Research Scientist

About CDI

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-profit dedicated to equipping the next generation of Americans with the skills to communicate and collaborate across lines of difference. We work with U.S. colleges and universities by providing curricular programming for students, professional development for faculty and staff, and strategic guidance to leadership. Our goal is to foster constructive dialogue at every level of the institution and to create the conditions for lasting organizational change. CDI was co-founded by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling author of The Righteous Mind and The Anxious Generation.

CDI is at a pivotal moment of growth. In 2024, we more than doubled the number of partners we worked with, and we plan to double our reach again in 2025.

Summary

We are seeking a passionate and growth-oriented Research Scientist to join our mixed-methods Research Team. We envision this role to initially operate under the mentorship of our VP of Research and Innovation and Senior Research Scientist. Over several years, this role will grow towards directing the evaluation of our internal programs and being a voice for CDI Research via writing and speaking to scientific, practitioner, and lay audiences. The ideal person to fill this role is committed to doing research that advances the field of bridge-building and has very strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Under the mentorship of senior researchers, lead the evaluation of our products. These range from internal pre-post evaluations to large-scale randomized controlled trials. Responsibilities include:
  • With stakeholder input, maintain and revise the theory of change to reflect scientific updates and organizational priorities.
  • Conceptualize and design research studies that balance scientific rigor with real-world constraints and address the needs of stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with CDI analysts to answer research questions and communicate findings and recommendations to non-research audiences.
  • Collaborate with CDI analysts and the Product and Content teams to design and implement ongoing data collection.
  • Revise, test, and validate assessment measures (e.g. self-report, instructor surveys, behavioral measures).
• Under the mentorship of senior researchers, lead research projects that advance the practice of bridge-building in higher education. These have typically been (but do not have to be) qualitative research projects that identify and disseminate best practices. Responsibilities include:
  • Conceptualizing research studies that address timely problems of practice and address gaps in current knowledge.
  • Conduct and/or oversee data collection and synthesis.
  • Communicate findings to higher education practitioners and the general public via white papers, blog posts, social media, conference presentations, op eds, webinars, and other means.
  • Collaborate with Content and Growth teams to translate the findings into program improvements for CDI and our partners.
• Represent CDI research to practitioners and the general public.
  • Speak and write about our research focus and findings without jargon and with conviction.
  • Address potentially contentious topics accurately and with sensitivity, staying true to CDI’s commitment to nonpartisanship.
  • Stay current in both scientific literature and “grey” literature related to CDI’s areas of practice.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD in psychology, sociology, or related quantitative social science field.
• 2+ years of experience leading social science research.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge of the field of bridge-building and/or depolarization, either through practice or research.
• Experience conducting evaluations of interventions, preferably in non-lab settings.
• Knowledge of advanced statistics for the social sciences (e.g., multiple regression, mixed effects modeling, statistical mediation and moderation, longitudinal and clustered data).
• Experience with qualitative methods.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred

• Experience programming in R
• Knowledge of implementation science
• At least 1 year of conducting social science research in an applied (non-academic) setting.