Criminal Justice Administration and Policy Research Scientist

The Ohio State University

10d • Remote

About The Position

The John Glenn College of Public Affairs is seeking a Research Scientist in Criminal Justice Administration and Policy. This role will be instrumental in leading and developing the Consortium to Advance Police Supervision (CAPS), a national initiative focused on enhancing first-line police supervision through research, professional development, and practical resources. The successful candidate will engage directly with law enforcement personnel, develop training and technical assistance, expand CAPS' reach and visibility, and translate research into actionable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and academics. Additionally, the Research Scientist will collaborate on sponsored projects, potentially serving as a principal investigator, contributing to grant development, and disseminating research findings.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in social science or related discipline
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in policing, public safety, criminal justice, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in first-line police supervision, law enforcement operations, and applied research
• Experience working directly with law enforcement agencies or public safety partners on research, training, technical assistance, organizational improvement, or related initiatives

Nice To Haves

• Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research, including work with police administrative data
• Familiarity with statistical packages for social sciences
• Experience with mixed-methods approaches
• Experience with Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols
• Experience leading or helping to build research, training, technical assistance, or field-facing initiatives
• Experience working directly with first-line supervisors, command staff, and agency partners on issues related to supervision, training, performance, accountability, organizational improvement, and data-driven decision-making
• Experience with police-academic partnerships and grant-funded research
• Experience developing and delivering training, technical assistance, professional development, or practitioner-facing resources for law enforcement agencies
• Excellent leadership, communication, team management, and interpersonal skills
• Strong writing skills, including the ability to synthesize research findings into clear, practical products for practitioner and policy audiences
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a collaborative environment

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership of the Consortium to Advance Police Supervision (CAPS), shaping its strategic direction, expanding its reach and impact, and supporting the development of its tools and resources.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with police agencies, professional associations, national partners, and other stakeholders.
• Work directly with first-line supervisors and agency leaders to identify needs, inform research and product development, and ensure CAPS activities remain relevant.
• Lead and collaborate on research and evaluation projects related to police supervision, organizational practices, and criminal justice/public safety issues.
• Contribute to all phases of research, including study design, data collection (surveys, interviews, focus groups), data analysis, interpretation of findings, and presentations.
• Participate in site visits, agency partner meetings, and field-based research activities.
• Develop and deliver presentations, training, technical assistance, and professional development activities for practitioner audiences, especially first-line police supervisors.
• Lead or contribute to practitioner-facing products such as implementation guides, toolkits, briefing materials, and policy resources.
• Disseminate findings through academic publications, technical reports, conference presentations, and policy-oriented products.
• Support planning, coordination, and execution across CAPS and related research projects.
• Attend project team meetings to provide updates, report on progress, and align tasks with research timelines.
• Assist project management leads in monitoring timelines, maintaining project documentation, completing progress reports, and ensuring compliance with IRB and data sharing requirements.
• Build and manage relationships with faculty, staff, consultants, partner agencies, and project sponsors.
• Identify and pursue external funding opportunities to support CAPS growth and related research.
• Lead or support the development of grant proposals in collaboration with faculty and research staff.
• Contribute to the design of new studies, partnerships, and programmatic activities.
• Generate extramural funds to cover or contribute to salary and benefit costs.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.
• Tuition assistance for employees and their dependents.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree