New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) is hiring two Post-Doctoral Associates in epidemiology and public health for its Public Health Research Center (PHRC). The postdocs will analyse data from the UAE Healthy Future Study, a cohort of more than 15,000 Emirati nationals that looks at the lifestyle, behavioural and clinical causes of chronic disease. The THE Unijobs listing closes on 12 November 2026, and the advert says applications are accepted now and considered until the posts are filled.
You need a PhD in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, population health or a related field, earned within the last five years, plus publications and experience with large population datasets. The salary isn’t stated, but the advert promises a competitive package with a relocation allowance and education help for dependants. This guide covers the NYU Abu Dhabi public health postdoc job in detail: the project, requirements, documents, how to write the research statement, and who should and shouldn’t apply.
NYU Abu Dhabi public health postdoc: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) |
| Unit | Public Health Research Center (PHRC) |
| Contact | Dr Abdishakur Abdulle, aa192@nyu.edu |
| Positions | Two Post-Doctoral Associates |
| Project | UAE Healthy Future Study, a cohort of more than 15,000 Emirati nationals |
| Contract | Full time. THE lists it as “permanent”, but no contract length is given |
| Salary | Not stated; “competitive salary and benefits” |
| Benefits named | Relocation allowance, educational assistance for dependants, health and wellness services |
| Required degree | PhD in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, population health or related, within the last five years |
| Advert posted | 13 October 2026 |
| Deadline | 12 November 2026; applications reviewed until the posts are filled |
| Start date | Not stated |
| Visa sponsorship | Not mentioned in the advert |
Rolling review
The advert says applications “will be accepted immediately” and reviewed until the positions are filled. A post can be filled before 12 November, so apply as early as you can.
About NYU Abu Dhabi and the Public Health Research Center
NYU Abu Dhabi opened its academic programme in September 2010 and moved to its permanent campus on Saadiyat Island in 2014. It is part of New York University’s global network, and its students earn NYU degrees. The campus has around 2,000 undergraduates, a smaller graduate population, and more than 320 faculty.
The PHRC’s mission is to improve the health of the UAE population through research. It focuses on tobacco use, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and on the genetic and environmental factors behind them. Its main projects are:
- UAE Healthy Future Study: described by NYUAD as the first prospective cohort study in the UAE, built to find lifestyle and genetic causes of common diseases. This is the study the new postdocs will work on.
- Interventional studies: trials of programmes for physical activity, diabetes, tobacco cessation and second-hand smoke exposure.
- Dokha tobacco research: work on the biological, behavioural and clinical effects of dokha, a regional tobacco product.
Abu Dhabi is the UAE’s capital. The UAE does not tax personal salaries, but rents and school fees can be high, so how far the “competitive” package goes depends a great deal on what NYUAD covers.
What the postdocs will do
The advert describes the work briefly. You would:
- Lead and contribute to analysis: carry out large-scale epidemiological analysis on the cohort data.
- Study chronic disease: focus on risk factors and health outcomes for chronic diseases.
- Use rich data: work with clinical, lifestyle and behavioural data from the cohort.
- Work across disciplines: collaborate in a multidisciplinary team.
In practice, a cohort postdoc usually means cleaning and linking data, building analysis plans, running survival or longitudinal models, writing papers as first author and supporting grant applications. The advert does not name a reporting line, but Dr Abdulle is the contact and the post title carries his name, so you would expect to work with him.
Requirements
Essential
- A PhD in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, population health or a related field, obtained no more than five years ago.
- A proven record of scientific publications.
- Demonstrable experience analysing large-scale epidemiological or population-based datasets.
Desirable
- Experience with longitudinal data analysis.
- Statistical modelling skills in Stata, SPSS, R, Python or similar software.
Eligibility edge cases
- Medical doctors: an MBBS or MD alone does not meet the requirement. You need a PhD in a relevant field. A doctor with an MPH and a PhD in epidemiology is a strong fit.
- The five-year rule: if your PhD was awarded more than five years ago, you don’t meet the essential criterion as written. Career breaks are not mentioned in the advert; ask Dr Abdulle before applying.
- PhD not yet awarded: the advert does not say whether candidates who have submitted but not yet graduated may apply. If that is you, email the contact first.
Salary and benefits
The advert does not give a salary figure. It says the terms include “a competitive salary and benefits”, and names a generous relocation allowance, educational assistance for dependants, and access to health and wellness services. It links to NYUAD’s compensation and benefits guide for full details. I could not open that guide from here, so I can’t confirm what it includes for postdocs. Read it before any interview, and ask about housing, flights and the contract length.
Visa sponsorship
The advert doesn’t mention visas. In the UAE, residence visas for staff are normally arranged through the employer, and the relocation allowance suggests NYUAD expects to hire from abroad. Confirm this with the university if you are offered an interview. The advert also notes that, “in line with UAE regulations”, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply. NYUAD describes itself as an equal-opportunity employer that welcomes all qualified candidates.
How to apply
- Open the listing: THE Unijobs listing 416512, “Post-Doctoral Associate in the Public Health Research Center (PHRC)”, and click “Apply on website”.
- Write a cover letter: tie your PhD, methods and publications to the UAE Healthy Future Study.
- Update your CV: include publications, datasets analysed, software skills and grants.
- Attach your degree evidence: a transcript and/or a copy of your highest degree.
- Write a research statement: say what you would analyse in the cohort and how.
- List at least two referees: give contact details for professional references who can write letters of recommendation.
- Send questions early: email Dr Abdulle at aa192@nyu.edu if anything is unclear.
Document checklist
| Document | What to include |
|---|---|
| Cover letter | Fit with the cohort and chronic disease epidemiology |
| CV | Publications, datasets, software, grants |
| Transcript and/or copy of highest degree | PhD certificate or transcript |
| Research statement | Questions you would study in the cohort and your methods |
| References | Contact details for at least two professional referees |
How to write the research statement for an epidemiology postdoc
Keep it to one or two pages and make it specific to this cohort:
- Your background: two or three sentences on your PhD topic, the datasets you used and your main findings.
- Methods you bring: name them, such as survival analysis, mixed models or causal inference methods, and the software you use.
- Proposed questions: two or three questions for the UAE Healthy Future Study. For example, how a lifestyle factor relates to diabetes or cardiovascular risk among young Emirati adults.
- Outputs: the papers you would aim for in the first two years.
- Fit: how your work links to the PHRC’s focus on tobacco, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
A sample opening line, for illustration only: “My PhD used a 12,000-person cohort to study how waist circumference predicts type 2 diabetes, and I would like to test similar questions in the UAE Healthy Future Study alongside the PHRC’s work on obesity and diabetes.”
What happens after you apply
The advert gives no timetable. Postdoc hiring at research universities usually involves a shortlist review, a video interview with the principal investigator and team, sometimes a short presentation of your past work, and reference checks before an offer. Because review is rolling, interviews may begin before the closing date.
Common mistakes
- Missing the five-year PhD rule: check your award date before you apply.
- Generic cover letters: a letter that doesn’t mention the cohort or chronic disease will not stand out.
- No evidence of large datasets: say how many participants, which variables and which models you used.
- Forgetting the degree document: the transcript or degree copy is required, and files missing it may be set aside.
- Waiting for the deadline: rolling review means the posts can fill early.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
Apply if you finished a PhD in epidemiology, public health or biostatistics within the last five years, have first-author papers, and have analysed large cohort or survey data in R, Stata, SPSS or Python. Public health researchers from Africa, South Asia, Europe and elsewhere who have worked on chronic disease cohorts are well placed. A doctor who went on to a PhD in epidemiology is an especially good fit.
Don’t apply if you don’t yet have a PhD, if your PhD is more than five years old and you can’t explain why the rule shouldn’t apply, or if your work is laboratory-based with no population data analysis. If you are still at master’s level, look first at funded study in the region; our UAE scholarships guide is a good place to start.
Similar postdoc and research fellow jobs
| Role | Institution | Salary in advert | Closing date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Doctoral Associate, Center for Behavioral Institutional Design | NYU Abu Dhabi | Not stated | 25 November 2026 |
| Postdoc Researcher, AI for Precision Medicine | MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi | Competitive | 5 November 2026 |
| Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine | The University of Hong Kong | Competitive | 21 November 2026 |
| Research Fellow, School of Health Sciences | University of Southampton | GBP 37,369 to 41,885 pro rata | 23 November 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the salary for the NYU Abu Dhabi public health postdoc?
The advert doesn’t state a figure. It offers a competitive salary and benefits, including a relocation allowance and educational assistance for dependants.
Can medical doctors apply for the NYU Abu Dhabi PHRC postdoc?
Only with a PhD in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, population health or a related field, earned within the last five years. A medical degree alone is not enough.
What documents do I need for the NYU Abu Dhabi postdoc application?
A cover letter, CV, transcript and/or copy of your highest degree, a research statement, and contact details for at least two professional referees.
When does the NYU Abu Dhabi Public Health Research Center postdoc close?
The THE listing closes on 12 November 2026, but review is rolling, so the posts may be filled earlier.
Sources and updates
I checked this post on 29 October 2026 against THE Unijobs listing 416512, which gives the project, requirements, documents, benefits and contact. The PHRC’s mission and projects come from its page on the NYU Abu Dhabi website, and campus facts come from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Wikipedia entry. NYUAD’s compensation and benefits guide, linked from the advert, is the official source for the full package. I will update this page if the advert changes.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
