Enrollment Research Scientist

University of Iowa•Iowa City, IA

12d•$63,000 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Enrollment Research Scientist works as a part of the Enrollment Management Data Team and serves as a strategic research and analytical partner supporting data-informed decision making across Enrollment Management, with a primary focus on financial aid strategy and enrollment planning. This position designs and conducts applied research, develops predictive and econometric models, synthesizes emerging research and demographic trends, and translates complex analyses into actionable recommendations for university leadership. They will also have the opportunity to seek efficiency measures that will result in cost savings or investment in new strategies or programming, review and synthesize relevant higher education literature and emerging research to identify promising practices and inform institutional decision-making, and prepare written reports, presentations, and visualizations that communicate findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with a combination of a behavioral science (e.g., Sociology, Economics, Psychology, Consumer Behavior) and a quantitative component (e.g., Statistics, Data Science), or an equivalent combination of training and experience providing a comparable level of expertise.
Minimum of 1 year of experience in research and data analysis.
Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of applied statistical methods, predictive modeling, and introductory econometric techniques.
Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of enrollment management principles, admissions operations, and institutional financial aid.
Experience conducting research using large datasets.
Ability to synthesize quantitative evidence, published research, and institutional context into practical recommendations.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to a variety of audiences.
Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and ability to independently identify research opportunities.
Experience with statistical software such as R, Stata, SAS, Python, or similar analytical tools.
Experience with SQL and business intelligence tools sufficient to retrieve, analyze, visualize and communicate data (not as a database developer).
Willingness and ability to learn new methodologies and tools as needed.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in behavioral science with a strong quantitative component.
Minimum of 3 years of experience in research and data analysis
Experience working in a higher education setting.
Related experience working with enrollment management data.

Responsibilities

Designs and conducts applied research.
Develops predictive and econometric models.
Synthesizes emerging research and demographic trends.
Translates complex analyses into actionable recommendations for university leadership.
Seeks efficiency measures that will result in cost savings or investment in new strategies or programming.
Reviews and synthesizes relevant higher education literature and emerging research to identify promising practices and inform institutional decision-making.
Prepares written reports, presentations, and visualizations that communicate findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.