Research Scientist 2
About The Position
The Center for Applied Research and Analysis (CARA), part of the University of New Mexico's Institute for Social Research, seeks a Research Scientist 2 to conduct applied research and evaluation in criminal justice, behavioral health, and related public policy areas. The Research Scientist 2 works on a small project team under the direction of a senior researcher and takes ownership of defined parts of each project: preparing and analyzing data, reviewing the literature, and drafting report sections. Much of our work uses administrative records from jails, courts, corrections, law enforcement, and behavioral health providers. The successful candidate will be comfortable working with messy real-world data, quick to learn new methods and subject areas, and careful about getting the numbers right. CARA provides research, evaluation, and technical assistance to local, state, and federal agencies, the courts, and nonprofit organizations. By combining current academic knowledge, rigorous social science methods, and best practices in evaluation, CARA helps policymakers understand how their decisions and programs affect the populations they serve. Our staff has expertise in crime and the criminal justice system, pretrial and jail populations, corrections, the courts, behavioral health, substance use treatment, home visiting, homelessness, and public health. We are a small, collaborative team. Staff work directly with agency partners, see their findings used in real decisions, and have opportunities to present, publish, and grow into more senior roles. CARA is a soft-money research center, meaning that our positions are funded through external contracts and grants rather than recurring university funds. Most of our contracts with state and local agencies follow the state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) and renew annually, so continuing this position beyond the current fiscal year depends on continued funding.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree; at least 1 year of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.
- Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.
Nice To Haves
- Background in a social science, public policy, public health, statistics, or a related field
- Prior research experience in an applied or academic setting
- Proficiency in at least one statistical package (SPSS and R preferred; Stata, SAS, or Python also welcome)
- Experience managing and analyzing administrative data or other large real-world datasets
- Excellent writing skills, including the ability to explain findings to a non-technical reader
- Interest in criminal justice or behavioral health policy
- People who are successful in this position work well both independently and as part of a team. They are self-motivated, detail-oriented, and responsible, and they think critically about data and evidence.
Responsibilities
- Clean, link, manage, and analyze quantitative data from administrative and survey sources, using scripted and reproducible workflows
- Collect primary data as projects require, including surveys, interviews, and record reviews
- Conduct literature reviews and summarize the evidence for non-academic audiences
- Draft reports, briefs, research protocols, and sections of proposals
- Prepare tables, figures, and presentations for partner agencies
- Follow Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols, data use agreements, and data security requirements for confidential records
- Train and guide student employees and other research support staff as needed
- Complete other project tasks as needed
Benefits
- medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
- educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
