Senior Research Scientist – Field Day

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Wisconsin.

📋 Description

• Provide scientific and strategic leadership for Field Day’s research infrastructure and community.

• Architect and secure funding for Open Game Data research infrastructure.

• Independently identify research opportunities.

• Design studies along with rigorous research methodologies.

• Analyze and interpret complex quantitative and/or qualitative research data.

• Conduct literature reviews, experiments, and interviews; document the results.

• Develop grant opportunities, applications, and proposals to obtain research funding.

• Author scholarly, technical, and research publications and present findings.

• Lead the planning, implementation, governance, sustainability, and continuous improvement of research infrastructure.

• Build and maintain communities of researchers, educators, developers, and partners.

• Cultivate partnerships and coordinate interdisciplinary collaborators.

• Act as a subject-matter expert and liaison with internal and external stakeholders.

• Monitor program budgets and approve unit expenditures.

• Supervise or direct staff, project teams, contractors, and research personnel.

• Attend and assist in facilitating scholarly events and presentations.

⛳️ Requirements

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience leading research infrastructure, research operations, or complex interdisciplinary research programs.

• Ability to independently identify research challenges and design rigorous research methodologies, protocols, and studies.

• Experience in analyzing and interpreting quantitative and/or qualitative research data.

• Proven success in developing competitive grant proposals and managing sponsored research activities.

• A track record of authoring scholarly, technical, or research publications and effectively communicating results to diverse audiences.

• Experience in directing staff, project teams, contractors, or cross-functional collaborators.

• Capability to build and sustain research communities and partnerships across disciplines and organizations.

• Exceptional written, oral, organizational, and stakeholder-management skills.

• Terminal degree (PhD or equivalent) in education or science.

• Preferred: experience in educational research, learning sciences, educational technology, digital learning games, or game-based assessment.

• Preferred: experience in developing or operating open, shared, or community-facing research infrastructure.

• Preferred: experience with research data governance, reproducible research practices, and responsible data use.

• Preferred: experience in leading distributed or remote interdisciplinary teams.

• Preferred: familiarity with research administration and sponsored-project requirements in a university context.

• Application requires a current resume and cover letter.

• Employment may necessitate a criminal background check.

• References may be requested from final candidates.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package.

• Generous paid time off.

• Competitively priced health, dental, vision, and life insurance.

• Tax-advantaged savings accounts.

• Participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

• Remote work arrangement subject to UW-Madison remote-work policies and approval.