We’re recruiting a postdoctoral scholar at University of California, Davis to join the Data Science Initiative (DSI). The scholar will work with researchers and administrators at the DSI and across UC Davis on “data- driven academic institutional effectiveness” to address novel questions relating to how different aspects of a university function and how they might be improved.
Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant discipline, experience in high- level programming, and skills in hands-on data analysis. The ideal candidate will be a strong leader with excellent interpersonal communication and collaborative skills. Funding is available for up to 2 years. The DSI is a cross-university entity, promoting and facilitating data science and serving as a catalyst for a community of experts from varied domains to push the envelope of interdisciplinary research. Researchers at the DSI combine and leverage existing knowledge to tackle complex problems, develop new tools, and further academic and research excellence. *But I’m not a data scientist!* Do you like to problem solve? Do you have a strong quantitative base? Do you want to learn more skills in working with “big data,” or to more broadly apply your skillset? If so, apply! *But I don’t know what “institutional effectiveness” is!* Can you think critically? Are you interested thinking about how things work? If so, apply! *But really, why are you sending this to ECOLOG-L?* This position is unusual -- we’re considering candidates from a wide variety of research backgrounds. We encourage all who are interested to apply. The scope of the research is large and the candidate will have an integral role in shaping its focus. Outcomes of this research are anticipated to impact decisions made within a broad array of institutions, from teaching and research to administration. To accomplish that goal, the scholar will have unprecedented access to both local educational, research and administrative data, services and tools. The wealth of data will make this project attractive to data scientists who want to work on rich, diverse application areas, institutional policy and effectiveness researchers who want to gain further expertise in cutting- edge analytics, statistics, machine learning and data visualization, and data-driven researchers interested in institutes of higher education. See the full job description, below, for more details and a few (non- exhaustive) example ideas of projects. A few more (non-exhaustive) ecology focused research topics could be: Looking at energy and/or water use related to campus; Impact of campus (research, infrastructure, outreach) on sustainability or agriculture or policy. Science team formation, success, interdisciplinarity. Etc… The position is open until filled; application review will begin July 24, 2017. Aggie Job Link, Job ID# 826126: https://ucdavis- csm.symplicity.com/students/? mode=form&s=jobs&ss=jobs&id=12f560830ea407bf718b02f537c4efa8&signin_tab=0&PH PSESSID=ca248d0f62b3aa557a39317370193acb We’re in the process of launching a new DSI website (http://datascience.ucdavis.edu) so check back for additional information, or email plreyno...@ucdavis.edu with any questions. -- Pamela L Reynolds, PhD plreyno...@ucdavis.edu Data Science Initiative University of California, Davis One Shields Avenue, Davis CA 95616
