Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow

Details

Title Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow

School Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department/Area Institute for Quantitative Social Science

Position Description

The Program on Higher Education Research ( PHER ) announces a one-year research fellowship. PHER is a new initiative within the Institute for Quantitative Social Science ( IQSS ) focused on applying the full social-science toolkit to study and improve higher education.

Rather than rely on anecdotes or partisan narratives, this Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow will help the program generate rigorous data and translate them into concrete, testable policy reforms that can be adopted to improve various aspects of higher education. Research products include policy white papers, studies, and articles.

Research activities include:

• Writing, fielding, and analyzing survey data.

• Organizing and conducting interviews of stakeholders.

• Managing undergraduate researchers and conducting research using publicly available resources on the legal, social, and political context.

Other responsibilities include organizing events on campus to raise awareness on topics related to higher education policy.

The research team consists of faculty, research staff, and students from Education, Psychology, Government, Philosophy, and Law. Professor Steven Pinker will serve as the Faculty Sponsor for the fellowship. PHER Director, Jason Nemirow, will provide day-to-day workflow direction and serve as the primary operational contact for the position. IQSS Faculty Director, Professor Gary King will work as part of a research team. This appointment will be administered by IQSS ( (

Qualified researchers must have at least a bachelor's degree; the position is also open to applicants with a master's degree. Applicants must have intimate knowledge of higher education policy in general and Harvard policies in particular. Research skills, both qualitative (such as training and experience conducting interviews) and quantitative (some statistical training and proficiency in statistical software) are required.

Applicants should provide 2 external reference letters, a curriculum vitae, and a research sample, such as a report or article that demonstrates the applicant's research skills. Duration is for one year, with an anticipated start date on or around July 1, 2026. Compensation is $80,000 per year. This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position.

IQSS is a university-wide institute whose mission is to solve society's greatest challenges through the creation, preservation, and dissemination of social science knowledge.

IQSS sits in the Division of Social Science. At IQSS , respect and fairness, kindness and collegiality, and trust and transparency are among the values we espouse and promote in our workplace culture. We work hard to ensure a healthy, inclusive, and positive environment where everyone does their best work in support of Harvard's mission.

Additional Information:

• This is a one-year appointment from the date of hire, with the possibility of extension based on research need, funding, and performance.

• Due to the importance of in-person mentoring with their Faculty Sponsor and having the opportunity to interact with colleagues and researchers within their department, it is expected that the Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow will work on campus.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree minimum

• Domain expertise in higher education policy in general and Harvard in particular

• Demonstrated social science research skills, both qualitative and quantitative

Additional Qualifications

Special Instructions

• Applicants should provide 2 external reference letters, a curriculum vitae, and a research sample that demonstrates the applicant's research skills.

• Please upload reference letters to the "Additional Letter" and "Other" document categories.

• The application deadline is June 14, 2026.

Contact Information

Michael J. O'Brien

Cambridge, MA 02138

Contact Email [email protected]

Salary Range

$80,000

Minimum Number of References Required 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed 2

Keywords

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Supplemental Questions