Research Fellow – PhD or Postdoctoral, LMIC Family Planning

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Develop and spearhead a manuscript centered around an established priority research question.

• Build upon existing analyses and data, while conducting additional analyses as necessary.

• Create a submission-ready, publication-quality manuscript intended for a peer-reviewed journal.

• Convert complex survey and causal-modeling results into insights that are pertinent to global health policy and program design.

• Contribute to Surgo Health’s initiatives in family planning research and thought leadership within low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

• Complete analysis for one of the three priority papers or propose an original research question.

• Synthesize existing findings and/or produce new analyses focused on family planning behaviors and outcomes.

• Employ rigorous quantitative and/or causal inference methods where applicable.

• Draft and refine the manuscript based on feedback from the Surgo research team.

• Collaborate with Surgo research scientists regarding methodology and framing.

• Generate clean, documented analysis code and supporting analytic materials when appropriate.

• Participate in bi-weekly check-ins with project leads.

• Optionally present findings to senior leadership.

• Achieve milestones for scope, preliminary results, initial manuscript, revisions, and the final submission-ready manuscript.

• Maintain academic independence while adhering to Surgo’s authorship, review, and approval processes.

⛳️ Requirements

• PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, or early-career researcher in a relevant discipline (e.g., public health, demography, economics, biostatistics, epidemiology, data science).

• Significant experience in quantitative analysis, survey data, and/or causal inference methods.

• Proven ability to produce rigorous, publication-quality research.

• Preferred experience in family planning and reproductive health within LMIC contexts.

• Experience in behavioral science and program implementation is an advantage.

• Comfortable working with large-scale, multi-country survey datasets.

• One prior peer-reviewed publication is strongly preferred; otherwise, a scientific writing sample is required.

• CV or resume is mandatory.

• A written response for Path A or a concept note for Path B, up to 1,000 words.

• Contact details for two references.

• Capability to work under a data use agreement and complete onboarding requirements, including cybersecurity training.

• Submit a submission-ready manuscript along with supporting analysis materials by the agreed deadline.

🏝️ Benefits

• Fantastic, enjoyable, and collaborative colleagues.

• Opportunity to tackle complex challenges in healthcare and global health.

• Ability to be entrepreneurial, with significant opportunities for personal and professional growth.

• Access to de-identified, multi-country family planning survey data under a data use agreement.

• Codebooks and methodological documentation provided.

• Regular check-ins with Surgo’s research team for methodological guidance and feedback on drafts.

• Methodological and analytical support available.

• Assistance with funder framing and positioning.

• Support for co-authorship and publication.

• Opportunity to present progress to the broader research team.

• Maintain academic independence.

• Weekly check-ins with Surgo project lead(s).

• Opportunity to participate in Surgo FP analytics team meetings.

• Optional exposure to leadership through presentations to senior leadership.

• Opportunity for optional meetings with the Senior Director of Data Science & AI.

• Eligibility for co-first-author or first-author credit depending on contributions.

• Comprehensive publication support.

• Engage in a mission focused on global health and healthcare impact.

• Commitment to equal opportunity and diversity.