Evaluation and Research Scientist

University of Chicago•Hyde Park, IL

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Data Science Institute (DSI) at the University of Chicago is seeking an Evaluation and Research Scientist to lead and support program evaluation and research projects focused on kindergarten–adult STEM education, with an emphasis on high school and postsecondary data science and AI education. This role reports to the Director of Outlier Research and Evaluation and involves close collaboration with senior researchers, DSI colleagues, funders, and partner organizations. The position requires managing multiple stages of the research and evaluation process, including project design, literature reviews, instrument development, data collection and management, quantitative and qualitative analysis, IRB compliance, and the preparation of various written deliverables. Additionally, the scientist will contribute to funding strategy and proposal development, identifying funding opportunities, and preparing funder-facing materials. The ideal candidate is an experienced, organized, and self-motivated professional with strong program evaluation and mixed-methods research experience, capable of leading projects independently, contributing to collaborative efforts, communicating findings clearly, and translating them into actionable recommendations.

Requirements

College or university degree in a related field.
5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Strong knowledge of research and program evaluation methods, including survey design, interview/focus group protocols, observation tools, logic models, implementation evaluation, outcome evaluation, and evaluation reporting.
Ability to independently manage research and evaluation projects, while contributing effectively to collaborative team-based projects.
Strong methodological judgment, including the ability to adapt research and evaluation procedures to fit project needs, partner contexts, and available data sources.
Experience collecting, cleaning, managing, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data.
Experience guiding or coordinating data collection, coding, analysis, and reporting across project teams.
Proficiency with spreadsheet software, including Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel.
Experience with at least one statistical or qualitative analysis tool, such as SPSS, R, Stata, MAXQDA, Dedoose, NVivo, or similar software.
Ability to write clearly and persuasively for multiple audiences, including researchers, funders, practitioners, institutional leaders, and community partners.
Ability to translate research and evaluation findings into clear, actionable insights and recommendations.
Ability to develop clear and compelling proposal materials, including research and evaluation plans, statements of need, timelines, deliverables, and descriptions of organizational capacity or prior work.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to prioritize, track timelines, coordinate across teams, and meet deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
Professionalism, adaptability, and emotional intelligence in collaborative and partner-facing settings.

Nice To Haves

Progressively responsible research, program evaluation, and/or STEM education experience.
Substantial experience designing, managing, and implementing program evaluation projects, preferably in education, workforce development, youth programming, higher education, informal STEM learning, or related settings.
Experience leading research and/or evaluation projects with minimal guidance.
Experience managing mixed-methods research or evaluation projects.
Experience independently developing data collection instruments, analysis plans, reports, presentations, and partner-facing materials.
Experience leading small to medium-size program evaluations and/or research projects.
Experience seeking funding or contributing substantially to grant proposals, sponsored research applications, evaluation scopes of work, foundation/funder submissions, contract proposals, or related funding materials.
Experience contributing to funder reports, grant deliverables, scopes of work, budgets or budget narratives, and proposal timelines.
Experience working with schools, districts, higher education institutions, community organizations, funders, or grant-funded programs.
Familiarity with STEM education, data science education, AI education, or related education and workforce development fields.
Knowledge of school, district, state, federal, higher education, or grant-funded program contexts.

Responsibilities

Leads research and program evaluation projects related to STEM, data science, and AI education, while also supporting other projects across the team's research and evaluation portfolio.
Manages program evaluation projects, including evaluation design, data collection planning, instrument development, analysis planning, reporting, and partner communication.
Collaborates with senior researchers, research staff, DSI colleagues, funders, and partner organizations to design, implement, and disseminate research and evaluation work.
Contributes to the development of evaluation frameworks, logic models, research questions, data collection strategies, analysis plans, and reporting structures.
Leads or substantially contributes to IRB submissions, amendments, continuing reviews, and related compliance processes.
Contributes to funding strategy and proposal development, including identifying relevant funding opportunities, drafting research and evaluation plans, developing scopes of work, and preparing proposal materials for grants, contracts, and sponsored projects.
Drafts or contributes to proposal materials, including statements of need, background sections, project descriptions, research and evaluation activities, timelines, deliverables, and descriptions of organizational capacity or prior work.
Serves as a resource to colleagues on research and evaluation procedures, data collection, analysis, reporting, IRB processes, and proposal development.
Presents research findings at meetings and conferences, as well as to funding agencies.
Conducts literature reviews.
Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings.
Guides data collection, evaluation and analysis.
Designs and manages databases.
Writes reports, articles and manuscripts.
Performs other related tasks as needed.