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Job Opportunities & Visiting Scholars

View job opportunities and learn about visiting scholars at The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM).

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The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) and the Center for Governance of Technology and Systems (GoTech) are research, education, and outreach units of the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy (SPP).

Over three decades, CISSM has established a strong international and national reputation for innovative policy research on complex global security challenges, broadly defined and a set of signature activities, including the biweekly CISSM forum speaker series and the quarterly CISSM update. Several new faculty and research associates have joined CISSM in recent years, so we are looking for a communications and events coordinator who will take the initiative to refine and implement our strategy for elevating and broadening CISSM’s engagement with audiences from the local to the global.

GoTech is newly established as an independent research and policy engagement center with a close working relationship with CISSM. It is looking for a communications and events coordinator who will help it forge a clear identity, raise awareness of its activities and outputs, and build a reputation for tackling complex technology governance issues creatively, rigorously, and practically. This is initially structured as a half-time position with the potential to grow into full-time.

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Best Consideration Date: August 16, 2023

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Project

Enabling Anticipatory Action for Acute Malnutrition in Practice through Strengthening Early Warning Systems Project

Background

A priority of the international community is to improve capabilities of early warning systems that enable more timely and effective anticipatory action in advance of food security crises. CISSM is conducting an applied research project that aims to advance statistical modeling of acute malnutrition and the use of resulting model-based forecasts by stakeholders involved in humanitarian practice, with a focus on Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Action Against Hunger (ACF), an international NGO, and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). The work builds on the Modeling Early Risk Indicators to Anticipate Malnutrition (MERIAM) project, which was completed in 2021.

Job Description

CISSM seeks a Data Scientist to serve among the key personnel contributing to the implementation of the project. In particular, the position involves significant responsibilities for the identification, acquisition, compilation and processing of diverse sources of data; designing and executing statistical modeling; generating associated products including visualizations of results such as graphics, maps, and interactive tools; and assisting with training and learning activities about utilizing predictive evidence in operational settings. The Data Scientist will work closely with project teams at both the University of Maryland (led by Dr. David Backer) and the University of Minnesota (led by Dr. Kathryn Grace), as well as engaging regularly with project personnel at ACF Germany, ACF US, ACF’s Horn of East Africa Regional Office (HEARO), and ACF country offices in the focus countries. Project activities are expected to entail periodic domestic and international travel. The position will be located at the University of Maryland. The formal appointment will be as either a Faculty Assistant, Post-Doctoral Associate, or Assistant Research Scholar, depending on the qualifications of the candidate who is hired.

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Closing Date: August 31, 2023

CISSM has limited space to host visiting scholars whose research interests coincide with current projects at the center and who have their own source of financial support. Whenever possible, applications for the coming academic year should be made no later than the end of February. For best consideration, applications for semester-long or summer visits should be made at least four months in advance. When individual circumstances necessitate an earlier decision or a different length of stay, we will respond to the best of our own time and space constraints. Applications should include a letter of inquiry, a research proposal directly related to at least one current CISSM project, and a curriculum vita.

Please send materials to:

CISSM Director Nancy Gallagher
Email: ngallag@umd.edu