"Research Scientist - Critical Incident Preparedness, Community Shielding & Response"

Job Details

Research Scientist – Critical Incident Preparedness, Community Shielding & Response
(UVA Critical Incident Analysis Group, School of Medicine)

Institution / Group Overview
The Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is an interdisciplinary research center integrating public health, emergency medicine, behavioral science, law enforcement, policy, and social science to advance understanding of critical incidents, threat mitigation, resilience, and community-level strategies. CIAG’s mission includes developing evidence-based frameworks and interventions for anticipating, preventing, and responding to high-impact events, whether biological, chemical, radiological, or social in origin. (UVA School of Medicine)
CIAG has active collaborations with federal partners (e.g. DHS, DoD, FBI, DOJ), public health agencies, academic centers, NGOs, and community stakeholders. (UVA School of Medicine)
Within CIAG, the concept of community shielding (a proactive, preplanned strategy to support community-led readiness, immediate community-based response, and voluntary in-place sheltering during a system-threatening/collapse event) is a central thematic area of research. (UVA School of Medicine). This position is intended to strengthen CIAG’s capacity to design, lead, and disseminate cutting-edge research in critical incident preparedness, community shielding, and critical incident response.

Position Summary
We seek a motivated, strategic, and self-driven Research Scientist (PhD) to lead and support grant-funded research on critical incident preparedness, community shielding, and response. The appointee will work closely with the CIAG leadership (including the Executive Director), multidisciplinary faculty, and stakeholder partners. The successful candidate will:

• conceive, design, and implement original research studies (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods)
• act as principal or co-investigator on external grant proposals
• manage and execute funded projects (including coordination, data collection, analysis, reporting, dissemination)
• liaise with federal, state, and local agencies; NGOs; community organizations
• publish peer-reviewed manuscripts, present at conferences, and shape policy-relevant outputs
• mentor junior staff or trainees, as needed
• contribute intellectually to CIAG’s broader research agenda and strategic growth

The ideal candidate will have experience in emergency preparedness, disaster response, public health, resilience science, threat characterization, behavioral science, or related fields, and a track record of successful grant applications (e.g., DoD, DARPA, NIH, CDC, DHS, etc.).

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design of grant proposals targeting federal, philanthropic, and agency funding in domains such as critical incident response, community resilience, shielding strategies, threat mitigation, disaster preparedness.
• Serve as PI, co-PI, or lead methodologist on funded projects; manage budgets, timelines, staff, subcontracting, reporting.
• Oversee data collection, monitoring, quality assurance, analysis, and interpretation of diverse datasets (epidemiologic, simulation, survey, modeling, geospatial, qualitative).
• Develop study protocols, IRB submissions, data sharing agreements, and research governance.
• Publish high-impact scientific papers, white papers, policy briefs, guidelines, and technical reports.
• Present research findings at scientific conferences and stakeholder venues (e.g. public health, emergency medicine, homeland security).
• Cultivate and maintain stakeholder relationships (government, public health, emergency services, community organizations).
• Mentor postdocs, research assistants, or graduate students in relevant methods and domain topics.
• Contribute to CIAG’s strategic research planning, internal initiatives, and collaborative efforts across UVA and external partners.

Qualifications & Requirements
Minimum Requirements

• PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline (e.g., public health, epidemiology, disaster science, behavioral science, sociology, systems science, emergency medicine, risk analysis, or related fields)
• Demonstrated track record of peer-reviewed publications in relevant fields
• Experience preparing and successfully obtaining external research funding (as PI, co-PI, or major contributor)
• Strong quantitative and/or mixed-methods analysis skills (e.g., epidemiologic modeling, geospatial, simulation, survey, network analysis, qualitative methods)
• Excellent project management skills, with experience coordinating multi-site or interdisciplinary research
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex research into policy- and practice-relevant outputs
• Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and with external partners, agencies, and communities

Preferred / Advantageous

• Prior experience or demonstrated interest in critical incident response, biothreats, community resilience, emergency preparedness, or shielding strategies
• Experience working with federal agencies, homeland security, national labs, public health agencies, or defense organizations
• Prior mentoring or supervision of junior researchers or trainees
• Experience with simulation modeling, agent-based models, systems modeling, or decision-support tools
• Familiarity with qualitative or participatory methods in community resilience research
• Track record of integrating policy engagement, translation, or actionable outcomes in research

Position Terms & Location

• This is a full-time research track appointment (non-tenure track) or possibly with faculty rank, depending on qualifications and departmental alignment
• The position will be based at UVA (Charlottesville, VA), with opportunities for remote collaboration will be strongly considered
• Start date: negotiable (e.g. summer/fall 2025)
• Duration: Typically initial 2 year appointment, renewable contingent on performance and funding
• Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with experience; includes benefits, travel support, and discretionary funds for research