Quantitative Psychologist

Diversity at RAND

Diversity, equity, and inclusivity are essential operating principles at RAND. We are committed to maintaining a collegial environment that respects the contributions and dignity of all staff, where individual differences are recognized, appreciated, and responded to in ways that fully develop and utilize each person’s talents and strengths. We seek unique backgrounds, original views, and diversity in academic training, work experience, and ideological outlook.

Position Description

RAND is seeking applicants at all levels of experience for quantitative psychologist positions. Successful applicants will have, strong analytic skills, excellent verbal and written communication skills, an interest in building a policy research portfolio, the ability to work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team, a strong commitment to RAND's core values of quality and objectivity, and intellectual curiosity and motivation to work on addressing critical policy challenges. Researchers at RAND work on collaborative research teams to solve real-world problems, producing objective, scientific analyses in peer-reviewed journals and technical reports to guide policymakers on a diverse set of issues. These multidisciplinary teams can include health policy researchers, economists, natural scientists, epidemiologists, social scientists, and others with relevant training. They apply rigorous, empirical research designs to analyze health policy issues and evaluate programs. A record of peer-reviewed publications and extramural funding consistent with experience is expected. Experience in conducting applied and policy-oriented research - as well as experience with implementation and/or evaluation are also valued.

Quantitative psychologists at RAND have expertise in advanced scale development (e.g., EFA, CFA, IRT) and multivariate methods (SEM, growth [mixture] models, multi-level models) and, importantly, the ability to identify sound psychometric solutions and methodologies to apply to real world policy problems. Examples include developing and using psychometric tools such as scale development and validation to analyze data gathered through various means (e.g., focus groups, surveys, extant databases); modeling longitudinal change and moderators of change in cluster randomized trials; and developing new methodologies to answer complex questions. They also have the ability to summarize complex technical information and communicate it, verbally or in writing, to a variety of audiences and clients. Additionally, they are proficient in one or more analytic software packages (e.g., R, Mplus, SAS, Stata). Quantitative psychologists at RAND are in high demand and as such collaborate with several research teams. These collaborations often result in leading larger analytic teams and, in many cases, facilitate the development of individual programs of research.

Senior researchers are expected to show a demonstrated ability to conceptualize research studies, obtain extramural funding, mentor and develop junior staff members, lead and direct multi-disciplinary teams, set project standards and monitor progress, and communicate interim and final results to the RAND community and to policy-making audiences.  Salary is commensurate with experience.

Staff members have opportunities to teach in the Pardee RAND Graduate School and to collaborate on projects across various research programs, including Health; Education; Labor and Population; National Security; and Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment

Specializations of interest include:

• Workforce selection and training

• Public health and health care

• Public safety and justice

• Terrorism and homeland security

• International affairs

• National security

• Race/ethnic equity

• Education

• Quality measurement

• Children, families and aging

• Social network analysis

• Program evaluation

• Community based research

• Organizational behavior

Education Requirements

PhD in Quantitative Psychology, Psychometrics, Psychological Measurement, Educational Measurement, and related fields with an emphasis on quantitative analysis or psychometrics (you may also apply if you are at the dissertation stage and expect to complete your PhD within 12 months).

Experience

Training in and experience with qualitative and/or quantitative methods is required. A record of peer-reviewed publications and funding consistent with experience is expected. Experience in conducting applied and policy-oriented research—as well as experience with implementation and/or evaluation—are also valued.

Application Materials

• CV, cover letter, and writing sample are required (PDF documents are preferred). One writing sample is sufficient if it is a published journal article from a refereed source, otherwise two writing samples are required (e.g., a draft first-authored journal article or a job market paper).

• References: For researchers with fewer than 3 years of experience post-PhD completion, 3 letters of recommendation are required. These should be emailed directly to bpscts@rand.org.

Salary Range

Review of applications will begin in early August; complete applications received by April 15, 2023 will receive full consideration.

Equal Opportunity Employer: race/color/religion/sex/sexual orientation/gender identity/national origin/disability/vet