Research Openings at the Institute for Defense Analyses

The project leader in the Navy Group at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, VA, Steve Rabinowitz, is looking to hire several new Research Staff Members and wants to bring the opportunity to the attention of any grad students or postdocs who may be finishing up between now and spring 2016.

IDA is a non-profit Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) under contract with the Department of Defense to provide independent, objective, and rigorous analyses of national security issues. Our division supports the Office of the Secretary of Defense, reporting to Congress on the testing of new defense systems. We are heavily involved in analyzing system designs and intended uses, developing appropriate evaluation methodologies, providing detailed test designs, and performing independent analyses of the results.

The RSM slot is a full-time, permanent position with a generous salary and benefits. It is a great opportunity for someone who might wish to apply their analytical skills to this important area of national security. We spend much of our time writing, briefing, and meeting with Navy and other defense personnel, often explaining technical issues to non-scientists, so the position requires strong communication and teaching skills. Since we deal with classified information, current American citizenship and the ability to obtain security clearance are mandatory. Moderate travel is involved, and the position offers a rare chance to ride aboard some of the Navy’s newest ships, submarines, and aircraft. The IDA atmosphere is quite collegial and academic, with excellent facilities and support services.

While the official job description mentions specific areas of technical and military experience as desirable, most of the training will be obtained on the job; a physics or astrophysics PhD student with a good analytical mind would be well qualified. Experience in statistical data analysis is particularly helpful. Of the approximately 110 analysts in our division, 75% have PhDs, with 60% of those earned in the physical sciences. More than half of our overall staff (and the vast majority of our recent hires) came to IDA directly out of grad school or postdocs, with degrees from leading institutions such as Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Illinois, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Michigan, MIT, Northwestern, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, Texas, UCSB, Wisconsin, and Yale. The main www.ida.org site provides some general background about the Institute. Interested candidates are welcome to contact Steve Rabinowitz directly for additional information.

Dr. Steven A. Rabinowitz

Institute for Defense Analyses, Operational Evaluation Division

4850 Mark Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22311-1882

srabinow@ida.org