The Policy and Research Department is currently seeking a full-time Data Manager to lead internal data capacities including oversight of the agency’s Data Management Plan and use of administrative data to support research and evaluation projects as well as to manage external, cross-sector data sharing and data collaborations. This is a unique opportunity to support and expand data-driven decision-making at KCHA and to advance broader housing and social policy through innovative data applications.

Essential Functions

• Lead the development and implementation of agency Data Management Plan that enhances KCHA’s ability to use administrative data for research and evaluation purposes and that upholds and evolves to be current with best practices in data management and application;
• Ensure that agency data systems support the collection of necessary metrics in a consistent and valid manner.  This effort will include participating in database design working groups as well as identifying and expanding opportunities to collect new information from KCHA residents consistent with both research/evaluation questions and regulatory functions;
• Lead agency efforts to identify and develop best practices for data-sharing and data-handling activities, including compliance with regulations on data privacy and disclosure;
• Scope, institute, and manage cross-sector data collaborations with partners from health, education, and other sectors;
• Oversee the production of regular extracts or other data pulls (including data linkages) to support internal and external data use cases;
• Collect and analyze internal and external data (both qualitative and quantitative) to inform agency program and policy development and research and evaluation projects.  Quantitative data analyses will include both descriptive and multivariate methods;
• Develop and oversee the development of data reports, data visualizations, and other briefing materials to effectively convey findings to intended stakeholders;
• Supervise analysts and/or interns responsible for data-related activities.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree with degrees preferred in public administration, public policy, statistics, sociology or related field AND four years of experience working with applied data/data management, research, and analysis.  A graduate degree in relevant fields is desirable and may be substituted for up to two years of applied experience.

Ideal Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong technical skills, and demonstrated experience with quantitative data collection, management and analysis;
• Proven experience working with administrative datasets, including data sharing and data linkages;
• Ability and interest to lead, supervise, coach, mentor, and train assigned staff; willingness and ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively with others, as well as to participate in and foster teamwork;
• Strong critical thinking skills, an ability to introduce creative problem-solving to complex analytic puzzles, and the skills to translate these ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences;
• Outstanding Excel skills and strong proficiencies in other MS applications;
• Knowledge and skill in using analytic software programs such as Stata, Tableau, and/or GIS;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills;
• Knowledge and ability in creating reports, dashboards, data visualizations, and other data summary and visualization materials;
• Strong project management skills including the ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects simultaneously and with multiple internal and external stakeholders;
• Knowledge of affordable housing policy and research and/or knowledge of related social policy arenas such as health, education, or other areas;
• Collaborative team player that is at ease working with multiple and diverse stakeholders and who brings enthusiasm, curiosity, humility, and humor to their work.

The Policy and Research Department is currently seeking a full-time Research & Data Analyst to support the Department’s research, analysis, and data management efforts.  This is a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful, applied research and analysis on housing and social policy.  The Analyst will assist in a variety of tasks and projects across the Department and agency, and will get to work on a variety of policy areas and analytic approaches.

This position is partially grant funded that may be renewable into 2020 and beyond.

Essential Functions

• Analysis of agency administrative data, both for regular reporting efforts and in response to emergent requests;
• Preparation of data extracts and matched data sets;
• Creation and updating of data utilization tools, including reports, dashboards, and quality assurance tracking tools;
• Literature review and syntheses of best practices;
• Participation in qualitative and/or quantitative data collection and management processes including tool development, fieldwork, and data cleaning;
• Development of data reports, visualizations, and/or other briefing materials to effectively convey findings to intended stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

• Associate’s Degree with degrees preferred in public administration, public policy, sociology, community development, or related field AND three years of experience in housing programs, community development or social services OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Ideal Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experience in qualitative and qualitative research applications including data collection, management, and analysis;
• Outstanding Excel skills and strong proficiencies in other MS applications;
• Strong critical thinking skills and an ability to introduce creative problem-solving to complex analytic puzzles;
• Knowledge of affordable housing policy and research and/or knowledge of related social policy arenas such as health, education, or other areas;
• Experience working with large and/or administrative datasets strongly preferred;
• Knowledge and skill in using analytic software programs such as Stata, Tableau, or GIS;
• Knowledge and ability in creating reports, dashboard, and other data summary and visualization materials;
• Strong organizational skills including the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills;
• Collaborative team player that is at ease working with multiple and diverse stakeholders and who brings enthusiasm, curiosity, humility, and humor to their work.

The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is recruiting Post-Docs and Research Scientists.

The MPIDR is one of the leading demographic centers in the world. It is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of over 80 institutes that form Germany’s premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundation research in the sciences, technology, and the social sciences, and they offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory.

We are currently recruiting research scientists with four or more years of post-doctoral experience, and post-docs with less than four years of experience. Candidates with an innovative demographic research agenda and strong quantitative skills are encouraged to apply. The successful candidates will work in one or more of MPIDR director Mikko Myrskylä’s research groups: Population Health, Labor Demography, or Fertility and Well-Being. Please see http://www.demogr.mpg.de/ for descriptions of these research groups.

The positions are initially for 3 years, with the possibility for prolongation. The MPIDR offers an excellent research environment and support, a low teaching load, and a competitive salary that starts at approx. 54,000-74,000 EUR gross per year depending on relevant post-doctoral experience. Remuneration is based on the salary structure of the German public sector (Öffentlicher Dienst, TVöD Bund). The MPIDR offers family-friendly work arrangements (flexible working hours, teleworking, and guaranteed places at day-care centers for children), occupational health promotion, and opportunities for continuous further training. The starting date is flexible, but no later than fall 2019.

The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is recruiting 2-3 highly qualified Post-Docs/Research Scientists to join the Laboratory of Digital and Computational Demography.

The MPIDR is one of the leading demographic centers in the world. It is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of over 80 institutes that form Germany’s premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundational research in the sciences, technology, and the humanities, and they offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory.

The Laboratory of Digital and Computational Demography, headed by MPIDR Director Emilio Zagheni, is looking for candidates with background in Demography, Computer Science, Statistics, Sociology, Economics, Geography, Applied Mathematics, or related disciplines.

The successful candidate must have a PhD (or receive it soon) and is expected to conduct cutting-edge population research. Ideal candidates would excel in two or more of the following dimensions: a) strong statistical and computational skills; b) a deep understanding of population processes and social demography; c) the ability to work in teams in an interdisciplinary context; d) high scholarly productivity, commensurate to experience.

Substantive areas of particular interest for the Lab include: Migration; Population Aging and Intergenerational Relationships; The impact of Social Media and Digitalization of life on health, well-being and demographic behavior.

Technical areas of particular interest for the Lab include: Methods for complementing social media and other innovative data sources with traditional data for population research (including statistical methods for estimation and projections of demographic quantities); Development of innovative forms of data collection for demographic research (e.g., surveys via Web and Social Media advertisement platforms or data collection via sensors, tracking devices, or Web Apps); Web experiments; Demographic Simulation.

Depending on interest and fit, the successful candidate would have the opportunity to participate in ongoing collaborative initiatives with leading scholars in digital and computational demography based at other institutions.

The Pennsylvania State University – Abington College invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Sociology within the interdisciplinary Psychological and Social Sciences (PSS) degree program.

Applicants must have earned a doctorate in Sociology; applicants who will complete their degree by August 2019 will be considered.

We seek a scholar with a strong record of research that takes an intersectional approach to one of the following areas: race and ethnicity, immigration, or social movements, and whose work also complements existing strengths in the program. The administration is committed to the development of faculty scholarship. The college has an established undergraduate research participant pool as well as several shared lab spaces. Internal funding is available for research purposes as well as travel. A commitment to excellence and innovation in undergraduate teaching and mentoring is essential. The ideal candidate will also have experience with diverse student populations and demonstrate interest in facilitating student/faculty research and mentoring. The course load is 3-3, and candidates will be expected to teach lower and upper division courses in their area of expertise, as well as basic introductory level courses in sociology.

Penn State Abington serves racially-and ethnically-diverse students, first-generation college students, students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, and a significant international student population. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to helping all students succeed through engagement in and out of the classroom. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the deadline of November 1st, 2018.

To apply, submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, and three letters of reference. Application material must be submitted online through psu.jobs. Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. If you have questions, contact Dr. Beth Montemurro, (eam15@psu.edu). The Abington College is a four-year college of The Pennsylvania State University and is conveniently located near Philadelphia.

Darryl Holman, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, University of Washington

Traits found in a skeletal sample are frequently used to infer qualities of the living population from which the skeletons were drawn. However, traits observed in a mortality sample may not accurately represent the same traits in same-aged living individuals, a phenomena referred to as biological mortality bias. This research attempts to assess biological mortality bias in deciduous tooth emergence, a trait that is used for estimating chronological age in both living and skeletal samples.

Data on tooth emergence came from longitudinal studies of Javanese, Guatemalan, and Bangladeshi children. Each sample was divided into a living sample for those who survived through the study and a mortality sample for those who died during the study. Parametric hazards analysis was used to test for differences in the timing of tooth emergence between the living and mortality samples.

There were no significant differences between the living and mortality samples for Bangladesh and Java, although there was a trend toward delayed emergence in the Bangladesh mortality sample. The Guatemalan mortality sample exhibited advanced emergence of the posterior dentition for the mortality sample. This unexpected finding may be an artifact of the nutritional supplementation given in the Guatemalan study. No evidence of biological mortality bias was found in pooled analyses of all three samples.

We found limited evidence that deciduous tooth emergence in a mortality sample (e.g. a skeletal series) differs from the timing of emergence in the living population from which the mortality sample was drawn.

The Department of Political Science and the Law, Societies and Justice Department invites you to join us for a talk and Q&A.

Wednesday, October 10, 12-1:30pm, Olson Room (Gowen Hall 1A, basement)

Professor Siri Gloppen
Professor, Director, Centre on Law & Social Transformation
Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway

Sexual and Reproductive Rights are lightning-rods of controversy in most societies. Political polarization has been particularly pronounced with regard to abortion rights and rights of sexual minorities (LGBTIQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer – persons), but is also evident in issues such as the regulation of contraception, sterilization and adultery, divorce, sexual education and stem cell research. What is particularly pertinent is the growing judicialization of sexual and reproductive rights around the world. At the domestic and international level, courts have emerged as central arenas in these political-moral battles; and not only to further rights but also to limit them. The proposed project aims to understand the nature, causes and, particularly, the consequences of such lawfare, which we define as diverse and intentional strategies adopted by civil society actors that seek to engage legal institutions in order to further or halt policy reform and social change.

Professor Gloppen is also available to discuss current and recent projects of the Centre including: political determinants of reproductive health in Africa; elevating water rights to human rights; Breaking BAD: backlash against democracy in Africa; women on the judicial bench in fragile states; political economy of indigenous people’s rights in India; and LawTransform a graduate training model that promotes research based teaching on law and social transformation.