Research Manager

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

19d • Hybrid

About The Position

Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (BKC), an interfaculty research center, seeks a Research Manager to support the design and implementation of a portfolio of research projects at different stages of development. The role contributes to interdisciplinary scholarly research spanning empirical and technical study of systems and legal and policy analysis of their impacts. It involves reviewing literature, managing research projects, assisting with written and multimedia outputs, planning and implementing multi-stakeholder events, and collaborating with staff and scholars to complete research deliverables.

The Research Manager will work closely with the Center’s staff, fellows, and faculty on interdisciplinary research and programs related to the Internet and society. The position manages technical and policy-oriented AI research, contributes to research on AI systems and related policy issues, maintains technical research workflows, and helps bring academic and public-facing scholarship to publication. It also includes supervising junior researchers, supporting grant development and administration, and organizing events with external partners.

This is a full-time, hybrid position and a term appointment currently expected to extend through June 30, 2027, with potential for renewal subject to departmental funding and need. Work schedule and location are determined by the department according to operational needs. Harvard cannot provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and five or more years of experience, including experience in an educational context, in research, analysis, or a related field.
• Proficiency in programming languages or tools such as Python, R, or SQL.

Nice To Haves

• Experience conducting research and analysis on law and policy as applied to technology or AI, with a track record of published research; peer-reviewed publications preferred.
• Experience drafting and editing policy-relevant materials, including policy briefs, reports, presentations, or grant materials, and communicating effectively with a range of audiences.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail.
• Experience running compute-intensive machine learning experiments, including on high-performance or GPU computing clusters.
• Familiarity with AI tools and workflows, including large language models and AI-assisted coding tools such as Claude Code, and the ability to apply them effectively to research and analytical tasks.
• Experience in trust and safety, including prompt engineering and AI red teaming.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, including the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and external stakeholders across institutional contexts.
• A strong commitment to working in the public interest.
• Supervisory experience.
• Willingness to travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Manage the quality and development of technical and policy-oriented AI research, including tracking timelines and deliverables and coordinating with collaborators and stakeholders.
• Contribute to academic research on AI systems, including model evaluations, interpretability, and research infrastructure, and policy-oriented work on liability, copyright, and accountability.
• Implement and maintain technical research workflows across multiple models and compute environments to support rigorous, reproducible, and policy-relevant AI research.
• Contribute to academic outputs such as policy briefs and research papers, and public-facing scholarship and commentary such as essays and op-eds, seeing them through to publication.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage junior researchers, research assistants, and interns, and review technical and written work.
• Develop grant proposals by drafting proposal materials and coordinating input across teams; manage post-award activities, including deliverables, reporting requirements, and coordination with finance and research administration.
• Design and manage convenings, workshops, roundtables, seminars, and other events, including those with industry, policymakers and regulators, civil society, and academic collaborators.

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: Manager