"Senior Research Associate"

Job Details

The Knowledge Lab seeks appointees for a Senior Research Associate position. The Senior Research Associate’s primary responsibilities include setting up and performing experiments, collecting, maintaining and analyzing data, conducting literature reviews, assisting with preparing reports, manuscripts, and other documents. The Senior Research Associate may also conduct original research, and will be expected to have an active role in obtaining and carrying out funded research. The Senior Research Associate may supervise student researchers but will not have any teaching responsibilities. This is a renewable, benefits-eligible position. The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

The University of Chicago Knowledge Lab (PI Professor James A. Evans) leverages advanced computational tools to unravel complex scientific and societal problems, bridging the gap between data-driven insights and real-world applications. The scope of our research is broad, ranging from historical social change to the latest technological developments, from global economic trajectories to national policies to local cultural practices.

The ideal candidate will have interest and experience in empirical research applying advanced computational methods to explore knowledge production and diffusion. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Professor James A. Evans and in collaboration with PIs in other departments at the University of Chicago.

Position will begin on or after August 1, 2025 and the initial appointment will be for one year. Reappointment is possible following a successful review during the second year.

Qualifications

• Education: Ph.D. in the social sciences (e.g., sociology, economics, political science, communications) or computational sciences (e.g., computer science, informatics/information science, engineering, [applied] mathematics, statistics, physics) or related fields
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in relevant programming languages (e.g., python), frameworks (e.g., HuggingFace, PyTorch) is required.
• At least 2 years of postdoctoral research experience in a similar research lab or university unit.

Preferred Competencies:

• Active publication record and participation in the scientific community;
• Interest in scientific publishing and extensive writing experience
• Prior experience in programming and working with large-scale data; expertise in machine learning is a strong plus.
• Ability to work in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment.
• Experience implementing Neural Networks using Tensorflow, PyTorch, Scikit-Learn, OpenCV, deep learning, and other artificial intelligence techniques.
• Familiarity with Linux, UNIX, and High Performance Computing environment.
• Experiencing forming and testing hypotheses.
• Drive to learn new programming or data analysis techniques.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to break down complex technical problems.
• Demonstrated ability to review and prioritize work independently and effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to be resourceful and creative in problem-solving.

Applications must include:

• CV/Resume
• Cover Letter (1-2 pages)
• Research Statement (2-3 pages)
• List of Potential References with name and contact information (3-5)

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.

Company

The Knowledge Lab at the University of Chicago develops novel artificial intelligence, big data, and crowdsourced approaches to: 1.) Discover, harvest, and represent knowledge from humans, artifacts, and machines, 2.) Understand how knowledge is constructed, deployed, and destroyed, 3.) Recombine and generate new knowledge for new problems, and 4.) Improve knowledge creation, management and innovation…everywhere. Knowledge underlies society’s potential to adapt, innovate, and flourish. Artificial intelligence and the explosion of digital information offer unprecedented opportunities to study, model, and transform the nature of human and post-human understanding, from its emergence in discovery and invention to its realization in innovation and growth.

Company info

Website: https://knowledgelab.org/