Job Description

Research Director - National Tutoring Observatory, Information Science

Cutting-edge research is an integral part of the NTO's mission. As such, the successful candidate will work closely with Cornell faculty members and the project's co-principal investigators (from multiple organizations) to oversee a cross-organizational research team consisting of a group of postdoctoral associates, PhD students, and several master's or undergraduate students. The Research Director will lead the communication with the Scientific Advisory Board who will guide the research direction of the project.

The Research Director will be tasked with leading a team to generate scientific research that probes and enhances the quality of the MTM dataset and components of the underlying data pipeline, publishes these insights and applications using the MTM dataset, and administers a mini-grants program to engage a wider community of researchers and EdTech developers.

The work includes, but is not limited to: (1) working alongside the NTO's engineering team to investigate the validity of components of the data processing workflow (focus in Phase 1 of the project) and effective tutoring moves using the MTM dataset (focus in Phase 2); (2) sharing innovations and best practices for investigating tutoring data and effective tutoring moves through published academic papers and conference presentations (focus in Phase 3); and (3) overseeing the development and execution of the mini grants program for about 5 potential awardees.

Key responsibilities:

• Leverage extant literature scans to build a theory of action about the research most needed to improve teacher practice and student learning; revise the theory of action with input from key partners like tutoring providers
• Engage with tutoring providers through a set of regular meetings to identify a set of common research questions raised by developers and practitioners
• Engage a Scientific Advisory Board to support the direction and progress of the research team
• Establish a "research road map" for the research team based on the NTO's initial project plans, outlining key milestones and deliverables by project phase
• Leverage the research team to engage in requirements gathering to ensure that the annotation models implemented match user needs and expectations
• Translate findings into requirements for the engineering team to inform the algorithms, models, annotations, and ultimately the data is made available for researchers, developers, and solution providers to use
• Design and lead validation studies to test AI-powered annotations against human labels generated by undergraduate students
• Design and lead quasi-experimental studies to identify causal evidence of effective tutoring moves in the MTM dataset (which is large but mostly observational) through connecting tutor process data with student outcome data
• Design and lead studies that demonstrate applications of the MTM dataset such as offline experiments that compare baseline tutoring models (GPT-4, Claude, etc.) with models that are fine-tuned with the MTM dataset
• Design and execute a mini-grants program to award about five small grants to education and EdTech researchers to use the MTM dataset
• Lead the publication of academic papers in top venues in learning sciences, education technology, information science, or education research
• Share research findings in conference venues and represent the NTO at key research conferences in education technology, AI in education, tutoring, and math education
• Stay abreast of current projects in the funder portfolio and broader research community whose focus is synergistic to the goals of the NTO; leverage insights and tools into NTO research plans as appropriate
• Support the NTO leadership team in staffing the research team for "to be hired" positions, as needed

Some travel may be required for this position.

Pay Ranges: $61,008 - $145,700. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

* Prior relevant work or industry experience

* Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

* Academic Discipline (faculty pay ranges reflects 9-month annual salary)

* Unique applicable skills

Closing Date: Open until filled

Pay Range:

Pay Ranges:

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience.
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
• Academic Discipline
• Unique applicable skills.

Employment Assistance:

Notice to Applicants:

EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

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