Researcher

Deadline

July 7, 2024

Type:

Jobs at START

Description

The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is now hiring up to two researchers for its Radicalization and Disengagement (RaD) team at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is a full-time position, with an initial term of 12 months starting in August 2024.

Responsibilities:

The RaD team maintains the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) and the Terrorism and Targeted Violence (T2V) in the United States databases. PIRUS is a suite of unclassified, open-source datasets that include detailed information on individuals who conspired to commit, or committed, violent and non-violent acts of extremist crime in the United States. T2V is a database of violent events that occur in the United States, including terrorism, hate crime, public mass shootings, and school-based violence. The datasets support a wide range of users, including government, academia, media, and the general public. The researcher will be responsible for assisting the data collection manager and the project principal investigators in overseeing all aspects of the ongoing collection and coding of data for the suite of PIRUS and T2V datasets. This will include base PIRUS portfolio and T2V data collection. The RaD team is hiring into the following roles based on education and experience.

Faculty Assistant:

Identifying new cases for inclusion in the suite of PIRUS and T2V datasets
Assisting in quality control and implementing data collection procedures on a routine basis to ensure highly accurate and consistent data

Faculty Specialist:

Identifying new cases for inclusion in the suite of PIRUS and T2V datasets
Assisting in quality control and implementing data collection procedures on a routine basis to ensure highly accurate and consistent data
Recruiting and managing a large team of student interns/graduate research assistants tasked with data collection and coding
Helping to develop procedures for quality control and implementing those procedures on a routine basis to ensure highly accurate and consistent data
Establishing expertise on PIRUS and T2V data collection practices and serving as a resource to support data collection staff as well as end-users of the database
Training new team members on the processes of coding for the various PIRUS and T2V datasets

Senior Faculty Specialist:

Identifying new cases for inclusion in the suite of PIRUS and T2V datasets
Assisting in quality control and implementing data collection procedures on a routine basis to ensure highly accurate and consistent data
Helping to devise and implement new data collection and coding strategies, and altering existing procedures as needed
Recruiting and managing a large team of student interns/graduate research assistants tasked with data collection and coding
Helping to develop procedures for quality control and implementing those procedures on a routine basis to ensure highly accurate and consistent data
Helping to develop and monitor data collection and coding schedules in order to meet strict deadlines
Assisting the data collection manager and project principal investigators in managing various datasets
Establishing expertise on PIRUS and T2V data collection practices and serving as a resource to support data collection staff as well as end-users of the databases
Training new team members on the processes of coding for the various PIRUS and T2V datasets
Assisting the PIRUS lead investigator and T2V project principal investigators on analysis tasks as needed

Top Benefits and Perks: Faculty Benefits Summary

Minimum Qualifications

Faculty Assistant – Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in discipline related to terrorism and political violence
Systemic data collection experience
Strong proficiency with MS Excel (e.g. pivot tables, functions, advanced filtering)
Exceptional time management and organizational skills

Faculty Specialist – Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in discipline related to terrorism and political violence
1+ years of systematic data collection experience in a professional setting
Strong proficiency with MS Excel (e.g. pivot tables, functions, advanced filtering)
Exceptional time management and organizational skills
Ability to successfully oversee project tasking in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment

Senior Faculty Specialist – Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to terrorism and political violence plus three years of systematic data collection experience or Master’s degree in a discipline related to terrorism and political violence plus one year of data collection experience
Training in research methods, including quantitative and qualitative techniques
Strong proficiency with MS Excel (e.g. pivot tables, functions, advanced filtering)
Exceptional time management and organizational skills
Demonstrated ability to successfully oversee project tasking in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment
1+ years of team management experience that included the recruitment and training of undergraduate/graduate students
Experience managing a data collection effort on a topic related to terrorism or political violence
Experience producing data graphics for use in reports, briefs, and presentations
Experience conducting quantitative analysis

Preferred Qualifications Across Roles:

Master’s degree in a or discipline related to terrorism and political violence
Training in research methods, including quantitative and qualitative techniques
1+ years of systematic data collection experience in a professional setting

Salary Ranges, commensurate with education and experience:

Faculty Assistant: $55,000-$65,000
Faculty Specialist: $60,000-$70,000
Senior faculty Specialist: $65,000-$75,000

Physical Demands: Work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards.

Diversity Statement: The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.