Research Specialist II

US-NJ-Princeton

Job ID: 2021-13792
Type: Full-Time
# of Openings: 1
Category: Research and Laboratory

Princeton University

Overview

The Department of Sociology at Princeton University is seeking a full-time research specialist under the supervision of Professors Brandon Stewart (Sociology), Olga Russakovsky (Computer Science) and Jonathan Mummolo (Politics & Public Affairs), in cooperation with Dean Knox (Operations, Information and Decisions, University of Pennsylvania).

The successful candidate will take a leadership role in a project developing tools for analyzing video content generated by police body-worn cameras (BWCs) using cutting edge artificial intelligence. In addition to facilitating scholarly work on a host of topics, these tools will allow law enforcement agencies to flag patterns of officer behavior for review, informing future officer training programs. This research may also eventually contribute to a real-time system that flags early warning signs of violent encounters to promote de-escalation strategies.

Outstanding performance in this role will lead to opportunities to coauthor scholarly publications.

This is a one year term position starting as early as December 2021 and ending no later than January 1, 2023. Salary is competitive and position is benefits-eligible. It is expected that work will be done at Princeton University, while following university COVID protocols for in-person work and learning.

Applicants should have a background in quantitative social science, statistics, data science, economics and/or computer science, along with teaching and/or management experience.

Applicants should submit a dossier in the Other Documents field, including:
1. a cover letter of interest,
2. a complete vita,
3. names and contact information of up to three persons who can serve as references,
4. optionally, a writing sample, code sample, or other relevant work product of interest.

All materials should be submitted as one continuous PDF. Materials submitted by regular mail or email will not be accepted.

Responsibilities

• Refining a safe system for human-coding BWC footage, in consultation with mental health experts
• Working closely with the PIs and graduate students to refine the protocol for human-coding BWC footage
• Recruiting and supervising a team of hourly student workers to perform the human-coding
• Serving as a bridge between the student workers performing the human-coding, the computer science team developing automated systems to complement the human coding, and the social science team leveraging this large-scale data to perform analysis
• Organizing and leading effective interdisciplinary team meetings to advance the goals of the project. This includes regular meetings with the student workers to discuss output and refine coding instructions, regular meetings with student workers and a university-provided mental health expert to provide mental health strategies and support, and meetings with the PIs and graduate students to discuss human-coding progress and output and development/performance of the automated model.
• Managing timelines, day-to-day operations of annotation, and contributing to deliverables for funding agencies and diverse stakeholders as requested
• Providing written reports and oral presentations on the goals and progress of the project as requested

Qualifications

EssentialBachelor’s Degree or higherExcellent leadership and managerial skillsStrong ability to work both independently and as part of a teamStrong oral and written communication skillsAbility to meet or exceed deadlinesEligibility to work in the United StatesPreferredExperience managing interdisciplinary teamsExperience with computer programming (Python, Javascript, R) Coursework in the social sciences (e.g. economics, political science, sociology) and/or technical training (e.g., statistics, computer science) Experience with applied research a plusExperience with law enforcement or relevant community organizations a plusExperience with audio/video editing programs a plus

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. EEO IS THE LAW

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