Information Scientist; Applied Technology Policy

Position: Information Scientist (Applied Technology Policy)
Job Type: Regular Position Description Are you passionate about using your analytical skills to address critical policy challenges? RAND is seeking talented Information Scientists to join our team and contribute to impactful research in national security policy.

RAND researchers contribute to and lead innovative projects that deliver objective, reliable insights for the public and policymakers at multiple levels. They embrace challenges on diverse topics that require strong analytic capabilities, technical knowledge, and academic, industry, or government experience in organizational processes and decision-making.

Why RAND?
· Reputation for Excellence:
Be part of a non-profit, non-partisan organization renowned for its rigorous and objective research.
· Dynamic Opportunities:
Collaborate in multidisciplinary teams on diverse projects that challenge and expand your skills.
· Poised for Impact:
Your research will inform thousands of policymakers, clients, and other stakeholders around the world.

Responsibilities:

Information Scientists at RAND apply their analytical and technical expertise to:

Examine complex policy problems by developing innovative research approaches such as modeling and simulation and novel artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools.

Execute this research using a broad range of analytically rigorous quantitative and qualitative research tools, methods, and skills.

Interpret research results to support stakeholder decision-making.

Communicate research results to policymakers and the public at all levels through written products and oral presentations.

Contribute to business development efforts

Qualifications

Successful applicants will have demonstrated technical or methodological skills, and/or domain knowledge in the technical design, development, testing, application, and/or operation of information, communications, space, automation, or AI/machine learning systems. Relevant skills and knowledge may include:

Cybersecurity systems implementation, security assurance, vulnerability risk management, or adversarial testing of AI-enabled systems

Development, deployment, and evaluation of AI-enabled research or decision-support tools, including LLM applications, agentic workflows, or human-in-the-loop analytical systems

Development, application, or policy analysis of financial technology systems, including digital assets and technology-enabled financial platforms and services

Development of modeling and simulation approaches for space, autonomous, robotic, or other complex systems

Analysis of large, complex datasets using data science or machine-learning methods

All research positions at RAND require excellent analytic skills; the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English, both orally and in writing; the ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team; and a strong commitment to RAND's core values of quality and objectivity.

Experience

Experience with components of the Department of War is highly desired.

Professional or academic experience with a focus on the technical design, development, testing, application, and/or operation of engineered systems are preferred.

Successful applicants will be able to present strong evidence of research experience, demonstrated through authorship of academic publications, conference presentations, or prior professional reports. They will also be versatile with multiple research methods.

Education Requirements The preferred candidate will have a PhD and 1-4 years of experience in computer science or engineering, information science, cyberengineering, robotics, or related field (such as mathematics, operations research, physical sciences, or closely related discipline). Applicants with a masters degree and at least 5 years of professional experience in one of these fields, or with a bachelors degree and at least 10 years of experience, will also be considered.

Professional experience should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to design, execute and disseminate results of research using analytically rigorous methods.

Security Clearance Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. Please note that U.S. citizenship is required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance. Candidates with an active U.S. security clearance are preferred.

Location Washington, DC;
Santa Monica, CA;
Pittsburgh PAWriting Sample Required Successful applications will include documentation in the application package of academic and professional…