Senior researcher
This work supports efforts of the NIST Community Resilience Program
https://www.nist.gov/community-resilience to develop the measurement science needed for concepts
of recovery and resilience. In this area, the postdoctoral associate will contribute to the development of
publications as well as generalized survey and interview instruments that can be used to improve
standardized measurement of impacts and recovery for organizations following disruptions such as
natural hazards. Additionally, the postdoc will work on the testing and validation of resilience indicators
using county level data for the US.
Ultimately, these validated indicators, standardized data collection instruments, and associated
protocols will be used to support future deployments and investigations of the NIST Disaster and Failure
Studies Program https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/about-disaster-and-failure-
studies-program while the associated analysis will inform the development of NIST Community
Resilience Program guidance and tools to support organizations like schools and hospitals with resilience
planning.
GWU SURA PREP Research Associate for NIST Community Resilience Program
- A Ph.D. in geography, sociology, or a related social science field
- At least 3 years of relevant expertise in research related to disaster recovery, quantitative and
qualitative methodologies, and hazard impacts - Experience on interdisciplinary research teams
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Ability to develop scientific presentations and publications
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- development of data collection instruments (e.g., surveys and interview guides)
- support in developing documentation required for approvals (e.g., Institutional Review Board,
Office of Management and Budget Paperwork Reduction Act), - quantitative and qualitative analysis of data collected
- communication of results through reports, other publications, and presentations
- research and publications on related topics including organizational resilience, community
recovery, data collection following disasters, and measurement using social science methods