Postdoctoral Associate- Tools for Rigorous and Reproducible Research

 Postdoctoral Associate- Tools for Rigorous and Reproducible Research

Postdoctoral Research Program - Center for Research on Equitable and Open Scholarship (CREOS)

Two-Year Term - Visa Sponsorship Available

The MIT Libraries’  Center for Research on Equitable and Open Scholarship (CREOS) seeks an exceptional, collaborative, and community-driven researcher for a two-year postdoctoral associate role, to conduct original research on scholarly communications and the scholarly ecosystem. In partnership with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CREOS plans to hire three highly motivated scholars with a strong desire to conduct research that will advance knowledge in the service of equitable and open scholarship. We are especially interested in applicants who wish to pursue research that will further our understanding of incentives and barriers to equitable and open scholarship, impacts of equitable and open scholarship, and/or economic models for equitable and open scholarship. 

Responsibilities:

Conduct original research in the areas of open and equitable scholarship under the guidance of the Principal Investigators Rebecca Saxe (Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the department of Brain and Cognitive Science ) and Chris Bourg (Director of MIT Libraries) and in partnership with additional faculty mentors, research scientists, and fellow postdoctoral associates. 

The successful applicant for this postdoctoral position will collaborate on developing and teaching a new course "Tools for Rigorous and Reproducible Research,” which covers key challenges to scientific rigour and integrity from experimenter degrees of freedom, dark data, biased publication processes, perverse incentives at hiring and promotion, and obstacles to equity and justice. In their first year, this postdoctoral associate will be conducting research and an environmental scan of research, tools, and practices in support of course development. The second year will focus on developing more focused research questions, and sharing the research findings.

The postdoctoral associate will also have the opportunity to contribute to CREOS established research questions as well as to develop their own ideas for research in the areas of open and equitable research; specifically, the barriers, impacts, and/or economic models therein.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

• PhD in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Information Science or a related field required, with a background in research on scholarly communications, the science of science, studies of knowledge and knowledge production, and/or information sciences preferred or equivalent terminal degree.
• Experience conducting and disseminating basic research in an academic environment.
• Experience in and a commitment to teaching.
• Understanding of the complex and changing landscape of scholarship and scholarly communications; and ability to identify significant and relevant research questions.
• Familiarity with multiple methodologies (e.g. experimental design, survey methods, interviews, etc.); experience in using both qualitative and quantitative data to test hypotheses preferred.
• Ability to work on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research projects.
• Proven success in working in a dynamic and team environment.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication, including presentation skills; ​preparation, creation and presentation of the published work.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all work activities and in interpersonal interactions.

We expect the candidate to be stronger in some qualifications listed above than others; we are committed to helping our future colleague expand their skills, as well as learning from their areas of strength. 

SALARY AND BENEFITS: $65,000 USD/year. MIT offers excellent benefits including a choice of health and retirement plans, a dental plan, tuition assistance, and fully subsidized MBTA passes for local bus and subway service. Flexible work arrangements, including flex-time and telecommuting, are considered for positions that meet established criteria. The MIT Libraries is a collegial and supportive working environment and fosters professional growth of staff with management training and travel funding for professional meetings

APPLICATION PROCESS: Apply online at: https://hr.mit.edu/careers. Priority will be given to applications received March 19th, 2021; position open until filled. Applications must include the following:

• Cover letter addressing qualifications for undertaking the research project including your interest and background in some subset of topics listed under Responsibilities and any additional topics that may fit into the research scope.
• *Writing sample, such as an excerpt from the dissertation or other relevant publication, of no more than 5,000 words.
• *Two letters of recommendation.

*Please send the writing sample and letters of recommendation to creos@mit.edu

The Environment:

The MIT Libraries are an engine for creating, sharing, and safeguarding knowledge at the Institute and beyond. The Libraries work to improve the world’s collective knowledge by equipping current and future scholars with the best content and the skills to use it, whether examining medieval manuscripts or flying drones to collect data. We make MIT research — from the LIGO detection of gravitational waves, to the design of humanoid robots, to advances in drug delivery — openly accessible to the world. Our new research initiative CREOS tackles the big challenges in scholarly communication, ranging from accessibility and inclusion in library systems to economic models for equitable and open scholarship.

Through this work, we are building a library of the future, reimagining and reinvigorating the use of libraries from simply quiet places to study into a global network of partnerships that can build “a more inclusive, equitable, trustworthy, and sustainable scholarly knowledge ecosystem.”

MIT is strongly and actively committed to diversity within its community and particularly welcomes applications from qualified women and minority candidates. The Libraries seek professionals who enthusiastically embrace the empathy, courage, self-reflection and respect of a multi-cultural, diverse, and inclusive workplace, and who strive to incorporate those values in their work and interactions.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

MIT has a publicly posted Nondiscrimination Policy with a commitment to equal opportunity. The Institute prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other Institute administered programs and activities.