Research Analyst - Entry-Level STEM PhD

About the role

The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a non-profit, federally-funded research and development center (FFRDC) that provides objective and rigorous analysis to answer U.S. security and science questions. The position is located at IDA’s Systems and Analyses Center (SAC) in Alexandria, VA.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to scientifically sound research and provide technical review for others’ research products.
• Engage with sponsors to understand their issues and constraints, and develop responsive research plans.
• Identify key factors of the issue under study, and create and execute appropriate quantitative analytic methodologies, including novel computational and model-based approaches.
• Analyze, evaluate, and integrate data and model results to develop strategic and actionable insights, often through the development of tailored software.
• Prepare reports and presentations documenting findings, conclusions, and recommendations and effectively communicate the results of IDA’s analysis to sponsors and selected audiences.

Qualifications

• A genuine interest in supporting the national security enterprise.
• A Ph.D. in a highly technical/computational field, e.g., physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, (applied) mathematics, or a related STEM field.
• A demonstrated record of research accomplishments in the field of study.
• A demonstrated ability to perform independent and collaborative research.
• A demonstrated ability to meet externally-imposed project deadlines.
• Experience conceptualizing, developing, and documenting software tools for data analysis, modeling, and simulation.
• Programming experience with modern computing environments and languages (e.g., Python, C/C++, R, MATLAB, etc.).
• Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, particularly the ability to communicate technical information to technical and non-technical audiences.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits including diverse health insurance options, generous 10% contribution to retirement, maternity/paternity leave, 20 days paid time off, and relocation reimbursement.
• Mission-oriented work at a non-profit that supports and protects our warfighters.
• Professional development including tuition reimbursement, internal and external trainings, and funding for researcher-pitched projects and publications.
• A culture of work-life balance, including flex time, partial telework, and limiting work communication to core business hours.
• The opportunity to craft your own unique research portfolio of distinct value to the national security enterprise.