What You Can Do With This Degree

Careers in Substance Use Research

Graduates from the JDP IRSU will be prepared to work in professional fields (e.g., academic and non-academic, military, public and private arenas) where applied substance use/misuse/addiction research is needed.   Our graduates are trained to lead intervention research in areas including primary prevention, harm reduction, addiction treatment/recovery, criminal justice, social work and policy arenas using a collaborative, trans-disciplinary approach. 

Program graduates will develop evidence-based approaches that prevent and reduce the individual and societal burden of substance use, addiction, and related problems.

Our program graduates have accepted positions at:

• University of California, San Francisco in the Department of Psychiatry (postdoctoral traineeship in substance use treatment and services research)
• Clinical Psychology Department at San Diego State University (research on HIV-related mHealth interventions for sexual and gender minority populations)
• UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Program (ISAP)

Where would this doctoral degree train you to work?

Following are examples of institutions and agencies that hire researchers with substance use expertise and where substance use research is conducted.

Academia

Graduates will be prepared to apply for post-doctoral fellowships and Assistant Professorships in a variety of institutions where research expertise on substance use and co-occurring conditions can complement a variety of disciplines (e.g., Public Health, Social Work, Anthropology, Global Health, and Psychology).

Research Foundations

• PIRE – Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
• Kaiser Family Foundation
• Pew Research Center
• Conrad N Hilton Foundation
• MERF – Medical Education and Research Foundation for the Treatment of Addiction
• IRTI – Interdisciplinary Research Training Institute on Hispanic Drug Abuse 
• Alcohol Research Group
• The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine

Federal Agencies

• NIH – National Institutes of Health, including:
  • NIDA – National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • NIAAA – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  • NIMH – National Institute of Mental Health
  • NCCAM – National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• CA DPH – California Department of Public Health
• US Federal Agencies
• National Agencies

Other resources for career planning

• Bureau of Labor statistics

Additional Career Paths

Below are additional links to possible career opportunities.

• Career Paths
• Post-Doctoral Opportunities (pdf, updated January 25, 2018)
• SAMHA Opportunities
• Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services
• NAADAC Career Center
• ADAI Career Paths
• CAMH Opportunities
• Society of Prevention Research