Graduate Student Research Assistant
UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program

Project: Prevalence of Community Gun Violence Exposure and Consequences for Adolescent Well-Being: Identifying Sources of Heterogeneity to Disrupt the Cycle of Violence

Prof. Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, PhD, MPH, in the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program seeks an outstanding Graduate Student Researcher in a master’s degree or PhD program in public health, human ecology, sociology, or a related field with documented health equity and justice-focused research interests for a CDC-funded research project focused on understanding the social-emotional health and behavioral consequences of youths’ exposure to community gun violence.

Project period: Summer 2021, with possibility of extension

About the project:
Exposure to community gun violence, defined as intentional, interpersonal acts of gun violence committed in public places, is a recognized form of trauma whose consequences may extend to youth even if they do not report it and even if they do not hear or see it in person. Because objective statistics on gun violence at the small-area level have not been available for use in population research, existing studies have largely relied on self-reported survey items which prohibit examination of this broader conceptualization of exposure. Using data from the 1998/2000 to 2014/17 waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study geospatially linked with information on deadly gun violence incidents from the Gun Violence Archive, this project examines the population prevalence and health-related consequences of youths’ exposure to community gun violence, regardless of whether the violence was experienced firsthand, and assesses possible points of early intervention associated with variations in the impacts of community gun violence exposure. Findings can inform the development and implementation of violence prevention strategies designed to disrupt the cycle of violence.

Summary of activities and responsibilities:
This GSR will be involved primarily in literature reviews; data cleaning, coding, and management; quantitative data analysis; summarizing and interpretation of results; preparation of manuscripts and presentations; and other shared duties related to project coordination and administration as assigned. Key responsibilities include the following:

• Carry out data cleaning, coding, management, quality control, archiving, and documentation.
• Contribute to the development of analytic plans in consultation with investigators and senior staff.
• Carry out data analyses using standard descriptive and inferential techniques, including propensity score matching and regression.
• Prepare and present results of analyses for review by investigators and senior staff, and contribute to the discussion and interpretation of findings.
• Support manuscript development, for example by searching for relevant literature, drafting sections, preparing tables, and providing bibliographic support.
• Support other shared duties related to project coordination and administration (e.g. coordinate data requests, help with progress reports).

Due to physical distancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, this position will likely be remote. We are looking for candidates who can navigate the challenges of remote onboarding and teamwork.  

To apply: Please submit a letter of interest describing (1) your interest in research on gun violence, health equity and/or youth and families, and (2) how you meet the qualifications for this position, along with your CV/resume to nkravitzwirtz@ucdavis.edu by April 26, 2021.