Scientific Writer

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.

IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.

IHME has an outstanding opportunity for a Scientific Writer position on our Scientific Publications Team.

The primary purpose of this position is to support the development of high-quality peer-reviewed scientific papers for IHME’s work in fields including epidemiology, biostatistics, survey methodology, health economics, demography, and social determinants of health. The individual will write and coordinate the production of polished papers in collaboration with researchers for submission to peer-reviewed journals to broaden the quantitative evidence base for health. This position is contingent upon project funding availability.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Scientific Writing

• Write high-quality scientific articles for submission to peer-reviewed journals with support from other members of the Scientific Publications team.
• Revise manuscripts for accuracy, consistency, clarity, grammar, and syntax.
• Synthesize, distill, and present key messages from complex sets of quantitative findings in a manner that is suitable for a range of scientific audiences.
• Develop ideas for figures and tables to convey key messages in consultation with lead author; write related results and discussion components.
• Communicate and coordinate with internal experts to incorporate their feedback on draft scientific manuscripts.
• Incorporate necessary revisions from peer review comments in consultation with the authoring team, including drafting responses to journal editors and reviewers.
• Ensure manuscript documents meet all formatting requirements for journal submission.
• As necessary, research and build reference libraries specific to each manuscript and manage the referencing and reference lists within manuscript files.
• Draft cover letters synthesizing and distilling key contributions for each manuscript for submission and resubmission to academic journals.
• Ensure the high quality and accuracy of all publications by maintaining strong attention to detail while planning around and creatively adapting to contingencies.

Project Management

• Drive research forward by managing communications and implementation of manuscript decisions, including but not limited to narrative development and visualization design.
• Effectively delegate and implement action plans across multiple projects to achieve demanding and time-sensitive project milestones.
• Collate, finalize, and upload manuscript files for submission through journal portals.
• Support other Scientific Communications functions as needed.

Research Command

• Exhibit command of the intellectual material, analytic concepts, and results that are central to IHME’s work, including epidemiology, biostatistics, survey methodology, health economics, demography, social determinants, and education.
• Analyze IHME estimates to create new narratives exploring data trends, in collaboration with researchers and faculty.
• Exhibit an understanding of the material presented in journal articles, policy reports, and presentations from the research projects on which they work.
• Be thoroughly familiar with the details of complex interdisciplinary projects, including their goals, objectives, activities, and publications.
• Be familiar with related scientific literature.
• Understand and interpret statistical results of studies, and the modeling approach used to obtain them, in order to summarize them in a clear, concise, and scientifically accurate manner.
• Use IHME’s data visualization tools to access the high volume of data produced by IHME.
• Perform background research as needed to aid in project management and publications development.
• Have a command of computational, diagnostic, and dissemination and communication needs of the research portfolio and the associated competencies, skills, and resources required to meet publication deadlines.

Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s degree in English, social sciences, health science, or related field and five years of experience

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Proven experience with scientific writing and publishing.
• Demonstrated expertise managing complex projects with shifting deadlines and involvement of multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and command complex, multidisciplinary material.
• Demonstrated ability to write about scientific, technical content clearly and concisely.
• Ability to quickly understand and synthesize relevant materials for scientific audiences.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment in collaboration with a range of individuals.
• Strong written and oral communication skills with direct experience presenting to scientific audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to develop positive relationships with external constituents and IHME colleagues from a diverse set of disciplines, expertise, and backgrounds.
• A commitment to working alongside others at IHME to illuminate the health impacts of systemic racism and to work within IHME to make our organization more diverse and inclusive. See IHME’s DEI statement here: http://www.healthdata.org/get-involved/careers/dei

DESIRED:

• Master’s or PhD degree in health sciences or related field
• Experience working in global health

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
• This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the US. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.
• Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your “My Jobs” page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.