Research Analyst II, Modeling and Forecasting - Fletcher School

Overview

The Fletcher School is the United States' first professional graduate school of international affairs. Since 1933 Fletcher's multi-disciplinary education in international relations, law, and business, has prepared the world's leaders to become innovative problem-solvers in government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations. The Fletcher School seeks to fulfill its mission in the most environmentally sensible way possible.

The Institute for Business in the Global Context (IBGC) focuses on the interplay between global business and the fundamental forces that shape the context in which enterprises operate. The Institute cultivates "contextual intelligence" by considering the geopolitical, legal, financial, security, macroeconomic, humanitarian, and environmental impacts on business. IBGC, through its ongoing "Digital Planet" research program, measures the rate and state of digitalization around the world and conducts an interdisciplinary study of the impact of digital innovation and emerging technologies on society and the world at large.

This is a full-time, grant-funded position for one year, with the possibility of renewal for up to three years (subject to funding). This position is not eligible for severance pay.

Digital Planet, housed within The Fletcher School's Institute for Business in the Global Context (IBGC), is seeking a Research Analyst (Modeling & Forecasting) to lead analytical and computational modeling work for its Digital Divide Modeling Project. This role is central to building and validating quantitative models that forecast digital readiness and mobile internet adoption across low- and middle-income countries. Working closely with the Head of Research and the Principal Investigator, the Research Analyst will design, implement, and refine the project's statistical and machine learning models, integrating complex multi-source datasets spanning infrastructure, affordability, digital literacy, norms, and development outcomes.

The ideal candidate combines strong quantitative and coding skills with a deep interest in global development, digital inclusion, and the intersection of technology and policy. This is a full-time, grant-funded position for one year, with the possibility of renewal for up to three years (subject to funding).

Project / Program Planning and Management

• Develop research goals, analytical strategies, and modeling frameworks in collaboration with the Head of Research and Principal Investigator.
• Manage the end-to-end research workflow for the Digital Divide Modeling Project, including data acquisition, cleaning, model design, and validation.
• Coordinate timelines and deliverables across modeling, visualization, and publication work streams.
• Communicate progress, findings, and implications clearly to internal teams, funders, and external partners.
• Prepare summaries, reports, and briefings for both technical and policy audiences.
• Contribute to the preparation of grant progress reports and new funding proposals.

Analytical and Modeling Responsibilities

• Develop and implement statistical and machine learning models (e.g., multiple regression, LASSO, gradient boosting, random forests) to forecast digital readiness and inclusion trajectories.
• Conduct scenario and sensitivity analyses to estimate how changes in affordability, coverage, and literacy impact digital adoption outcomes.
• Perform econometric modeling and elasticity estimation to identify high-impact drivers of digital inclusion.
• Design, test, and document model specifications, assumptions, and validation approaches to ensure transparency and reproducibility.
• Integrate and harmonize large-scale, multi-source datasets (GSMA, ITU, DHS/MICS, Findex, World Bank, IHME, etc.) for use in analytical pipelines.
• Collaborate with data engineers and designers to operationalize model outputs into dashboards, visualization tools, or interactive policy platforms.
• Prepare modeling code and workflows for publication in open repositories (e.g., Git Hub), ensuring compliance with reproducible research standards.

Research and Execution

• Conduct literature reviews and synthesize findings related to digital inclusion, technology adoption, and economic development.
• Track and summarize emerging research, data releases, and methodologies relevant to digital readiness measurement.
• Draft and edit analytical reports, blogs, working papers, and journal articles.
• Prepare data visualizations, figures, and tables to communicate results to diverse audiences.
• Provide quantitative and qualitative support for other Digital Planet research projects as needed.
• Train and mentor student researchers and temporary assistants working on data analysis and modeling tasks.

People Management

• Recruit, train, and supervise student research assistants and interns.
• Review and guide their coding, documentation, and data quality practices.
• Coordinate collaborative modeling and data integration work streams across internal and external partners.