Senior Research Scientist

Department: Kellogg Marketing, The Ad-Tech Research Lab (AdTLab) at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

About the role

The AdTLab seeks one or more Senior Research Scientists to support faculty in harnessing massive data sets, applying cutting-edge methodologies, and addressing critical issues in digital advertising. AdTLab faculty have backgrounds in diverse areas such as economics, marketing, and psychology and routinely collaborate on research published in top academic journals. Current research spans measurement and attribution, personalization and privacy, and best-in-class advertising practices. Collaborations extend beyond Kellogg, involving large-scale proprietary data from Fortune 500 companies.

Senior Research Scientists will be supervised by the faculty director (Florian Zettelmeyer, Professor of Marketing) and one or more faculty fellows of AdTLab. They will contribute to faculty research projects through tasks including the organization, curation, and analysis of large-scale data; development and implementation of experiments; execution of advanced empirical analyses, including machine learning and/or AI; and management and coordination of research projects.

Responsibilities

• Support faculty research projects through data organization, curation, and analysis.
• Develop and implement experiments and advanced empirical analyses, including machine learning and AI.
• Manage and coordinate research projects, spending up to 20% of time on these tasks.
• Engage substantively in research design, analysis, and interpretation.
• Attend AdTLab meetings and participate in intellectual conversations.
• Participate in closed-door gatherings with thought leaders addressing industry challenges.
• Contribute to the broader department, school, and university community.
• May be invited to become co-authors on academic and industry publications at faculty discretion.

Qualifications

Applicants should have completed (or be near completion of) a Ph.D. in economics, marketing, computer science (ML/AI), or a related field.

Skills

• Demonstrated record of methodological excellence.
• Experience curating, managing, and analyzing large or complex data sets.
• Experience working in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, etc.).
• Strong analytical skills, including experience with modern empirical methods, ML/AI.
• Facility with statistical programming tools (e.g., R, Python, SQL).
• Strong capabilities in using Generative and Agentic AI to accelerate research and programming.
• Strong scientific writing skills.
• Project management skills for research projects with multiple co-authors.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Paid medical/sick and parental leave.
• Tuition benefits for the employee and dependents.
• Pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care.
• Generous retirement savings options.
• Wellness programs.

For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit Northwestern University Benefits.

Pay

Compensation will be based on experience and qualifications, with a base pay range of $125,000–$150,000 for a twelve-month appointment. This range is subject to negotiation and may vary based on factors including experience, qualifications, years since terminal degree, training, field or discipline, departmental budget availability, internal comparators, and external market pay for comparable positions.

Schedule

The position has flexible starting dates between September 2026 and January 2027. The appointment is for one year, with the possibility of renewal on a year-to-year basis subject to performance and funding.