Research Associate In Quantitative Social Science (2024)

Professor Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, invites applications for a Research Associate who will work with him on (1) projects related to misperceptions and online information exposure and (2) Bright Line Watch, an organization that researches the state of democracy in the United States. Bright Line Watch is co-directed by Nyhan and Professor John Carey, another political scientist in the Department of Government. Carey would co-supervise the associate’s work on Bright Line Watch.

The fellowship requires a one-year commitment starting in August 2024. (The exact start and end dates are negotiable.) The work assignment is 40 hours per week on research under the supervision of Nyhan. Salary is $50,000.

The Research Associate will be in residence at Dartmouth College and will be provided with institutional affiliation (including library and computing resources), access to shared work space, the opportunity to attend academic events at Dartmouth, and will be eligible to enroll in or audit one class per academic term without paying tuition fees.

The research fellowship is designed for a scholar who:

• Has completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in political science, economics, data science, communications, or a related field;

• Has strong substantive interests in research on misinformation, online information exposure, and/or democratic erosion;

• Intends to pursue graduate studies in political science, economics, data science, communications, or a related field or to work in data science;

• Has strong skills in data management, analysis, and visualization, including extensive experience with R, Stata, and/or Python;

• Seeks additional experience in research design, data analysis, and project management;

• Is prepared to work independently in a fast-paced, dynamic research environment.

The fellow’s responsibilities include:

• Collecting, cleaning, and analyzing data measuring online (mis)information exposure and dissemination from social media platforms, web browsing, etc.

• Supporting the development and fielding of surveys and experiments by Nyhan and Bright Line Watch, including design, pre-testing, data collection, and analysis.

• Conducting research for reports and scholarly articles by Nyhan and Bright Line Watch, including literature reviews, writing/editing, creating graphs, and estimating models.

• Providing administrative support for Nyhan and conducting external outreach.

• Managing coding projects classifying content with undergraduate RAs.

• Other projects to be determined.

Applicants should provide the following information via Interfolio. Nyhan will begin reviewing application materials as of January 15, 2024 and will continue to consider applications until the position is filled. Short-listed applicants may be asked to complete a data analysis exercise and/or to interview as part of the application process.

1. Resume or CV, including the following:
   1. Name
   2. Email and phone/text contact
   3. Current position or academic affiliation
   4. Date of (expected) undergraduate degree 
   5. Academic concentration(s)  
   6. List of all academic classes (and final grades) that focus primarily on statistics, computer science, data visualization, applied mathematics, or other quantitative research methods. 
   7. Brief description of data management and analysis skills. Include programming languages and/or software and levels of proficiency.
   8. Brief description of any experience in conducting or assisting original Social Science research. If you have worked as a research assistant, include the name and contact information for the faculty member or direct supervisor.
2. Undergraduate academic transcript
3. Graduate academic transcript (if applicable)
4. Brief personal statement describing your educational and career goals and how the position would advance them (maximum 200 words)
5. A writing sample from a Social Science class demonstrating your ability to synthesize the findings of quantitative research and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses
6. A coding sample demonstrating your ability to process, analyze, and visualize Social Science data using modern statistical tools and approaches

Optional: 

• If you have conducted original Quantitative Social Science research yourself or in collaboration with other authors, you may submit it as a separate writing sample.

Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other category protected by applicable law, in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, employment, or other school administered programs. Applications by members of all underrepresented groups are encouraged. 

If you are an applicant with a disability and need accommodations to assist in the job application or interview process, please email ADA@dartmouth.edu. In the subject line, please state “Application Accommodations” and include the job number or title. Someone from the ADA Compliance Office will be in touch within 2 business days.   

For additional employment opportunities at Dartmouth College, please visit the Dartmouth Interfolio Job Board, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of Human Resources.

Offers of employment are contingent upon consent to a pre-employment background check with results acceptable under Dartmouth policy. Please visit the Office of Human Resources for details.

All Dartmouth College employees must comply with the College’s health and safety guidelines and protocols, including but not limited to those related to COVID-19, such as any testing, masking, or distancing requirements that may be in place at any given time or place.