"Postdoctoral Research Associate"

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on: December 7, 2025

Available Title(s): 306-YN_FACULTY - Postdoctoral Research Associate

Business Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate

Employee Type: Faculty (+) (Fixed Term)

Position Term: 12 Month

Summary of Duties:

Working under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, as the Postdoctoral Research Associate you will join a dynamic, interdisciplinary research program focused on improving behavioral health outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders. This position offers opportunities to contribute to federally funded studies centered on Contingency Management interventions and/or the development and application of alcohol biomarkers (e.g., PEth, EtG, breath tests) in clinical and community-based settings.

Research foci include investigating methods to improve contingency management and strategies for disseminating and implementing this intervention in clinical and non-clinical settings. Alcohol biomarker research includes the use and feasibility of alcohol biomarkers in contingency management or in other clinical applications, as well as improving the feasibility and reducing costs of alcohol biomarkers. Given the differential impact of addiction in underserved populations, applicants with an interest in community based participatory research approaches to improving or disseminating contingency management or using alcohol biomarkers will be considered. Extensive training in manuscript and grant writing will be provided, with the outcome of the fellowship being a submitted National Institutes of Health or other extramural grant application. The fellow will collaborate with behavioral health researchers as part of the Promoting Research Initiatives in Substance Use and Mental Health (PRISM) Collaborative (prismcollab.org) and other affiliated research networks and the position will be housed in our Department of Community and Behavioral Health (https://medicine.wsu.edu/about/departments-units/community-behavioral-health).

The primary duties of this position include defining research questions and hypotheses, designing and implementing study protocols, conducting complex analyses (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods), interpreting results, and disseminating findings through peer-reviewed publications and presentations.

* This is a temporary appointment, expected to end 1 year from the date of hire. Renewal is dependent on the need for extension to complete the project and available funding.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist in the coordination and execution of ongoing contingency management or biomarker-focused research projects.
• Publish key findings in peer-reviewed journals.
• Support the PI and collaborators with scientific development, data analysis, and grant writing.
• Apply for extramural research funding and take steps toward becoming an independent investigator, through NIH or other funders.
• Participate in didactic training and mentoring opportunities at Washington State University.
• May perform other duties as required.

Effort Distribution:

• 80% Research
• 15% Professional Development
• 5% Other

Additional Information:

The screening of applicants begins December 1, 2025.

Annual Salary: $60,000 - $65,000 | Commensurate with experience and qualifications

In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position. Successful candidates typically begin up to mid-point of the salary range. For additional information, please review

Benefits: WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation and optional supplemental retirement accounts. For a more detailed summary of benefits offered by WSU for Faculty please review the summary of benefits for WSU Faculty and Total Compensation.

Required Qualifications:

• Earned terminal degree (PhD, DrPH, MD, etc.) in public health, psychology, social work, neuroscience, pharmacology, biomedical sciences, or a related field.
• Experience authoring professional presentations or peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience preparing technical reports and manuscripts.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• High ethical standards and confidentiality in handling scientific data.
• Proficiency in qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and research database platforms (e.g., REDCap).
• Willingness to work occasional evenings/weekends to meet project needs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience conducting substance use or behavioral health research.
• Strong scientific writing and oral presentation skills.
• Proficiency in data analysis software (e.g., Stata, R, SPSS, NVivo, Atlas.ti).
• Experience managing research studies and preparing reports for NIH and IRBs.
• Experience working with large multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience with or career aspirations to research in contingency management or alcohol biomarkers.
• Familiar with intervention research and/or assay development

About Department - https://www.prismcollab.org/

Area/College: Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine

Department Name: Community and Behavioral Health, PRISM Collaborative

Location: This position will be based in one of our primary research locations, such as Spokane or Seattle, WA.

Application Instructions: Applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application. Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

External candidates, upload all documents in the 'Application Document' section of your application.

Current WSU Employees (internal candidates), before starting your Workday application, please use these instructions to update your education and experience in your worker profile in Workday. Internal candidates, upload all documents in the 'Resume/Cover Letter' section of your application.

Documents may be submitted as one file or separate files. Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF, if possible.

Reference contact information will be requested later in the recruitment process through Workday.