Senior Research Scientist, Human Capital & AI Readiness

Educational Testing Service; Hagåtña (GU); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

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Job summary

Educational Testing Service (ETS) Research Institute invites applications for a Principal Research Scientist to lead a research portfolio on human capital, workforce readiness, and economic mobility in an AI-enabled world.

We seek scholars advancing measurement of skills and pathways to opportunity, with a proven track record in research leadership, collaboration, and external funding, across CBE/CTE and related fields.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent in Labor Economics, Economics, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Development, Public Policy, Assessment and Measurement, or a closely related field is required.
• For appointment at the Principal Scientist level, substantial (typically 10+ years) postdoctoral or professional research experience relevant to human capital development, workforce readiness, workforce pathways, labor market outcomes, educational and workforce assessment, CBE/CTE, or skills measurement, including demonstrated record of research leadership, external funding, and partnership development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and refine a research agenda on academic and workforce readiness science and the expansion of workforce pathways, setting priorities and directing a multi-year program of work.
• Advance the science of readiness for education, work, and upward mobility — examining how skills and other forms of human capital shape educational attainment, labor market success, productivity, earnings growth, and economic mobility in an economy increasingly influenced by AI.
• Investigate how skills, competencies, credentials, and educational experiences predict educational attainment, employment, earnings growth, productivity, workforce participation, and economic mobility.
• Advance research and measurement across competency-based education (CBE) and career and technical education (CTE), and other workforce development pathways, studying how skills are acquired, recognized, rewarded, and translated into educational and labor market opportunities.
• Design and validate measures and indicators that translate evidence of human capabilities into trusted signals of readiness and investigate how those signals predict educational attainment, workforce participation, productivity, earnings, and career advancement.
• Design and lead research evaluating the development, measurement, and economic value of academic, occupational, and durable skills using quantitative, qualitative, experimental, quasi-experimental, or mixed methods approaches.
• Build measurement approaches for recognizing and combining evidence of skills gained across multiple learning and work settings into trustworthy, portable forms.
• Generate evidence on the educational, workforce, and societal impact of skills, credentials, and assessments, and identify opportunities to modernize assessment systems in support of workforce development, economic opportunity, and social mobility.
• Study how technological changes, including advances in artificial intelligence, are reshaping skill demand, workforce readiness, learning pathways, and opportunities for economic advancement.
• Lead proposals, publications, convenings, and partnerships with internal and external collaborators to support and fund the research agenda.
• Mentor junior staff, postdoctoral fellows, and interns, and support a collaborative research culture.

Skills

Quantitative research

Longitudinal data

Predictive modeling

Causal inference

Research leadership

Education

PhD or equivalent in related field

10+ years postdoctoral/professional research

Job description

Educational Testing Service (ETS) Research Institute invites applications for a Principal Research Scientist to lead a research portfolio on human capital, workforce readiness, and economic mobility in an AI-enabled world.

We seek scholars advancing measurement of skills and pathways to opportunity, with a proven track record in research leadership, collaboration, and external funding, across CBE/CTE and related fields.