Postdoctoral Fellow Position at Harvard University:
The Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard University is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow for a one year position starting Summer 2017 through Summer 2018.

IQSS researches and develops software and systems tools - a unique undertaking in an academic environment. While social science research drives us, we strive to create broad-based, powerful, scalable, extendable products that will be useful in diverse research domains and scholarly environments. We aim to build tools that will enable breakthrough advances in a sweeping range of social problems.

For this particular project we are working on ways for scientists to share research data for producing replicable, open science, without compromising the privacy of the individual research subjects whose data is used. The primary research task of these positions is to work on ways to allow researchers statistical exploration of data that contains private information, where the raw data is never exposed, and all released statistical results have privacy preserving guarantees. This includes research into privacy preserving versions of statistical models, both for exploration and for causal inference. While the position is at IQSS, they collaborate with other groups on this project around Harvard and MIT, including the differential privacy group at the Center for Research in Computation and Society (CRCS) in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

Postdoctoral responsibilities include assisting the IQSS Research Associate in:

* Improving the stability, performance, and documentation of core functions of the Zelig R statistical software package

* Surveying the research workflows and goals of a wide potential user base

* Expanding Zelig architecture to make models accessible to other languages and software systems

* Helping to build the Zelig community

* Disseminating the work through publications and presentations

Basic Qualifications:
Required qualifications and experiences:

* Skilled R programmer with experience developing R packages

* Extensive experience with Git/GitHub

* Strong team player

* Must hold a Ph.D. with a focus on statistical modeling from any relevant discipline. PLEASE NOTE: If you have obtained your Ph.D. in the past 12 months you must be able to provide a certificate of completion from the degree-granting institution OR a letter from the institute's registrar stating all requirements for the degree have been successfully completed and should verify the date the degree has been conferred. No exceptions.

Additional Qualifications/desirable skills and experiences include:

* Experience developing software user interfaces that meet the needs of users with diverse backgrounds and goals

* R statistical package development

* Desire and ability to teach and advocate statistical software

* Developing software in a team environment

* Interdisciplinary research

* Shiny and web apps

* Interest or experience in open data, data archiving, replicability.

* Interest or experience in privacy preservation.

* Server based R experience, such as Rook/rApache, Rserve, Shiny

* Javascript programming.

To apply, please submit cv and cover letter via email directly to Dr. Merce Crosas at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Optional application documents:
1.             Statement of Research
2.             Transcript

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Bonnie O'Brien
Assistant Director of Human Resources
The Institute for Quantitative Social Science
Harvard University
1737 Cambridge Street (CGIS Knafel Building suite 350D)
Cambridge, MA 02138
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
617-384-9253


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