Data Project Associate

Department
 

UL Crime Ed Lab Data Analytics

About the Department
 

Who We Are
In cities across the country, people face high rates of gun violence, under-resourced schools, and social harms associated with the criminal justice system -- all of which disproportionately impact people of color. These inequalities have profound consequences on public safety and opportunity. As a society we have failed to address these challenges, in part, because of our lack of understanding of the most effective and cost-effective solutions that can have a real impact on people’s lives. We believe that rigorous research can help.

The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab partner with cities and communities to use data and rigorous research to design, test, and scale programs and policies that enhance public safety, improve educational outcomes, and advance justice. Our mission is to combine world-class data science and research, in partnership with government agencies, to substantially improve the effectiveness of the public sector and achieve impact at scale.

To learn more about the Crime Lab and Education Lab, visit https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/crime.

The Role
The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab are seeking a Project Associate with strong technical skills to work on large-scale social policy research projects designed to reduce crime and improve educational outcomes. The analyst will work on a portfolio of projects across a variety of areas that span both criminal justice and education.
This position requires an individual who is able to work as a part of small research teams running multiple projects concurrently. The position offers the opportunity to work directly with leading social policy researchers at the University of Chicago and government agency staff, as well as an experienced team of data scientists, administrative staff, and project managers from the Chicago office.

Job Summary
 

The job performs routine assignments related to scientific research projects. Ensures compliance of research activities with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives and mandates. Analyzes possible solutions using standard procedures. Writes articles, reports and manuscripts. Assists in drafting presentations on research findings.

Responsibilities

• Assists the data and analytics team with data collection, management, and analysis. Responsibilities include documenting incoming data, preparing files for analysis, matching, sampling, conducting randomization across multiple projects.

• Contributes to building traditional statistical models for a variety of research projects.

• Prepares results for memos, spreadsheets, and presentations targeting both policymakers and academics.

• Assists with the coordination of research activities, communications with partner agencies, and managing project deliverables.

• Conducts thorough and critical reviews of relevant literature.

• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.

• Analyzes and maintains data and/or specimens. Conducts literature reviews. Assists with preparation of reports, manuscripts and other documents.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Some relevant research experience. Experience gained in school counts towards requirement.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Experience working with a statistical programming language required. R or Python strongly preferred.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong interest in data analysis.

• Strong interest in social policy, especially crime and education policy.

• Background in applied statistics and modeling.

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.

• Ability to work discretely with sensitive and confidential data.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

• Optionally, you may submit a code sample demonstrating your proficiency in analytic programming. You may submit either a link to a public GitHub repository