Director of Research

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (BKC), an interfaculty research center, seeks a Director of Research. This is a rare and unusual opportunity to join a flourishing, intellectually robust community of faculty, staff, students, fellows and affiliates from multiple disciplines and backgrounds, committed to making sense of the digital environment and ensuring that it promotes human agency, dignity and genuine connection. In this age of AI, BKC is entering a new chapter of its history and is looking for a Director of Research who is thinking deeply about what our AI future may look like and how best to prepare for it. Working closely with the Faculty Director and Executive Director, the Director of Research will set the research agenda and strategy for the Center and oversee all of its research areas, including agentic AI and the emerging multi-agent world, model interpretability, governance of AI, and AI’s impact on human experience, including youth safety and wellbeing. Because this work draws on many fields, the Director must bring broad, cross-disciplinary knowledge, enough to recruit and direct researchers from a wide range of disciplines. BKC builds in the real world, and the Director will be expected to demonstrate, creatively and concretely, the real-world impact of the Center's research. This is a senior, high-autonomy, and deeply collaborative role. As a member of the BKC senior leadership, the Director of Research will help shape the vision for the Center while directing a research team with diverse skill sets. The Director will be primarily responsible for the generation of rigorous, high-quality research outputs and to ensure that, creatively and concretely, the real-world impact of the Center's research.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 10 years of progressive experience. Candidates with a related advanced degree may be considered with 7 years of experience.
• Demonstrated experience building and leading complex research organizations, including developing team members and setting strategic research direction.
• Broad expertise across technical and non-technical disciplines, with a track record of leading interdisciplinary research teams in academia, and the ability to identify high-impact research questions and scope projects for real world application.
• Experience integrating diverse cultural perspectives, languages, and governance models into research as it relates to emerging technologies.
• Strong familiarity with research methods, including experience ensuring methodological rigor in research outputs.
• Exceptional writing and communication skills with demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, engaging insights for diverse stakeholders, including engineers, policymakers, funders, and the public,
• A highly collaborative approach, with the ability to build consensus and drive shared goals across distinct organizational teams and disciplines.
• Experience cultivating relationships with philanthropic donors and public and private funding institutions.

Responsibilities

• Set the Center's research agenda to define ambitious, original programs that advance BKC's mission, intellectual vision, align with its theory of change and core priorities, and adapt as the field evolves.
• Lead and develop the research team, which will include junior and senior researchers across disciplines. Set priorities in light of the research agenda and funding commitments, and oversee multiple parallel research tracks from early exploration through to published and deployable results, with strong communication and coordination across all research areas and project teams.
• As a member of the BKC executive team, help shape the overall strategic direction of the Center, and lead the organizational design of its research function in partnership with BKC leadership, including hiring strategy, PI-led projects, and resource allocation.
• Working closely with the Director for Strategic Partnerships. identify major opportunities and new funders, steward high-level funder relationships, and represent the Center with funders.
• Foster and execute research partnerships across Harvard, with other academic institutions, and with industry and civil society.
• Engage with a wide range of stakeholders (scholars, practitioners, funders, and policymakers) contributing to BKC's intellectual community and representing the Center at conferences, workshops, and convenings within and beyond Harvard.
• Maintain primary responsibility for the production of rigorous, high-quality, methodologically sound, and impactful research outputs of various forms.
• Lead recruitment of talent and diverse perspectives to the Center, including post-docs, engineers, research coordinators, fellows, and new faculty to lead PI’ed research projects at BKC.
• Ensure the Center's research reaches and resonates beyond academia. Work with the communications team so that outputs and initiatives are accessible and useful to key stakeholders and audiences, advance BKC's mission, and have real-world impact.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior