Computational Social Scientist (Mid-Level) - SEAL - Open Rank (Hybrid)

Overview:

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.   

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Location

Smyrna, GA (Metro Atlanta)

Project/Unit Description

The Command, Control, and Communications Division (C3D) within the Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL) is looking for a Computational Social Scientist to lead our C3 artificial intelligence (AI) and machine Learning (ML) for Battle Management (BM) Decision Superiority lines-of-effort. C3D is focused on delivering robust communications and fused data capabilities to the warfighter. C3D focuses on the ideation, development, implementation, testing, and analysis of various technical challenges ranging from joint all-domain command and control warfighting concepts to the challenges posed by the increasing lethality of the modern contested, degraded environment of a near-peer or peer adversary.

Job Purpose

Computational social scientists engage, lead, and direct teams in interdisciplinary research projects to meet sponsor objectives leveraging big data streaming analytics on real-time data to provide social insights to sponsors. Qualitative and quantitative research performed spans disciplines of cognitive science, computer science, machine learning, natural language processing, natural language understanding, psychology, sociology, economics, international relations, online social networks, network science, software prototyping, software engineering, design of research experiments, data analytics, open source sensor integration, communication sciences, information sciences, cultural sciences, cyber-social security, national security, information warfare, and information influence campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop methods and tools to perform research tasks to meet project objectives
• Implement and test algorithms implementation on various platforms
• Lead or contribute to the development of whitepapers and proposals to support a research area
• Support sponsors and potential sponsors engagement
• Primary author of sections technical reports/presentations of projects, journal articles, and conference presentations

Additional Responsibilities

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to integrate social science insights into AI/ML models.
• Develop and maintain research partnerships with academic, industry, and governmental organizations.
• Mentor junior researchers and contribute to the development of their research skills.
• Conduct regular literature reviews to stay updated on advancements in relevant fields.
• Design and conduct experiments to test hypotheses related to social behavior and technology interaction.
• Present research findings at national and international conferences.
• Ensure all research activities comply with ethical guidelines and institutional regulations.

Required Minimum Qualifications

- Proficiency in statistical analysis and visualization tools (e.g., R, SPSS, SAS, or comparable).
- Experience in scientific reporting and scholarly writing (recent writing samples of published works preferred).
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret Clearance
• PH.D. degree
• Experience managing research or industry projects.
• Experience leading project teams.
• Knowledge in human systems engineering.
• Familiarity with technology ethics and its implications.
• Background in artificial intelligence-related research.
• Experience with national security-related research.

Travel Requirements

<10% travel

Education and Length of Experience

This position vacancy is an open-rank announcement. The final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty Extension Professional ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook

• 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Human Factors, Cybersecurity/Privacy, Political Science, Public Policy, Cognitive Engineering, Cognitive Science, Data Science or related field.
• 3 years of related experience with a Masters’ degree in Psychology, Human Factors, Cybersecurity/Privacy, Political Science, Public Policy, Cognitive Engineering, Cognitive Science, Data Science or related field.
• 0 years of related experience with a Ph.D. in Psychology, Human Factors, Cybersecurity/Privacy, Political Science, Public Policy, Cognitive Engineering, Cognitive Science, Data Science or related field.

U.S. Citizenship Requirements

Due to our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be U.S. Citizens.

Clearance Type Required

Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance.

Benefits at GTRI

Comprehensive information on currently offered GTRI benefits, including Health & Welfare, Retirement Plans, Tuition Reimbursement, Time Off, and Professional Development, can be found through this link: https://benefits.hr.gatech.edu/.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and University policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services.  Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions.  This prohibition applies to faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including affiliates, invitees, and guests. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

USG Core Values Statement

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.