Assistant Research Scientist

The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is now hiring an Assistant Research Scientist to work in the Geospatial Research Unit (GRU) at START’s headquarters at the University of Maryland, College Park.

START seeks a highly motivated individual to join a vibrant community of scholars dedicated to basic and applied research related broadly to national security, political violence, and political instability. We are interested in hiring a candidate who has demonstrated expertise in spatial sciences or allied fields (information/data science, computer science, engineering, etc.). Those in traditional social science fields (sociology, political science, etc. will be considered if they can demonstrate expertise in spatial sciences). The most successful candidate will be able to demonstrate an interest in START’s research areas.

The GRU primarily works with other START research units on cross-disciplinary projects related to national security, political violence, and political instability. The GRU also oversees its own research projects, and we are interested in growing our portfolio. Our research has been funded by the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, the Combatting Terrorism Technical Support Office, DARPA, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Arctic Domain Awareness Center at the University of Alaska, and NSF. Presently, we have strengths in spatial statistics, human geography (economic, cultural, and social), data discovery and extraction, and quantitative methods. We are seeking a candidate who can expand on our strengths or who can help develop the team along new research vectors.

Responsibilities:

The Assistant Research Scientist will report to the lead of the GRU and will work with GRU staff on various grant-funded projects. It will be expected that the successful candidate will work with the lead researcher to write grant proposals, publications, and serve as co-principal investigator and/or principal investigator on research projects. The new Assistant Research Scientist will be encouraged to foster their skills and research interests. The successful candidate will have oversight of student interns, student researchers, and junior-/mid-level staff.

In your cover letter, please describe your interest in research related to START’s/the GRU’s current research portfolio. Please also describe your background, if any, in basic/applied research.

Required Qualifications:

The annual salary for this position will be in the range of $75,000 to $85,000 (depending on education and experience), plus full University of Maryland benefits (as explained at http://www.uhr.umd.edu/documents/new_hire_overview_exempt-faculty_rev_112508.pdf). The person selected for this position will work on site at START’s headquarters on campus at the University of Maryland, College Park, and will report directly to START’s GIS Senior Researcher.

Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply by May 31, 2019 for best consideration.

Please submit a cover letter, resume/CV, writing sample to Josh House at jmhouse@umd.edu with “Assistant Research Scientist” as the subject line. Any applications submitted through Handshake will be denied.

The University of Maryland, College Park, actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, gender, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, national origin, or political affiliation. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.