ICPSR Associate Research Scientist

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How to Apply

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) in the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan invites applications for a full-time position for a geospatial information scientist to serve as the software architect for ICPSR's data platform.

Applicants may initiate the process by submitting a letter describing their scholarly activities and interests in the project. Please include a CV, three letters of reference or names of three references, and up to two recent publications. 

Job Summary

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan maintains a number of long-standing research and data archiving projects. ICPSR is currently searching for an Associate Research Scientist to serve as the software architect to support continuous improvements to the design and implementation of ICPSR's data platform. The platform supports large, production scale ingest, curation, and dissemination of public and restricted data. Among other things, the architect will design and implement tools to improve the discovery of geospatial data on the ICPSR platform. 

The associate research scientist will join the ICPSR research faculty, conduct a program of research, and contribute to the mission of ICPSR to advance and expand social and behavioral research. In particular, we are seeking someone who can contribute to scientific innovation to keep ICPSR at the forefront of providing access to FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) social science data. research faculty, conduct a program of research, and contribute to the mission of ICPSR to advance and expand social and behavioral research. In particular, we are seeking someone who can contribute to scientific innovation to keep ICPSR at the forefront of providing access to FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) social science data. 

Why Work at Michigan?

Benefits at the University of Michigan

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and any eligible family members and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

  • Generous time off 
  • A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting upon meeting eligibility requirements 
  • Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Long-term disability coverage
  • Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Desired Qualifications*

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Ph.D. in Geospatial Information Science; 
  • experience with writing grants and contracts; 
  • strong leadership and communication skills; 
  • experience with software development and architecture, including relevant software and research tools, and an understanding of the data pipeline. 

The ideal candidate will start immediately. 

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Additional Information

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan seeks to create a community of respect and authentic collaboration by recruiting and retaining individuals that represent a variety of voices as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to ground our research in varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Institute for Social Research job openings are posted for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended. 

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.