• Experience in planning, managing and implementing healthcare-related research projects, from conception to completion, in a University setting (essential).
  • Track record of publishing in international peer-reviewed journals (desirable)
  • Demonstrated experience in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and/or Item Response Theory (IRT) methods , or programming languages such as R, Python (desirable)
  • Researchers with existing research activities related to developing and using computerized adaptive (CAT) methods are particularly encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

Skills and Personal Attributes:

• • Strong communication skills in English, both written and spoken (essential)
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team (essential)
  • Highly developed problem-solving skills and adept at managing complex problems (essential)
  • Outcome-orientation with excellent organizational and project management skills, and attention to detail (essential)
  • Ability to work with culturally diverse populations (essential)

Application

Remuneration will be commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Prof Jose M Valderas at jmvalderas@nus.edu.sg.

Formal application: Please submit your application, indicating current/expected salary, supported by a detailed CV (including personal particulars, academic and employment history, complete list of publications/oral presentations and full contacts of three (3) referees) as well as a cover letter outlining their motivation and suitability for the project addressing each of the criteria outlined above to this job portal.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

More Information

Location: Kent Ridge Campus

Organization: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Department : Dean's Office (Medicine)

Employee Referral Eligible: No

Job requisition ID : 24312