Researcher, Economic Indicators
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Costs and Cost Effectiveness; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.
IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which is cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has an outstanding opportunity for a Researcher to join our Resource Tracking Economic Indicators team.
We are looking for someone who will help drive forward our research, which focuses on estimating and forecasting health spending and gross domestic product for 204 countries and nearly 300 subnational geographies. This work is fast-paced and highly quantitative. Across IHME, researchers analyze and produce key estimates for their assigned research team. This work will focus on using data from household and administrative surveys, economic databases, published literature, and internal team outputs. Using established modeling tools and through creation of novel code, researchers incorporate all relevant data to produce the most up-to-date and scientifically credible results. Researchers are integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. In addition, researchers work closely with senior research leads and external collaborators and take part in the intellectual exchange about how to improve upon and disseminate the results. Through this, Researchers are expected to interact successfully with a wide range of internal and some external partners, and to describe complex concepts and materials concisely. Overall, Researchers are critical members of agile, dynamic research teams.
The Resource Tracking Economic Indicators research team develops research intended to describe and assess health spending and economic activity. Previous research from this team has been published in a wide set of journals, presented around the globe and online through an interactive visualization. The policy-relevant research produced by this team will be extended to include climate and COVID-sensitive economic indicator estimates in order to gain knowledge about changes in health spending and spending disparities across countries. The team’s Researcher will work closely with the faculty lead, another Researcher, and a team of data specialists and data analysts. This position is contingent on project funding.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop a core understanding of input data used by the team and the quantitative methods used to harmonize and combine data from a wide variety of data sources, with a focus on estimating economic indicators including gross domestic product, general government expenditure, domestic health spending, total health expenditure, and poverty, and forecasting these indicators.
- Evaluate and build upon existing code and statistical processes used to forecast health care spending and economic activity.
- Under the guidance of faculty, carry out extensive quantitative analyses and statistical modeling to produce results designated on a given timeline as part of the Economic Indicators sub-team’s projects.
- Extract data from various sources and databases. Format, transform, review, and assess data sources to determine their relevance and utility for ongoing analysis. Understand key data sources and variations in these across and within countries.
- Review, assess, and improve results and methods.
- Apply computational and statistical tools and algorithms for the preprocessing, analysis, and visualization of source data.
- Document code and analytic approaches systematically so that analyses can be replicated by other team members.
- Lead discussion in research meetings about results and analyses to vet, improve, and finalize results.
- Contribute to creation of presentations, manuscripts, and funding proposals. Co-author paper(s).
- Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.
- Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences, or related discipline plus 1 year related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- Proven interest and some experience using cutting-edge quantitative analyses to impact policy and improve health.
- Strong analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
- Ability to professionally and effectively communicate and work with other staff at all levels in order to achieve team goals for the analyses and related outputs.
- Results- and detail-oriented individual who can initiate and complete tasks under tight deadlines and changing priorities both independently and in a team environment. Flexibility with hours and workload is key.
- Demonstrated success in implementing complex analytic code in R or Python.
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
- Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team.
- Eagerness to learn and contribute to important health economics research.
- A long-term interest in a research scientist position contributing to the overall mission of our research.
- A commitment to working to alongside others at IHME to illuminate the health impacts of systemic racism and to work within IHME to make our organization more diverse and inclusive. See IHME’s DEI statement here: http://www.healthdata.org/get-involved/careers/dei.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences, or related discipline plus 4 years’ related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Track record of success working with a team, completing complex quantitative analysis, and providing written, graphical, and oral explanation of this research.
- Expertise in research using at least two statistical programming languages, R and Python.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
- Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
- This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the US. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.
- Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
- This position currently has funding till June 2025, with a possibility of being extended.
Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.