Civic Science Fellow

University of Chicago•Hyde Park, IL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Civic Science Fellows Program places emerging leaders in pioneering organizations to drive culture change in science and society. Fellows co-design projects that build bridges across science, policy, and communities, contributing new knowledge and advancing equity, inclusion, and public engagement. The Office of Research is seeking an accomplished, early-career researcher as a Civic Science Fellow. The Civic Science Fellow leads and collaborates on projects central to the University of Chicago’s mission, creates impactful civic science work products related to community engaged research, and participates in a nationwide cohort for shared learning, professional growth, and network-building. Fellows gain practical experience, advance meaningful work, and help strengthen the University of Chicago’s civic science capacity. This 18-month position begins in September 2026 and concludes in February 2028. This position is fully grant-funded.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a PhD in related field.
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

A PhD in social sciences, public policy, or another related field.
Prior experience in solving complex, multi-faceted challenges.
Background in community engaged research.
Demonstrated ability to convene and work with faculty, community leaders, and policymakers for input, feedback, and framework revision.
Demonstrated involvement in civic science, participatory research, or university-community partnerships.
Background working with underrepresented communities, incorporating equitable and inclusive approaches to science engagement and decision-making processes.
Proficiency with data collection, analysis, and synthesis, including stakeholder interviews, survey design, focus groups, and metrics development.
Developing and utilizing metrics for evaluating research impact across academic, community, and policy domains.
Landscape analysis - review, synthesize, and map practices/goals across institutions.
Data collection and analysis - skilled in gathering, interpreting, and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data relevant to community engaged research.
Impact metrics - expertise in developing and utilizing frameworks for evaluating research, partnership, and policy impacts.
Stakeholder engagement - capacity to identify, convene, and foster input from diverse groups, such as faculty, community leaders, policymakers.
Facilitation - proficient in coordinating meetings, obtaining feedback, and revising frameworks collaboratively.
Network building - establish and sustain relationships within and beyond the University.
Reciprocal partnership - competence in trust-building, understanding partner incentives/timelines, and promoting mutual benefits.
Public-facing deliverables - skilled in designing accessible guides, visualizations, and communication of civic science impact to broader audiences.
Presentation skills - proficiency in presenting complex ideas clearly, both orally and in writing.
Deadline adherence - strong organizational skills to manage multiple priorities and meet timelines.
Work product development - create actionable maps, frameworks, toolkits, and guides as outlined in the responsibilities.
Learning orientation - openness to new ideas, constructive criticism, and ongoing professional development.
Cohort participation - actively engage with fellows’ labs, plenaries, and in-person convenings.
Data visualization - familiarity with software/tools for creating visual work products and impact mappings.

Responsibilities

Reviews the existing practices of community engaged research and its impact across private and public universities by conducting a listening and landscape-learning phase at the University of Chicago and other major research universities.
Maps out the goals of community engaged research for academics, community partners, and policymakers to determine where these goals are aligned and where they are conflicting.
Establishes community engaged research metrics of impact across an academic discipline, community partners, and policy-makers.
Develops a comprehensive framework for addressing misaligned goals and measuring the impact of academic-public partnerships.
Convenes a group of faculty, community leaders, and policymakers to seek input regarding the development of the framework.
Utilizes feedback to revise the framework.
Produces multiple work products, specifically 1) a cross-disciplinary Impact Blueprint that maps how UChicago’s research, data assets, civic partnerships, and policy touchpoints can align toward improved chronic health and social outcomes across the southside of Chicago; 2) a metrics framework that reconciles differing disciplinary definitions of impact; 3) a guide for trust-building and reciprocal engagement with partners who have varied incentives and timelines; 4) a decision-support roadmap for sequencing community and research priorities; and 5) public-facing tools or visualizations that articulate University civic impact in accessible ways.
Incorporates inclusive, equitable approaches to science engagement and decision-making, working effectively with underrepresented communities.
Participates in weekly virtual Fellows Labs, Tuesdays 12–2 p.m. ET; cohort-wide plenaries; and an in-person Civic Science convening February 2027, date subject to change. Dedicates approximately 25% of your time to these activities.
Serves as a resource for collecting data and performing analysis.
Contributes to facilitating and promoting a research project by providing scientific or intellectual information.
Leads the contributions to scientific writing and publications, including protocols and grants.
Performs other related work as needed.