Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Details

Advertising Summary: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

Unit: School Of Medicine

Department: Psychiatry

VCU's Department of Psychiatry in collaboration with VCU Massey’s office of cancer research training and education invites applications for a full-time, National Cancer Institute (NCI)–funded T32 postdoctoral research fellowship in the Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) Training Program.

This program offers structured professional development, mentorship, and progression toward an independent research career. Program alumni have a strong record of success, with many securing faculty positions, research leadership roles, and competitive funding.

Program Overview:

The CPC T32 postdoctoral training program offers:

• An individually tailored, multidisciplinary training plan combining structured coursework, mentored research, and professional development.
• A core curriculum in the science and practice of cancer prevention and control, along with opportunities to pursue elective coursework aligned with individualized training goals.
• Mentored research experiences within Massey’s broad research environment that support rigorous research, peer-reviewed publications, and competitive extramural grant submissions. Fellows may take courses in areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics, implementation science, intervention development and evaluation, community-engaged research, clinical trials methodology, and grant writing

Training Focus

The CPC program trains fellows to develop and apply advanced research skills in areas including:

• Implementation science
• Health services and healthcare policy research
• Biostatistics and quantitative methods
• Molecular, social, and behavioral epidemiology
• Clinical trials design, conduct, and analysis relevant to prevention, screening, and survivorship research Training supports the production of high-impact publications and competitive NIH career development applications (K, F, R awards ).

Expectations

Fellows are expected to:

• Develop and implement an Individual Development Plan (IDP) with their mentor
• Meet regularly with mentors and training committee members to assess progress
• Complete required institutional and NIH compliance training
• Formulate research questions and specific aims
• Conduct independent and collaborative data analysis
• Prepare and submit manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals
• Present research at local and national scientific meetings
• Participate in weekly T32 activities and monthly CPC program meetings
• Attend relevant national scientific conferences

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctoral degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD, DrPH, or equivalent) in a relevant discipline
• Demonstrated interest in cancer prevention and control research
• Commitment to a collaborative research environment
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident status (per NIH T32 eligibility requirements)
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior research experience in cancer prevention, control, or related population sciences
• Experience or interest in clinical trials, community-engaged research, or implementation science
• Evidence of research productivity (e.g., abstracts, presentations, publications)
• Strong quantitative, analytical, or methodological skills

Salary Range: $62,232-65,000

Benefits : All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: Yes

ORP Eligible:

Flexible Work Arrangement: Other