Sr. Research Scientist

Position description

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.

About the Institute

The Global Resilience Institute (GRI) is an interdisciplinary institute committed to developing and deploying practical and innovative tools, applications, and skills that strengthen the resilience of individuals, communities, infrastructure, systems, networks, and societies. GRI is comprised of resilience experts from academia, government, and industry, empowering its ability to solve the world’s most pressing resilience challenges.

The Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University is looking for a Senior Resilience Research Scientist to join their team, reporting into the Founding Director. This position would play a critical research role at the institute and in several community engaged funded studies that seels to improve community resilience across the United States, its territories, and Caribbean Island nations. These research projects might include examples such as: a federally funded study of how a climate adaptation model could be applied to longer-term community resilience planning in mainland US cities as well as a landscape analysis of communities to increase adaptation and resilience in the US territories and the Caribbean Island nations. 

Responsibilities include developing all interview and collaborative session protocols, identifying, and soliciting interviews with key community stakeholders, conducting interviews and collaborative sessions, analyzing all data collected, development of all reports, manuscripts, and presentations resulting from these NOAA funded project. This position will lead the writing of academic papers that advance the reach of research recommendations and outputs created; research development opportunities, managing data collection and curation; and helping supervise Undergrad and Graduate Research Assistants and Post Doctoral Associate.

Job Summary

The Sr. Research Scientist will be based remotely and have responsibilities such as conducting applied research, contributing to proposals and applications for sponsored research, preparing drafts for submission to journal/conference publications, and project management of research teams involving students, post-doctoral researchers, faculty, and external research partners. This position is a one-year, renewable appointment. It is expected that beginning 8/1/25, the position will be 95% funded by research funded projects.

General Minimum Qualifications, Values & Abilities Needed for this Role

A Social Science Ph.D. that supports research in complex natural, built, and socials systems. Must have at least 3 years of progressive experience and independence in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of science, policy, and resilience. A record of outstanding research post Ph.D., as evidenced by publications, grants, and other scholarly measures of impact. Proposal preparations for sponsored research funding, research experience involving team science projects, and project management experience are highly desired.

Values & Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to lead a research program and/or research team and secure extramural funding.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise students and junior team members on aspects of the projects.
• We expect Sr. Research scientists to establish and advocate for best practices in scientific reproducibility of all results, and to promote the ethical use of data and community resilience co-development.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with a variety of different stakeholders, e.g., academics, community stakeholders, business executives, government officials, journalists/media, etc.
• Comfortable navigating complex internal processes and structures.
• Respect for diversity and the importance of interdisciplinary teams.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, self-starter and innovative thinker while at the same time being able to navigate multi-layered channels within a university setting and working across multiple teams/business units.
• Team-player who can collaborate effectively in a university setting.
• Open-minded, assertive, and professional when collaborating and working within our team and with other groups within Northeastern University.

Additional Qualifications:

• Strong research record using qualitative methods in a social science discipline to analyze data
• Strong written / verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think critically and creatively, and to collaborate as part of a team.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

45% – Co-develop, collaboratively lead, and participate in research projects that advance scientific knowledge which solve relevant societal problems related to resilience. Participation in these projects will include supervising/mentoring postdoctoral researchers, graduate/undergraduate students, scientific programming, data analysis, manuscript preparation, meeting with collaborators, etc.

30% – Secure sufficient and pertinent research funding to supplement finances by preparing research grants applications, delivering grant milestones, and delivering reports and presentations. 

10% – Lead research team members on specific projects and mentor the trainees.

10% – Represent the institute in conferences, seminars, and other public events, as well as in media outlets. Perform service for the university and the research community volunteering in different types of committees.

5% – Other assignments as deemed necessary.

Position Type

Research

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on tendersglobal.net