US Federal Data Fellowship
Strategic Data Project at Harvard University
The Strategic Data Project (SDP), an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, is offering a one-year Senior Data Fellow position starting in the summer of 2021. The fellow will work at a US Federal Agency in Washington, DC and engage in research projects related to the department’s focus.
Federal research leaders are working to realize the potential of previously untapped data collected across multiple federal agencies. To carry out the work of bringing together new data sets and tools and publishing novel insights, SDP will host the inaugural cohort of post-doctoral and senior level data fellows to work with federally collected education data and to connect those data across departments to generate new insights about the health, well-being, and achievement of students.
The Senior Data Fellow will have the opportunity to work with Harvard faculty advisors focused on education policy research, such as Tom Kane and Chris Avery. Additionally, they will engage in ongoing research projects and will participate in the design of new studies utilizing federal data sets at a summer summit of faculty, fellows, and researchers that kicks off the fellowship program. Finally, fellows will have the opportunity to access Strategic Data Project training opportunities as desired.
Generally, fellows should expect to spend about 75% of their time working on ongoing research projects at a US Federal Agency, while dividing the other 25% between building new collaborations and developing independent research projects.
Qualifications
Applicants must have completed their PhD in a relevant social science discipline and have at least ten years of relevant work experience, including a successful work history of designing and implementing large research projects in US public education. Applicants must have experience with large administrative data sets in education, sampling methods and primary data collection processes; in depth knowledge of education policy issues; experience with data processing, archiving, analysis and report writing, including statistical analysis; proficiency in major social science databases and statistical software packages; evidence of leadership and management skills. excellent communication skills, both oral and written; attention to detail; the ability to multi-task and prioritize efforts across simultaneous projects; and the ability to work both as part of a team and individually while meeting deadlines. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
The skills needed for each project will vary and the Senior Data Fellow will match to projects based on the skills they bring. Some of the high priority skills include: data science experience, proficiency in R and/or Python, and natural language processing; process/clickstream data analysis; and machine learning (e.g. unsupervised learning, predictive analysis, automated feature extraction).
Salary and Benefits
The stipend for the Senior Data Fellow is $110,000. It provides modest health insurance coverage.
Harvard University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Full Time