About the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)

The mission of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is to improve the scientific basis of environmental decision-making. Since its inception in 1990, NCSE has advanced the use of evidence and knowledge to inform decision-making by government at all levels and across all sectors, with a specific focus on complex environmental challenges facing society. Of note: NCSE is currently in transition to become the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE). NCSE is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.

About George Mason University Institute for Digital InnovAtion and the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

Researchers, innovators, and scholars in Mason’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) engage in cutting edge work to shape the future of our digital society, promoting equality, wellbeing, security and prosperity. The Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) community conducts integrative research in the natural sciences, social sciences, computational and data sciences, engineering, and humanities, bridging disciplinary gaps to realize innovative advances in an era of rapid global change.

Position Description

This position will be a joint appointment between NCSE and George Mason University. The Research Fellow will join the staff of the National Council for Science and the Environment and will receive high-level project oversight and guidance from the NCSE Deputy Director on the overall project goals and aims. Direct Supervision and Reporting will be to an appropriate faculty expert at George Mason University. The Fellow will work on a collaborative project at the intersection of data science, education, and climate resilience and sustainability. The specific goal of the project will be to develop an open source, web-based tool to “crawl” through university course catalogues and create a framework and replicable methodology to analyze course offerings across the higher education landscape, focused initially on the study of environmental and energy resilience education. The project will bring innovative approaches and methodology to build upon the more than 10-year history of NCSE in producing highly regarded, credible reports that analyze status and trends in higher education, especially in the fields of sustainability and energy.

The Fellow will work with a small collaborative team, including faculty and students at the graduate and undergraduate level from George Mason University and other institutions working with NCSE.

The initial appointment will be for a term of one year. Start date is flexible (as soon as possible) and the position is currently remote (subject to COVID-related policies), with future opportunities to work from either the office of NCSE, based in Washington, DC, or at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

Salary range is: $70,000-$80,000, commensurate with experience. Benefits are provided.

Qualifications

The Research Fellow will have completed a M.S. or preferably a Ph.D. in statistics, computer science, or related programs, with a preference for candidates who have demonstrated training and skills in both data analysis and programming. Strong interest in the field of climate, energy, or sustainability is preferred, and prior experience in these fields is valued. She or he should have graduate level knowledge of data management and machine learning. In addition, she or he should have programming experience in Python. The web application development will require expertise with Ruby-on-Rails, Angular, and Javascript. Data management will rely on expertise in MongoDB and Elasticsearch. Demonstrated ability to develop user-friendly digital tools, apps, or programs that leverage data and statistical methods in novel ways is highly valued. This individual should also have excellent organization, writing, and project management skills. NCSE and George Mason University are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons and to prohibiting discrimination because of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, status as a veteran, or any other protected status and/or conditions specified in federal and local civil rights laws.

Application Requirements

Applications should include a cover letter and a CV and be to employment@gcseglobal.org. We will consider applications beginning immediately on a rolling basis, until June 30, 2021 at 11:59pm ET.

The full position description can be found here on the GCSE website. Please note, we have extended the application deadline to June 30.