Associate Director of Research

Company Description

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Job Description

Job Summary:

Professor Sharad Goel’s Computational Policy Lab at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School is seeking an Associate Director of Research to help shape and advance a portfolio of computational and technological research addressing pressing issues in education, public benefits, AI governance,and other areas of public policy. 

The Associate Director of Research works closely with Professor Goel to lead the lab’s research strategy, funding, and operations: identifying and incubating new multi-stakeholder research initiatives, translating faculty priorities into fundable projects, and driving them from concept through implementation. Beyond portfolio leadership, the Associate Director contributes directly to the intellectual work of the lab — advising on study design and mixed-methods approaches, safeguarding methodological rigor, and supporting the production of academic and policy-relevant outputs. 

The Associate Director of Research supervises lab staff, oversees research fellows, manages the lab’s external partnerships with government agencies and other collaborators, and represents the lab in relevant academic, research, and policy settings. This position is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and requires working on our campus 3 days/week.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Research Strategy & Portfolio Leadership 

• Provide strategic leadership across the lab’s research portfolio, where computational approaches are used to advance public policy. 
• Shape and align research initiatives with the lab’s institutional goals. 
• Identify and incubate new multi-stakeholder research and policy-engagement opportunities, ensuring coherence across projects and delivery of rigorous, policy-relevant outputs.