American Institutes for Research

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research on important social issues and delivers technical assistance and capacity building services domestically and internationally in health, social development, education, and workforce to a growing roster of clients and partners. Our mission is to generate and use rigorous evidence that contributes to a better, more equitable world.

The National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR) specializes in research using longitudinal administrative data on students and teachers (see www.caldercenter.org). These longitudinal databases allow us to examine the effects of educational policies and practices on the learning gains and long-term outcomes of all students in a district or state over time. The current iteration of CALDER particularly focuses on the following topic areas: (1) Personnel policies and educator effectiveness; (2) Connections between K-12, college, and the workforce; (3) School choice and accountability; and (4) Schools, communities, and social policy.

We currently have an opportunity for a PhD-level Researcher to join our team. The position will initially be funded by ongoing grants related to preservice teacher preparation and career and technical education with a particular focus on students with disabilities, but applicants with research interests and experience aligned with any of the topic areas listed above will be considered. This is a remote position, but the preferred location is Seattle, WA (with available in-person office space) to facilitate coordination with other remote researchers working in Seattle. Application review will begin on November 1, 2021, and the position is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2022 with some flexibility to complete PhD requirements. Please provide a CV and a 1-2 page cover letter describing prior research and interest in specific CALDER topic areas.

Responsibilities:

Help lead quantitative analyses of state and district administrative databases on students and teachers
Support primary data collection from surveys and partnering organizations to supplement these longitudinal databases and analyses
Collaborate with research staff on the coding and cleaning of both secondary and primary data to support project work
Co-author academic papers and research briefs, and present at academic and other local and national conferences to disseminate project findings
Participate in grant proposals to support future CALDER projects
Clearly communicate with partners and represent CALDER and AIR in a professional manner
Communicate effectively, orally or in writing, with partners, site-based staff, and other stakeholders

Qualifications:

PhD in a field relevant to CALDER research (e.g., Economics, Education, Public Policy, Statistics, etc.)
Experience with quantitative data collection and analysis of longitudinal education data
Ability to lead data analysis activities using quasi-experimental and other econometric analyses
Ability to communicate research findings both in writing and orally
Demonstrated familiarity with the organization of quantitative education data, including database structure, record layouts, and file structure
Demonstrated knowledge and experience of research principles and design
Ability to articulate a clear interest in the substantive education topic areas addressed by CALDER research
Knowledge of STATA and/or other analytic and data management software (e.g., R, Python, SAS).
Available to travel locally and nationally to academic conferences and project meetings

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks.