Social Science Research Associate

This new position provides a unique opportunity to play a key role in the initiation of a new national,
interview-based qualitative research study of the career decision-making processes of women in the sciences.
The longitudinal study will start with undergraduates and follow them into PhD programs. In addition to
managing the study, the individual will conduct a portion of the interviews and lead the analysis of interview
data. The selected individual will join and work collaboratively with a dynamic group of six qualitative
researchers engaged in multiple studies of the development of young scientists. Primary responsibilities will
include:
1. Coordination of communication/scheduling for interviews at colleges and universities around the U.S.
2. Management of a large amount of interview, text and demographic data
3. Communication with individual students participating in the study over a multi-year period
4. Management of IRB review and approvals for participating colleges and universities
5. Interviewing students at their campuses and by phone in follow-up interviews
6. Leading interview data analysis using qualitative research methods
7. Leading development of reports and publications of research results
8. Modest financial management, such as travel reimbursement, purchase order processing, etc.

This position requires an individual with the following background, skills and characteristics:
1. A PhD in a social science field or education, utilizing qualitative research methods, or a masters degree
and equivalent work experience with progressive levels of responsibility
2. Experience managing a research study or similar ongoing project
3. The ability to communicate effectively with a wide array of individuals, from college students to senior
level faculty and university administrators
4. A high level of attention to detail and the strict requirements for research involving human subjects
5. Flexibility of thinking to blend grounded theory and theoretically framed interpretive approaches
6. Maturity and the ability to work both collaboratively and independently as needed
7. Sufficient schedule flexibility to permit extensive travel during portions of each year
8. Interviewing and interpersonal skills to relate to perspectives of individuals from many different
educational, ethnic and social backgrounds
9. Experience with qualitative research software is desirable but not essential

This is a grant-funded position of at least four years duration with the hope to continue the study for eight
years or more. Salary will be commensurate with background and experience, up to the level of a
postdoctoral fellow/junior research associate. A full package of benefits equivalent to that of other
Northwestern University employees will be provided.

Interested applicants should contact and/or send CV, along with a cover letter indicating four ways they
believe they meet the qualifications for this position, to:
Rick McGee, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL 60611
r-mcgee@northwestern.edu
312-503-1737
Northwestern University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.”

Social Scientist Research Associate/Postdoctoral Fellow Position

This new position provides a unique opportunity to make a major contribution to the understanding of how
students considering careers in scientific research make decisions about future careers. Funded by a twoyear
grant from the National Institutes of Health through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, the
selected individual will join and work collaboratively with a dynamic group of six qualitative researchers
engaged in multiple studies of the development of young scientists. The primary role for the person in this
new position will be to study, synthesize, and integrate multiple social science and education theories and
interpretive frames with respect to how they can be used to explain career decisions of young scientists. The
integrated interpretive frame will be used as a new ‘lens’ through which to analyze a large volume of
interview-based qualitative research data. The data will come from longitudinal studies of the career
decision-making of over 500 students, starting as juniors in college. The person selected will work
collaboratively and independently to:
1. Expand our initial literature search of multiple social science fields for research and theories that might
contribute insights into how science students view and make choices about careers, especially focusing
on issues contributing to underrepresentation of women and minorities in science
2. Compile and annotate the literature base
3. Construct an integrated interpretive frame from the identified theories and previous research
4. Participate in the analysis of interview data from the career decision-making research studies
5. Begin creation of a resource describing the integration for use by both researchers in the field and
practitioners involved in programs and interventions to promote science careers
6. Lead preparation of quarterly reports and publications, as appropriate

This position requires an individual with the following background, skills and characteristics:
1. A PhD in a social science field or education utilizing qualitative research methods, or a masters degree
and qualitative research experience
2. Expertise and deep knowledge in their field and the capacity to learn and interpret the theories, and
evidence behind them, in other fields
3. Strong ability to synthesize information from multiple perspectives seeing how it coalesces or diverges
4. Flexibility of thinking to use multiple approaches for data analysis
5. Maturity and the ability to work both collaboratively and independently as needed
6. Experience creating web pages that link and display information is preferred but not required
This is a two year, grant-funded position available immediately. Salary will be commensurate with
background and experience, up to the level of a postdoctoral fellow/junior research associate. A full package
of benefits equivalent to that of other Northwestern University employees will be provided.
Interested applicants should contact and/or send CV, along with a cover letter indicating four ways they
believe they meet the qualifications for this position, to:
Rick McGee, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL 60611
r-mcgee@northwestern.edu
312-503-1737
Northwestern University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minori