Job Title: Research Scientist

Reports to: Director, Center for Leadership in Global Health Equity.

Location: Kigali, Rwanda, with occasional travel to Butaro campus.

 Background

The PhD Research Scientist will be supporting the Exemplars project “understanding and building resiliency in health care delivery to reduce amenable U5M during and after health shocks such as COVID-19”. This project will include the development of a program translation and dissemination tool kit; an Executive Education course aimed at teaching lessons in resiliency through an implementation science approach to participants from to two selected countries; country assessment research and application of lessons; and dissemination of results.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the two selected in-country teams, relevant stakeholders and study investigators during the implementation research training, field research implementation, data collection, analysis, dissemination and report writing;
• Organize and participate in investigator meetings and ensure regular project team meetings are held to review progress, issues, risks and consult on decision-making;
• Conduct scientific trainings and follow-up through UGHE’s Executive Education model;
• Develop the curriculum for the Executive Education course on implementation science, and identify and communicate with lecturers;
• Develop and lead creative strategies for ensuring research outputs are actionable and for monitoring policy and stakeholders’ engagement;
• Support and supervise course participants in data collection, qualitative and/or quantitative data analyses including the data management.
• Support and supervise the two country course participants in conducting literature searches and submitting ethics review applications;
• Monitor progress of the research projects, established timelines and milestones, intervening as needed to avoid delays;
• Lead the UGHE research team in coordinating course participants’ visit to Rwanda, and the delivery of the lectures, providing any logistical support as needed;
• Work with in-country partners and the UGHE research team throughout the process on in-country assessments, research, and capacity building in the Implementation Research approaches;
• Conduct restitution of research results and action – light, medium, or deep dissemination; including scientific presentations at high-level meetings/conferences, prepare high-level quality slide decks for current and future use;
• Pursue opportunities for the research team publication in quality, high-impact journals and other relevant venues;
• Work closely with relevant stakeholders during research implementation to identify gaps and create plans to address them and provide ongoing support to the research team;
• Implements and maintains quality control standards and evaluates overall research effectiveness;
• Establish a mechanism of attracting implementation research funding to UGHE;
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• PhD in dissemination and implementation research or related field with background in health policy as well as practice
• Extensive experience in implementation science and research (as implementor, policymaker, and researcher)
• Extensive knowledge and good sense of how to transfer skills of implementation research
• Experience running training programs
• Excellent writing skills
• Fluency in French and English
• Ability to engage in dissemination of implementation results and action.