Post-doctoral associate opportunity at Duke University

The Department of Statistical Science at Duke University is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Associate in statistical science. The Associate will be funded by the recent NSF DIBBs award to Duke University, which proposes to build infrastructure to transform how researchers access confidential social science data (see the NSF DIBBs press release at http://www.nsf.gov/mobile/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id 2880&org=NSF&from=news).

The Associate will be responsible for developing flexible models for large-scale, longitudinal mixed categorical and continuous data. The methodologies will be applied to generate a synthetic public use file for a database comprising confidential work histories of U.S. government employees, made available to the PIs by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The Associate will be supervised by Jerry Reiter and will collaborate with faculty and students in the Department of Statistical Science, the Department of Computer Science, and the Law School at Duke. Associates also will interact with faculty, postdoctoral associates, and students working on related areas as part of the NSF NCRN node at Duke University and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (see sites.duke.edu/tcrn/ for more information).

The ideal candidate will hold a Ph.D. in statistical science or a related field and will have strong background in Bayesian nonparametric modeling and/or machine learning techniques, computation in high dimensions, and an interest in social science/government applications. No previous experience in data confidentiality is necessary. The Associate will be expected to participate in research leading to publications in top statistical and applied journals, and to co-lead the development of the synthetic OPM data. The appointment will be for a one year contract with potential for up to two additional years renewal. Salary is initially $65,000 per year.

Applicants should email their CV, a brief statement of their background and interests and contact information only for at least three references to:

Jerry Reiter Mrs. Alexander Hehmeyer Professor of Statistical Science Duke University jerry@stat.duke.edu

The position is available starting January 1, 2015, although it is possible to start later. Applications will be considered until the position is filled.