IDA Fellow

The Institute for Defense Analyses, Center for Communications Research, Princeton (IDA CCRP) invites applications for the IDA Fellowship, to be followed by an appointment as a research staff member.

The IDA Fellowship program was established to provide funding for fellows from historically underrepresented backgrounds who wish to pursue careers in research supporting national security. We seek to recruit and support highly qualified scientists with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives arising from differences including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, country of origin, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status. As part of their application, applicants should submit a short personal statement describing how their background, experiences, and perspective contribute to their academic and professional pursuits.

About the position

The IDA Fellow will first perform research as a visiting scholar at a US university and continue their academic research program, while receiving salary and benefits from IDA. This phase is designed to last one year, with the possibility of extending by an additional year, in order to give the applicant time to obtain a security clearance, which is required in order to become a member of the research staff.

Upon obtaining the required security clearance, the selected applicant would then join the IDA CCRP research staff. The start date for this position is flexible, but we anticipate that the successful applicant will begin the fellowship by Fall 2023.

About CCR Princeton and the Research Staff Member position

The Center for Communications Research, Princeton (CCR Princeton) includes research staff members in mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering and related fields. We are a collaborative research institution of self-motivated colleagues who like working on hard problems that are theoretical as well as practical, and that have an impact on the vital communications that protect national security. Their solutions often come from interdisciplinary collaboration, drawing on knowledge from mathematics, computer science, statistics, and signals analysis.

CCR Princeton and its sister institutions, CCR La Jolla and CCS Bowie, form the Center for Communications and Computing, a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) that is a division of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA).

Rather than recruiting in specific subfields, we are looking for creative Ph.D.s who will help build on the specialized body of knowledge that has been developed in-house. Some projects require deep and sophisticated mathematics, others the latest computational technologies, and many require both. In addition to internal work, we encourage continued academic research, and support travel to workshops and conferences.

We have a shared-credit environment and a flat organizational structure. Collaboration is encouraged by an “open door” policy, informal conversations at daily tea, regular seminars, and easy access to spontaneous discussion sessions. The result is small, flexible working groups. We also hold a ten-week SCAMP (Summer Conference on Applied Mathematical Problems) each summer, which brings in graduate students and faculty from academic institutions for collaborative work on focused problems.

We are located in Princeton, NJ, which is a great place to live with excellent schools in Princeton and surrounding townships, and many enjoyable indoor and outdoor activities. We maintain close relations with both Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study. In addition to easy access to New York City and Philadelphia, Princeton is a bikeable, cosmopolitan town with high-quality options for dining and the arts.

Desired qualifications
PhD in mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, engineering, or related field.

Required qualifications
US citizenship.
An appropriate security clearance (which we will sponsor).

Application Process
Interested individuals should apply via mathjobs.org. Please submit the following materials with your application:

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Research Statement, including a proposal for where you would work as an IDA Fellow and who your mentor would be at that institution;
• Personal Statement describing how your background, experiences, and perspective contribute to your academic and professional pursuits; and
• Three Reference Letters from people who can comment on your research contributions, problem solving abilities and potential.

Applications received by November 20, 2022 will receive full consideration.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitment
IDA commits to rigor, transparency, and integrity as we move forward to:
• Promote diversity through recruitment, retention, and career growth
• Implement and maintain policies and practices that enable the success of all IDA community mem-bers in our shared mission
• Foster a culture of active citizenship within IDA and society more broadly to establish an environ-ment that values each member of the community
• Engage internal and external stakeholders in a data-driven process of continuous feedback and learning

For further information, please contact Wayne Raskind, Director, at: [email protected] or see our website http://idaccr.org/ .