seeking a Senior Research Specialist for SCI

I’m pleased to share a formal job posting for an 18-month research-and-writing position with the Scholarly Communication Institute. The posting is limited to current employees of the Unversity of Virginia for four business days, after which it will open more broadly.* It’s a short-term position, but an excellent opportunity to work with SCI leadership and representatives of the following groups: the Scholars’ Lab Praxis Program, CHCI, centerNet, PressForward, the Modern Language Association, the Alliance for Networking Visual Culture, the ACLS, CLIR, and more. The timeframe for our decision is very short, so interested applicants should not delay!

UPDATE: The position is now open to all qualified candidates. Please note new URL below!

Senior Research Specialist, SCI

The Scholars’ Lab at the University of Virginia Library seeks a senior research specialist for a full-time, 18-month position with the Scholarly Communication Institute (SCI). The ideal candidate will have: excellent research, writing, and organizational skills; familiarity with humanities scholarship at the graduate level; and an interest in experimental approaches to digital authoring and publication or the education of emerging scholars and knowledge workers. Some travel is required, and there is a possibility of a work-from-home arrangement for a professional and thoroughly reliable candidate.

Reporting to UVa Library’s director of digital research and scholarship, the SCI research specialist will:

• help design, execute, and analyze a broad-based, anonymous survey of humanities professionals (together with the perceptions of their employers) to examine graduate-level preparation for so-called “alternative academic” careers (20%);
• attend and provide research support for three meetings and regular conference calls on new-model publishing and authoring environments, in order to take notes and help compile proceedings and recommendations (15%);
• attend and provide research support for two to three meetings centering on the reform of methodological training in the humanities, involving major humanities consortia, professional associations, and funders, to take notes and help compile proceedings and recommendations (15%);
• assist in research and organizational tasks related to the development and day-to-day operations of the Praxis Program at the University of Virginia Library, including the hosting of a gathering to foster inter-institutional collaboration on similar initiatives (20%);
• and perform other research and writing tasks as needed by SCI principals (10%).

The SCI research specialist will join a vibrant and dedicated community of faculty and staff at the Scholars’ Lab, and as such will be eligible for the self-directed “20% time” that all team members are granted to pursue professional development and their own (often collaborative) R&D; projects. This is a grant-funded position with a salary of approximately $50k per annum and full benefits as a member of the managerial and professional staff of the University of Virginia. The position begins no later than March 1st, 2012 and extends no later than August 31st, 2013.

Experience and Education: Master’s degree or higher in fields related to humanities scholarship or information science. Demonstrated ability as a writer and researcher. Project management experience or experience with survey design and analysis desirable.

Please APPLY ONLINE.