Researcher, Kinder Institute Urban Research

About Rice

About Rice Boasting a 300-acre, tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system that supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. These values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They are reflected in the way we treat each other and in the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research is seeking a full-time Researcher or Senior Researcher (depending on experience) for the Center for Housing and Neighborhoods. The researcher will oversee research produced in cooperation with a set of partner organizations in and around the Houston region, on topics such as housing affordability, homelessness, community development, housing and health, housing quality, evictions, gentrification, and segregation.

The Researcher is responsible for utilizing research-practice partnership principles to develop community-informed research projects, identify funding, and execute collaborative projects. In addition to externally facing work, the Researcher will assist in building internal capacity by mentoring, leading, and motivating a team of researchers to develop projects with appropriate methodological rigor while implementing data quality standards and practices. The Kinder Institute for Urban Research aims to improve lives through data, research, engagement, and action.

The institute consists of five research centers focused on critical aspects shaping the social and cultural landscape of the Houston area. The five centers study housing, education, community and public health, economic mobility and inequality, and population dynamics. Each center investigates its particular topic area and works across centers to build interdisciplinary teams specializing in solutions-oriented research. The centers use a research-practice partnership (RPP) model to jointly design, develop, and conduct research that values diversity in expertise and prioritizes the community in identifying and addressing some of the most pressing questions and challenges facing greater Houston.

We strive for our research to inform decision-making and bring about systemic change. The ideal candidate thrives in a team environment, actively leading, collaborating with, and motivating others. They will have superior interpersonal, scientific, and numerical skills, with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy.

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. 3 days in-office / 2 days remote. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the proposed salary is $81,000 – $84,000 annually, depending on skills and experience. Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

• Bachelor’s Degree (or foreign equivalent) in housing-related fields, such as urban studies, urban planning, geography, public policy, sociology, public health, economics, or another social science field.
• 4+ years of experience in a combination of the following:
• Data maintenance and analysis
• Quantitative methodology in Stata, SAS, or R
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in either the ESRI suite, Python, and/or R
• Interviews, focus groups, ethnography, or discourse analysis
• Skills:
  
  Proficiency in statistical analysis, data interpretation, and critical thinking to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets
• Strong understanding of research methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative approaches, survey design, and experimental techniques
• Ability to collect, organize, and manage large datasets efficiently while maintaining data integrity and confidentiality
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to articulate research findings effectively through comprehensive reports, presentations, and other media
• Capability to lead and manage multiple research projects simultaneously, including planning, coordination, and timely execution, w