Research Scientist The George Mason University Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP), housed within the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, invites applications for a Research Scientist to work for the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (W/B HIDTA) Program in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason's academic and culturally inclusive environment.About the Position: The Research Scientist will be supervised by the Research Program Manager to work on a multi-phase research project funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) studying illicit drug enterprises within five major U.S. cities: 1) Baltimore, MD, 2) New York City, NY, 3) Cleveland, OH, 4) Salt Lake City, UT, and 5) Portland, OR. These five cities are geographically diverse and located within five separate HIDTA regions throughout the U.S.: Washington/Baltimore; New York/New Jersey; Ohio, Rocky Mountain, and Oregon/Idaho, respectively. This project is being done in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), other Federal law enforcement agencies, many state and local law enforcement agencies, depending on the specific HIDTA region, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All partner organizations are committed to its success and dedicated to assisting in any way possible.This research project will provide an in-depth description of the business operations of drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) by using multiple qualitative and quantitative data sources. Borrowing from the fields of economics, business management and administration, this innovative research will analyze the dynamics and inner workings of drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) in order to understand their business models and identify their greatest enforcement vulnerabilities. This information will then be used to assist law enforcement in designing strategies and tools to effectively disrupt and dismantle DTOs in order to reduce the drug supply.The Research Scientist will be afforded the opportunity to work on a one-of-a-kind, collaborative, large-scale research project from the beginning phases. This individual will work with an expert research team to create the research design, provide technical guidance, and project direction to research associates and interns, collect data, conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis, and provide results in oral and written format. The substantial and diverse amounts of data and information gathered as part of this project will provide a unique opportunity for the researcher to advance scientific knowledge in the field with publications and work towards personal educational goals.This is a time-limited position, with future funding being contingent upon annual grant awards. This position can be located anywhere within the continental United States with work being performed via telework.Responsibilities:Synthesize Research. Tasks include: Synthesize existing research on illicit drug markets, drug trafficking organizations, illicit networks, business models, economics; mentor interns; and ensure timely progress is made to achieve project goals.Formulate Research Design. Tasks include: Work with project team to formulate the project's research design, create new data collection instruments, determine feasibility, and identify and troubleshoot issues that may arise related to data and research design.Stakeholder Collaboration. Tasks include: Coordinate work and efforts to ensure effective communications between project staff and research partners; organize and prepare reports, and other internal and external communications.Translation. Tasks include: Work with Research Program Manager to draft and revise scientific writing for a variety of contexts, to include the translation into digestible content for the general audience. Such platforms include: grant proposals, public dissemination products, social media postings, academic journals, conference presentations, and news media outlets.Required Qualifications:Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in criminal justice, business, economics, social sciences, or a related field, OR a Master's Degree with one or more years of experience doing applied law enforcement and/or drug policy research;Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work and collaborate within and across teams both inside and outside the organization;Ability to work effectively in an interagency environment with Federal, state, and local law enforcement and/or drug intelligence analysis;Demonstrated proficiency with both quantitative and qualitative research methods;Proficiency with statistical software (e.g., Stata, SPSS, R, SAS);Experience with critically reviewing and synthesizing literature and interpreting research results;Demonstrated ability to write report and scholarly products in a variety of formats for dissemination;Must be able to pass HIDTA Background Check and Drug Statement;Must be able to obtain a security clearance; andTravel is expected for this position (15%, once allowed).About the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP): The CEBCP, founded in 2008, seeks to make scientific research a key component in decisions about crime and justice policies. The CEBCP carries out this mission by advancing rigorous studies in criminal justice and criminology through research-practice collaborations, and proactively serving as an informational and translational link to practitioners and the policy community.About the HIDTA Program: Created by Congress in 1988, the National HIDTA Program is a Federal grant program administered by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to provide resources that assist Federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and public health efforts to address regional drug threats with the purpose of reducing drug trafficking and drug production in the United States in order to save lives. The HIDTA program oversees 33 regional HIDTAs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. With HIDTA presence in over 600 counties across the country, an estimated two-thirds of Americans live in a HIDTA-designated county. The goals of the W/B HIDTA Program are to disrupt the market for illegal drugs by dismantling and disrupting drug trafficking and/or money laundering organizations; and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of HIDTA initiatives in support of the National Drug Control Strategy. The Research Program enhances the effectiveness of the regional HIDTA programs through a collaborative effort to further explore drug threats and vulnerabilities in order to design effective strategies for intervention to combat the drug threat nationally.

For full consideration, applicants must apply at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information.

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