Service Fellowship in Qualitative Research and Survey Design

Office of Research and Methodology
National Center for Health Statistics

 

Organization description

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), located in Hyattsville, Maryland, is seeking a Fellow to work in the Office of Research and Methodology (ORM). NCHS is the Nation’s principal health statistics agency. One of the eight centers and institutes that comprise CDC, NCHS compiles accurate, relevant, and timely statistical information to guide actions and policies that improve the health of the American people. The mission of ORM is to plan, coordinate, and stimulate the Center’s applied and basic research program in the fields of mathematical statistics, survey design and methodology, cognition and survey measurement, and automated statistical, graphical, and geographical technologies, and conducts research in each of these fields. The Office serves as the Center's consultant in the fields of cognition, survey design and methodology, and data collection and analysis, and formulates and implements statistical standards in these areas. For more information visit About NCHS.

Fellowship overview

The Fellow will serve as a principal investigator in the Question Design Research Lab. The Fellow will conduct qualitative research to understand how potential survey respondents make sense of and process survey questions. The studies are used to improve questions on federal surveys as well as to document the type of data collected by survey instruments; such documentation is useful to data users in the analysis of the survey data. The incumbent will design, conduct, and lead studies to isolate and define patterns of question interpretation, types of response error, and potential for bias in cross-national or cross-cultural populations. The incumbent will collaborate with other CDC staff to design and evaluate questionnaires. The incumbent will be expected to conduct additional methodological research related to the validity of survey data and to present this work at conferences and in publishable papers.

Qualifications

This fellowship opportunity is open to all citizens of the United States or legal permanent residents with a work authorization. Applicants are responsible for obtaining the necessary work authorization. Applicants must have a master's degree (Ph.D. preferred) or equivalent in behavioral or social science or a related discipline obtained from a recognized college or university that included 20 semester hours of sociology, of which at least 6 hours were in social theory and 6 were in methodology. The applicant must have training and experience conducting qualitative research. Experience with conversation analysis or the question response process is a plus. Strong speaking, writing, and interpersonal skills are highly desirable.

Terms of appointment

The Fellow will be offered an initial 36-month appointment, with the potential for extension. A starting date will be determined by mutual agreement. An initial salary of $60,989 to $113,007 (GS-11, step 1 to GS-13, step 10) will be offered based on education and experience. Salary increases will be commensurate with performance. The Fellow will be eligible for annual and sick leave, Thrift Savings 401(k)-equivalent, health and life insurance, and a flexible work schedule. The Fellow will have the option of free on-site parking or a public transportation subsidy. The local subway station is within walking distance.

Application process

Applications will be accepted through June 15, 2010. Interested applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a cover letter describing relevant experience, copies of all graduate transcripts (official transcripts will be required if selected), and three reference letters to Dr. Kristen Miller at the mailing address below. Inquiries or questions regarding this fellowship can be directed to Dr. Kristen Miller at KSMiller@cdc.gov.

Mailing address

National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road, Room 3110
Hyattsville, MD 20782

 

**The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other nonmerit factor. **