Job Summary

Postdoctoral Fellows enjoy opportunities for growth and development as independent scientific investigators. Postdocs conduct specific research projects led by their supervising Research Faculty, provide general intellectual and technical support to research programs and initiatives. Both in-person and remote work can be accommodated.

Job Duties

Geisinger is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for up to three years who can conduct collaborative quantitative investigations to understand and improve decisions and well-being. Situated in Geisinger’s Department of Bioethics and Decision Sciences, the postdoc will be able to conduct and publish randomized controlled trials, pragmatic studies, and other quantitative investigations to understand and implement cognitive debiasing, reflective thinking, shared decision-making, educational nudges, structured analytic techniques, and more. Geisinger strongly supports successful advisees in career development and future job opportunities.

Timeline

• Start as soon as January 1 (following onboarding requirements) or as late as July 1 (2025) — highly qualified candidates may be considered for later start dates.
• Policy stipulates that postdoc positions are one-year terms, but the position can be funded internally for up to three years. Any postdoc who adequately sets and fulfills goals is expected to hold the position for the full duration. Candidates can renew their contract further by helping secure the requisite funding.
• Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Compensation and Benefits

• Expected annual salary will align with industry standards.
• This position is benefits eligible.
• This position is exempt from overtime.

Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in cognitive science, computer science, economics, experimental psychology, educational psychology, computational social science, or another quantitative cognitive science (completed before starting the position)
• A record of substantial contributions to collaborative, peer-reviewed, quantitative research about decision-making, bioethics, and/or Dr. Byrd’s other areas of specialization
• (For Ph.D. candidates) A letter from their dissertation chair confirming that the candidate is prepared to defend and graduate before the position's start date

Preferred Qualifications

• A record of open science practices (such as linking to pre-registrations, data, materials, analysis files, etc. in each manuscript).
• Advanced data analysis and/or data visualization skills (ideally using open source software).
• Experience designing and conducting interactive experiments (e.g., real-time human-to-human or human-to-AI interactions).
• Experience and capacity to secure extramural research funding.

Job Description

• Develop, refine, and secure approval for research protocols in support of the Principal Investigator's and candidate’s overlapping research programs.
• Collect, analyze, interpret, and summarize data for the projects.
• Create subsequent research goals and deadlines with review and approval from the Principal Investigator.
• Regularly meet with the Principal Investigator to review needs, progress, and opportunities.
• Present protocols, results, or other deliverables to internal and external stakeholders.
• Interpret and follow policies and guidelines to define procedures and meet goals and deadlines.
• (Optional) advise, consult, or teach internal stakeholders in one's area(s) of expertise.

Required Materials

• CV
• Cover letter and/or research statement (1-3 pages) that describes the applicant’s research interests and goals
• Published sample of writing (that the candidate led)
• Not-yet-published sample of writing (that the candidate led)
• Three to five signed letters of support from academic collaborators (which can include advisors) that include the author’s best email address and phone number 

Geisinger’s Department of Bioethics and Decision Sciences collaborates on research and other activities at the intersection of various scientific disciplines, especially on studies of judgment and decision-making in the domains of health, science, and innovation. The department is housed in the Research Institute, part of the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, and is embedded in a large, integrated health system with a medical school and various hospital campuses serving more than 3 million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania. As an aspiring learning health care system, Geisinger strives to integrate research into all aspects of medicine and healthcare delivery.Research at Geisinger benefits from early adoption of electronic health records in the 1990s, its clinical data warehouse, and its rapidly growing biobank (more than 350,000 patient-participants consented for genetic sequencing, with over 180,000 exomes sequenced to date). Geisinger’s main campus in Danville, PA, is located within a three-hour drive of New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.

Work is typically performed in an office or remote environment. Accountable for satisfying all job specific obligations and complying with all organization policies and procedures. The specific statements in this profile are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements considered necessary to successfully perform the job.

Education

Doctoral Degree- (Required)

Skills

Research Regulatory Environment; Research Methodologies; Research Analysis; Research Documents; Reference Content; Research And Development Function

About Geisinger

Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes ten hospital campuses, a 550,000-member health plan, two research centers and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. With nearly 24,000 employees and more than 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Geisinger values who you are, where you are from, and where you are going. We seek out people of various backgrounds and cultures with unique abilities, non-traditional career paths and ambitious aspirations. We are an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and Minorities are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability or their protected veteran status. Read more about Our Commitment to Inclusive Recruiting.

Our Vision & Values

Everything we do is about making better health easier for our patients, our members, our students, our Geisinger family and our communities.

KINDNESS: We strive to treat everyone as we would hope to be treated ourselves.

EXCELLENCE: We treasure colleagues who humbly strive for excellence.

LEARNING: We share our knowledge with the best and brightest to better prepare the caregivers for tomorrow.

INNOVATION: We constantly seek new and better ways to care for our patients, our members, our community, and the nation.

SAFETY: We provide a safe environment for our patients and members and the Geisinger family.

Our Benefits

We offer healthcare benefits for full time and part time positions from day one, including vision, dental and prescription coverage.