Research Associate
The OpenDP Project at Harvard University seeks to hire a Research Associate to work with faculty directors Gary King and Salil Vadhan and the OpenDP Community to formulate and advance the scientific goals of OpenDP and solve research problems that are needed for its success.
Candidates should have familiarity with differential privacy and one or both of the following:
- Experience with implementing software for data science, privacy, and/or security, and an interest in contributing to the development of the OpenDP codebase.
- Experience with applied statistics, and an interest in working with domain scientists to apply OpenDP software to data-sharing problems in their field.
Key responsibilities include:
- Working with the OpenDP team, our collaborators and community members on applying differential privacy in building software tools for data science problems
- Writing grant applications for fundraising and outreach
- Serving as the scientific point of contact and fulcrum with use case partners and DP subject matter experts.
It is expected that the research associate will regularly write and publish research papers related to their work with OpenDP. They will be free to spend up to 20% of their time on their own independent research projects, a percentage that can be increased if funding is raised to support such work.
Initial salary will be provided with the offer, with the expectation that the candidate will work with the OpenDP team to raise funding for future support.
Candidates are required to have a PhD and at least three years of postdoctoral experience. We strongly encourage applications from historically underrepresented groups. Candidates whose profile does not exactly fit the posting (e.g. being more junior or more senior) should still reach out to us and apply; we may be able to tailor the position to fit.
Required application materials include a cover letter; an updated curriculum vitae; a two-to-four page statement on research and applications discussing both past accomplishments and current and future areas of interest; links to at most three research papers or software products. Please submit the names and contact information for three references.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting January 15, 2026, until the position is filled, so candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Apply for the position here!
Software Developer
Details forthcoming.