Senior Qualitative Researcher

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Department:

School of Public Affairs

Time Type:

Full time

Job Type:

Limited Term Contract (Fixed Term)

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Work Modality:

Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Union:

Excluded

Job Description:

Summary:

Located at the forefront of research on polarization, extremism, hate, and radicalization, the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) seeks to understand and address these societal challenges through rigorous scientific inquiry and meaningful community engagement. Adopting an evidence-based, preventative public health approach, our lab tackles issues surrounding extremism and radicalization with a focus on creating a more equitable society.

We are seeking a dedicated Senior Qualitative Researcher to contribute to our impactful projects and support our mission. The Senior Qualitative Researcher for the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) will play a critical role in advancing our research and objectives. This position demands a highly skilled, qualitatively focused professional who can lead and contribute to groundbreaking research initiatives while building and maintaining strong relationships with funders and partners to further PERIL’s mission.

Essential Functions:

• Leads research projects with support from the director of research and research team leadership, including conceptualizing projects and driving major decisions on research design. Serves as a primary contact for funders and partners, managing relationships to ensure alignment with project objectives. Oversees project progress, ensuring deadlines and deliverables are met by coordinating with staff and project managers, scheduling key meetings, and managing internal timelines. Responsible for data storage, ensuring proper archiving of internal and external work products. Leads most research methods within a project, particularly qualitative models, ensuring research is designed and conducted in alignment with project goals and that findings are effectively integrated across methodologies.
• Supports research projects by contributing to qualitative and some quantitative research as a secondary support, including running data analysis for PERIL projects, assisting research teams in interpreting and contextualizing findings, and providing support for program evaluations of interventions and PERIL initiatives.
• Determines content for research reports and briefs with significant input from the director of research and research leadership.
• Presents research findings regularly to internal and external stakeholders, including PERIL directors, staff, funders, partners, and other professionals in the field. Presentations may include formal meetings with funders, academic conferences, PERIL workshops, and training.
• Contributes to innovations in research theory and methodology, ensuring PERIL’s work remains at the forefront of the field.
• Responds to media inquiries and requests related to PERIL research, effectively communicating findings to the public and relevant stakeholders.
• Support for Collaborative Research: Conduct quantitative data analysis for additional PERIL research projects. Assist other research teams in interpreting and contextualizing quantitative data. Support program evaluation for interventions and PERIL initiatives. Determine content for research reports and briefs, with significant input from the director. Present research findings to internal teams, funders, partners, and broader professional audiences. This includes formal meetings, academic conferences, workshops, and training sessions. Cont