Back Senior Research Scientist

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The TeamAs part of the Gates Foundation (GF), the Institute for Disease Modeling’s (IDM) mission is to support global efforts to eradicate infectious diseases and achieve permanent improvements in health by developing, using, and sharing computational modeling tools and promoting quantitative decision-making. The IDM team is composed of research scientists and software developers who create advanced models of disease transmission, develop computational tools to inform global disease eradication policy, conduct analysis of epidemiologically- and policy-relevant data, and identify and address critical knowledge gaps. IDM is a highly dynamic organization with a work environment that is defined by innovation and collaboration. As part of our work, we routinely collaborate with international health agencies, ministries of health in the developing world, as well as universities and research institutes across the globe.

Your Role

We are seeking a full-time Senior Research Scientist with exceptional expertise in applied statistics, quasi-experimental research design, and quantitative research methods to join the Gender, Vulnerability, and Health Equity team at IDM. This individual will play a leading role in designing and executing cutting-edge research on the implementation and scale-up of health and development interventions, with a particular (but not exclusive) emphasis on women’s and children’s health. The candidate is expected to develop and apply statistical models aimed at understanding the social, economic and structural mechanisms which drive successful program implementation and expansion. They will be responsible for analyses focused around evaluating complex trade-offs that occur with programmatic and policy decisions (e.g., quasi-experimental, causal inference or optimization research).

What you’ll do:

• Lead the design and application of rigorous statistical models to understand the social, economic, and structural factors driving successful intervention or product implementation.
• Use quasi-experimental designs, causal inference techniques, and/or optimization methods to evaluate trade-offs in programmatic decisions.
• Analyze and integrate data from diverse sources—including household surveys, administrative data, as well as other nontraditional sources—often in contexts where data quality may vary.
• Study the interplay between population dynamics (e.g., demographics, household economics, socio-cultural norms, and behavior) and health system performance in shaping program effectiveness.
• Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary research teams, regional partners, and local organizations to co-design and implement research activities.
• Translate statistical findings into insights for policy and practice and communicate methods and results clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Partner with other internal teams and external consultants to align research outputs with strategic priorities.
• Contribute to the scientific literature through peer-reviewed publications and thought leadership.
• Some international travel may be required.

  Your Experience:

  • A Ph.D. in public health, social science, or a related field with a strong foundation in advanced statistical methods, or in statistics, biostatistics, or applied mathematics with demonstrated application to real-world global health or development challenges.
  • Minimum of five (5) years of post-PhD research experience, with demonstrated leadership in applied statistical research for global health or development.
  • Proven expertise in advanced statistical methods such as causal inference, quasi-experimental designs, or optimization modeling.
  • Strong coding and data analysis skills in at least one programming language (Python or R strongly preferred).
  • Experience working with complex and messy datasets, including in low-resource or LMIC contexts.
  • Track record of peer-reviewed publications in global health, implementation science, or statistical modeling (please include publication list with application).

    Other Attributes:

    • Knowledge of women’s and children’s health preferred but not required, candidates with experience in a wide range of global health and development topics are encouraged to apply.
    • Excellent communication skills, including ability to explain technical concepts to cross-disciplinary teams and decision-makers.

      The salary range for this role is $186,400 to $288,800 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $203,100 to $314,900 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

      📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

      ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

      #LI-CM1

      Hiring Requirements

      As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

      Candidate Accommodations

      If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

      Inclusion Statement

      We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

      All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.