Details
Open Date 11/05/2026 Requisition Number PRN46713B Job Title Post Doc Res Assoc Working Title SAFE - AI Postdoc Career Progression Track A00 Track Level FLSA Code Administrative Patient Sensitive Job Code? No Standard Hours per Week 40 Full Time or Part Time? Full Time Shift Day Work Schedule Summary VP Area Academic Affairs Department 00810 - Scient Comp & Imag Instit-Oper Location Campus City Salt Lake City, UT Type of Recruitment External Posting Pay Rate Range $70,000-$75,000 Close Date 02/05/2027 Priority Review Date (Note - Posting may close at any time) Job Summary
The University of Utah is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join the SAFE-AI study funded by the National Science Foundation.
The initial appointment will be for a one year period, with the possibility of an extension based upon performance and availability of funding. The fellow will be based at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute in the de Lacy Laboratory, offering the opportunity for community with multiple other postdoctoral fellows and staff members.
The SCI Institute is a world-class research institute located within the new Warnock Engineering Building on the University of Utah campus. We are a highly dynamic, driven group of over 170 faculty, staff, and students. The overarching goals of the SCI Institute’s scientific computing research are to create new techniques, tools, and systems, by which scientists may solve problems affecting various aspects of human life. We believe that to advance the state-of-the-art and create meaningful computational solutions for such complex systems, one needs to advance research in a number of areas within scientific computing, including: visualization, simulation, and modeling. The SCI Institute presents a highly challenging, collaborative work environment that can be deeply rewarding for the right individual. Further information is available at http://www.sci.utah.edu/ .
The Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah was founded in 2019 with an inaugural $150 million gift from the Huntsman family and a further $350 million pledged in fundraising efforts. This groundbreaking initiative established a national institute for mental health research and treatment aimed at replicating the success of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, which has grown into an internationally renowned center for cancer research. HMHI’s overall vision is to advance mental health research through innovative collaborations, cutting edge facilities and public-private partnerships.
The University of Utah, an AA/EO employer, encourages applications from women and minorities, and provides reasonable accommodation to the known disabilities of applicants and employees.
The work:
The fellow will help develop novel frameworks and metrics to evaluate how AI interventions perform in real-world use, applying clinical intervention-science methods across three sub-projects focused on intervention fidelity, efficacy measurement and safety escalation protocols in behavioral and edtech products. The work covers study design, outcome and fidelity measurement, reliability and validity testing, and statistical analysis. The fellow will lead publications and contribute to grant development as well as working in partnership with another postdoctoral fellow focused on technical implementation and testing. There will be opportunities for working directly alongside stakeholders such as policymakers and legislators.
The successful applicant:
We seek a rigorous, methods-minded scientist who is comfortable working across clinical/educational implementation measurement and AI. They should write clearly and manage several projects at once with independence. The role suits someone building a career in implementation science, digital mental health, and/or AI evaluation.
Preference will be given to applicants with prior experience applying these methods on scientific problems. A PhD in clinical or quantitative psychology, psychometrics, biostatistics, informatics, implementation science, or a related field is required. Applicants need expertise in intervention evaluation or measurement validation, proficiency in Python, and peer-reviewed publications.
Applicants from historically marginalized or underserved backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
The successful candidate will be based in Salt Lake City at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Scientific Computing Institute. The largest city in the Intermountain West, Salt Lake is renowned for its 11 world class ski resorts on the Wasatch Mountain Range and plentiful outdoor recreation opportunities including incredible National Parks.
Along with easy commuting and mass transit, historic neighborhoods and a vibrant performing arts scene, these features have attracted many new residents and contributed to the ethnic and cultural diversity that characterizes modern Salt Lake City.
Ph.D. in clinical or quantitative psychology, psychometrics, biostatistics, informatics, implementation science, or a related field.
Non-Technical Skills: Excellent oral and written communication skills are mandatory. A willingness to collaborate in a highly diverse, multi-disciplinary environment is also essential.
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This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.
The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.
Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.
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University of Utah Health is the Intermountain West’s only academic health care system, combining excellence in patient care, the latest in medical research, and teaching to provide leading-edge medicine in a caring and personal setting. The system provides care for Utahns and residents of five surrounding states in a referral area encompassing more than 10 percent of the continental United States.
Whether it’s for routine care or highly specialized treatment in orthopedics, stroke, ophthalmology, cancer, radiology, fertility, cardiology, genetic-related diseases, organ transplant, or many other areas of medicine, University of Utah Health offers the latest technology and advancements, including some services available nowhere else in the region.
As part of that system, University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics rely on more than 1,600 board-certified physicians who staff five University hospitals (University Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Hospital, Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital, University Orthopaedic Center, and the University Neuropsychiatric Institute); 12 community clinics; and several specialty centers including the John A. Moran Eye Center, Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women's Cancers, the Cardiovascular Center, the Clinical Neurosciences Center, and the Utah Diabetes Center.
University of Utah Health is consistently ranked among US News & World Report’s Best Hospitals, has ranked in the nation’s top 10 for quality health care among leading academic medical centers by Vizient Inc.,
Its academic partners at the University of Utah School of Medicine and Colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Health are internationally regarded research and teaching institutions.
