Staff Javascript Programmer
Date posted: June 26, 2023
R115475
Responsibilities:
The Staff Programmer will help develop a scalable, robust data-collection system called the National Internet Observatory [1]. The Staff Programmer’s primary responsibility will be leading development of a web browser extension, written in JavaScript, that collects data about usage of the web browser and scraped from websites visited in the browser. This data collection must be performant, scalable, agile in the face of changes to websites, and respect individual privacy. Systems development experience in JavaScript is a requirement. The Staff Programmer will have minimal user-interface development responsibilities. The Staff Programmer will spend a significant amount of time developing and maintaining scrapers for a variety of websites.
The National Internet Observatory is a research infrastructure that collects data on the online behavior of a very large sample of subjects in a secure, privacy-protecting fashion, from personal computers and mobile devices (tablets and mobile phones). We provide analytic access to this data to the scientific community. This Observatory collects data on the important online platforms-- such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon-- that structure what large numbers of people around the world do and see. Our goal is to facilitate general research about online life, as well as specific research about the behavior of major online platforms, thus fostering transparency and accountability.
Qualifications:
Qualified candidates should have at least a BA/BS in Computer Science with a solid background in web development and modern software engineering practices. We are looking for someone who is excited about building cutting-edge measurement systems, working with us on novel research and enabling new visibility into the online ecosystem that drives much of the world today.
The ideal candidate should enjoy building large-scale, continuously running systems --- ones that ensure high availability, privacy, and security through monitoring and that are resilient to failures and outages in system components. The candidate should be thoroughly familiar and proficient with modern ECMA/Javascript, regular expressions, XPath or CSS selectors, and DOM manipulation. Experience with the WebExtensions API for developing web browser extensions is a plus.
Associate Data Scientist
Date posted: June 26, 2023
R115576
Responsibilities:
The Associate Data Scientist will support the work of the National Internet Observatory, a research project that is funded by the National Science Foundation. Candidates should have a background in Computer Science/Data Science/Statistics with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Applicants should have demonstrated ability working with large complex datasets, using data science skills, and statistical analysis skills. Position requires using complex human behavioral trace data such as web browsing data, mobile device usage data, and demographic/survey data. The position will also require supporting researchers who will be using those data, so demonstrable communication skills are necessary.
This is a one-year, full-time, benefits-eligible position with the option of renewal based on performance and available funding.
Qualifications:
Candidates should have a background in Computer Science/Data Science/Statistics with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Candidates should also know the following programing: Python and Pandas.