Senior Research Scientist-Field Day

Senior Research Scientist

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), housed in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, is one of the world's first and most productive education research centers. WCER supports innovative, collaborative research and development that advances education policy and practice. Field Day is an interdisciplinary team of artists, engineers, designers, researchers, writers, and game developers that creates research-based learning games and related infrastructure.

Its work bridges educational research, learning-game development, data science, and engagement with educators and other communities. Field Day's freely available games are designed with researchers, subject-matter experts, teachers, and learners and are used to investigate how people learn.

The Senior Research Scientist will provide scientific and strategic leadership for Field Day's research infrastructure and community. The primary responsibility of this position will be to architect and fundraise for Open Game Data research infrastructure. The position will independently identify research opportunities, design studies and methodologies, analyze and interpret data, develop grant proposals, author scholarly and technical publications, and direct complex research operations.

The role will also guide the development and sustainability of research infrastructure, cultivate partnerships and user communities, coordinate interdisciplinary collaborators, and supervise or direct project personnel. The successful candidate will connect rigorous research practice with durable systems and communities that support learning-game research at scale.

This is a 75% FTE remote position. Remote work is subject to UW-Madison remote-work policies and approval.

Key job responsibilities include:

• Providing strategic and operational leadership for Field Day research infrastructure, including planning, implementation, governance, sustainability, and continuous improvement.
• Attending and assisting with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
• Conducting literature reviews, preparing reports and materials and, disseminating information to appropriate entities
• Monitoring program budget and approving unit expenditures
• Collecting and analyzing highly complex research data, conducting experiments and interviews, and documenting results according to established policies and procedures
• Serving as an institutional subject matter expert and liaison with key internal and external stakeholders providing expert level information and representing the interests of a specialized research area
• Identifying research problems and developing highly complex research methodologies and procedures. Publishing and presenting results to help advance research
• May supervise the day-to-day activities of a research unit and staff and resolve routine personnel issues
• Identifying, writing, or assisting in developing grant opportunities, grant applications, and proposals to secure research funding
• Building and sustaining communities of researchers, educators, developers, and partners who use or contribute to Field Day research infrastructure.

The position is located in the School of Education / Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) / Field Day.

Compensation:
Minimum: $100,000. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

Required qualifications include:

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience leading research infrastructure, research operations, or complex interdisciplinary research programs.
• Demonstrated ability to independently identify research problems and design rigorous research methodologies, protocols, and studies.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting quantitative and/or qualitative research data.
• Demonstrated success developing competitive grant proposals and managing sponsored research…