Senior Applied Learning Scientist

Learning Commons is Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s education initiative, which aims to scale proven teaching and learning practices to benefit every learner. Learning Commons became the name of our education efforts in 2025 to build on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s work over the past decade to advance learning science and help translate that research into classroom practice.

At Learning Commons, we pair technology with grantmaking to scale proven teaching and learning practices to benefit every learner. We aim to translate what learning science tells us about how students learn best into classroom practice. With the advent of generative AI, that translation work can be accelerated and scaled to have a greater impact.

Our mission is to bring learning science into the tools used every day by teachers and students, ensuring that technology reflects the realities of classrooms and strengthens teaching and learning.

In today’s fragmented edtech landscape, school districts are often left piecing together products that don’t always align with curricula or instructional needs. While AI holds enormous potential to support educators, it can only deliver on that promise when grounded in research, high-quality educational data, and expert evaluation. That’s why we’re building open, public-purpose infrastructure — datasets, rubrics, and resources — that help raise the standard for educational tools and create more consistent, impactful learning experiences for all students and teachers.

At our core, we are builders, and our unique builder philanthropy approach is what sets us apart from other education funders. Take a closer look at the highlights and significant milestones of CZI’s first eight years of education work.

We are seeking an Applied Learning Scientist to support our team in translating learning science research into educational products and partnerships. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to initiatives that inform our product development strategy and support pedagogical innovation. You'll work on diverse projects and assignments while building your expertise in applied learning science within the educational technology space.

• Develop plans for and execute complex learning science work involving independent judgment and analysis while developing professional expertise in evidence-based learning practices
• Advise on development of work streams, initiatives or systems that impact varied components, processes and outcomes of the Learning Science Guide
• Advise on management of multiple programs and partnerships across one or more disciplines of Learning Science; apply advanced pedagogical knowledge to evaluate programs and partnerships for viability, scalability and impact
• Evaluate learning science, feasibility, market and other inputs to make recommendations and inform product roadmaps and strategy
• Contribute to development of project roadmaps while ensuring best pedagogical practices are integrated
• Manage relationships and complex initiatives with multiple learning science partners
• Evaluate complex applications of learning science principles and impact of program or project on learning outcomes; may present externally and internally
• Develop pedagogical insights and provide feedback to cross‑functional teams during development

• Demonstrated experience in all areas of the Applied Learning Science function with in‑depth specialization in some areas
• Substantial understanding of evidence‑based learning practices and principles
• Proven experience advising and guiding development and improvement of programs and products with multiple stakeholders
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to reach audiences with a range of experiences and understanding
• Ability to work as a team consultant with skills in inclusively soliciting input to build momentum for decisions and establishing relationships across teams
• Independent approach to recommending solutions for new assignments where projects regularly require new methods and approaches
• Experience building relationships with diverse researchers, external agencies, nonprofits,…