Careers in Applied Research for Sociology Graduates Sheila Knight sknightrti.org

1. Careers in Applied Researchfor Sociology GraduatesSheila Knightsknight@rti.org

2. Sheila Knight NC State � B.A. Sociology 1987 NC State � M.A. Rural Sociology 1991 RA for Dr. Tom Hoban RTI International since 1989 Survey Specialist 1989-2001 Research project topics varied: drug abuse treatment outcomes, migrant education, exposure registries, female sexual satisfaction, methadone treatment and accreditation Manager, Staffing and Recruiting 2001-present Recruiting new staff at all levels Oversight of work assignments of 150 staff on 200+ projects

3. Outline Introduction Applied research Example projects at RTI Preparing for a career in applied research Career Opportunities Before we get started- Introductions Who is in the room? What areas of interest?

4. Research Triangle Institute Independent, nonprofit corporation providing scientific research and technology development to U.S. government and private sector Founded in 1959 by the area universities: NC State, Duke, & UNC 2,700 staff working in 40 countries Projects in 100+ countries Over 1,000 active projects Multidisciplinary

5. RTI OfficesInternational Locations, Global Reach

6. Primary Revenue Sources

7. RTI and CHASS Alliance Goals of the relationship Facilitate general communication between RTI staff and the CHASS faculty To enhance scientific stature through collaborative research and teaching To assist CHASS faculty in their practice-based research To expose NC State students to the applied aspects of social research and give them access to well-trained social science practitioners To facilitate joint research initiatives and grant activities between RTI staff and CHASS faculty

8. Social Science Seminar Series 1st Social Science Seminar Series was held in February 2007: The U.S. Military�s Increasing Role in Nation Building and Stabilization 2nd seminar �Is North Carolina Ready for Election Day 2008?: Casting and Counting Ballots in the Tar Heel State since Bush-Gore� was held November 30 (Caldwell Hall G107 1:00-5:00)

9. RTI Organization

10. SSS Research Areas

11. Social and Statistical Sciences

12. Applied Research

13. Applied Research What Broadly defined, work conducted research professionals to answer questions developed by a funding source In contrast to traditional academic research Who Contract Research Organizations (CROs) University centers Individual faculty Consultants Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Government

14. Applied ResearchTypes by Funding Source Private sector research and development R&D firms or R&D within an organization Drug development and clinical trials Product development and quality control Corporate intelligence Market and consumer research Risk Assessments

15. Applied ResearchTypes by Funding Source Government Mostly federal, mostly from the Departments Environmental assessments (EPA) Congressionally mandated statistics (drug use estimates, employment statistics, disease prevelance) Program evaluation Needs assessments

16. Applied ResearchWork Specifications by Funding Source Government Can be very large awards Highly regulated and highly competitive Usually targeted to meet policy goals May be constraining, depends on agency Often conducted by major research organizations (RTI, Battelle) IP indeterminate (often like to publish but usually delayed by bureaucracy)

17. Applied ResearchWork Specifications by Funding Source Grants and Foundations Usually smaller, often require cost-sharing Researcher retains most of the control of topic, method, results Great for publishing (and often a lot of fun!) Conducted by university faculty, research groups Some CROs do not allow

18. Applied Research Compared to traditional academic roles Publishing Varies by organization Some are quasi-academic Fellows program Joint faculty appointments In-house press Work load and work environment More structured schedule and expectations More corporate type expectations and resources Including staff management, budgeting, marketing Administrative support, full-time research staff

19. Applied Research Compared to traditional academic roles Greater mobility geographically and topically more jobs, more organizations, more locations (clustered by topic) Skills and experience easier to transfer to other corporate work Possible to return to academics if you publish, network, etc. Pay is generally competitive with new PhDs in the academic sector but acceleration is faster No football team

20. Applied Research Compared to traditional academic roles Do not have to teach, but some organizations allow Do not have as much control over personal research agenda Grants the most, still limited by the mission of granting organization Challenging Can be fast paced Often requires learning new methods and process literature quickly Ethics - varies by organization RTI�s mission is to improve the human condition through research Not true for all groups

21. Example Projects RTI

22. Social and Health Research National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) RTI has been collecting and reporting data for this DHHS sponsored study since 1988, collecting in-person interviews of about 70,000 households per year. It is the primary source of substance use data for the federal government. National Prisoner Survey of Sexual Assault In-prison survey of inmates sponsored by BJS to provide accurate estimates and help prevent the sexual assault of inmates.

23. Social and Health Research National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being National longitudinal study of children in the child protective services system for abuse and/or neglect, interviewing children, current caregivers, caseworkers, and teachers American National Election Studies RTI has been contracted by a coalition of NSF funded universities to collect data for 2008 ANES for NSF-sponsored consortium. The ANES has been primary source of election data in the US since 1948.

24. Social and Health Research World Trade Center Health Registry NYC DoH and ATSDR sponsored RTI to develop a central, unified registry of persons exposed to smoke and airborne substances following the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center disaster. Over 71,000 baseline health interviews were completed in multiple languages

25. Social and Health Research Interagency Coordination and Response to Terrorism Threats Through a series of NIJ grants, RTI has evaluated best practices and barriers to multi-agency response in Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, and the United States. This research has included a detailed case study of the July 2005 London bombings.

26. Social and Economic Development(Select Examples) Tuberculosis Treatment Study Trends, market analysis, compound identification, and commercial drug treatments to support NIAID�s overarching global health program Local Governance in Iraq Direct support for the move to democracy in Iraq based on the development of local governing institutions Education Reform in East Europe and Central Asia Programs to help newly democratic governments assess education needs and improve policies

27. Preparing for a Career in Applied Research

28. Preparing for Career In Applied Research Investigate the options Review websites Review publications � many organizations publish reports Network � most organizations have vendor booths at major conferences, get information and stay in touch Attend applied research conferences

29. Preparing for Career In Applied Research Investigate funding sources Government agencies post reports Government often posts research agendas RFAs for Foundations and grants are generally posted on websites Foundations usually publish research agendas or mission Many government granting organizations host research conferences

30. Preparing for Career In Applied Research Develop appropriate skills Develop strong methods skills (statistics, survey, evaluation) Pick a topic area with policy or corporate relevance Work for a government agency Work for a research center at your university Consult Get in on ground floor (interviewer, call center, Research Assistant)

31. Preparing for Career In Applied Research Apply for grants in graduate school Assist faculty member in proposal and project Student research grants Dissertation grants Post-doc grants Continue to conference and publish Apply on-line

32. What this means for you: Specific Careers for Sociologists Survey Specialists Methodologists Research Sociologists Research Analysts Call Center Supervisor Health/Social Policy Analyst

33. Survey Specialists MA in Sociology, Psychology, Political Science or related field and minimum 1 year of related experience The Survey Specialist is responsible for performing data collection tasks on multi-mode studies with field, phone, mail and web data collection. Designing forms and procedures, Writing training materials, Testing computerized questionnaires, 

34. More Survey Specialist Duties Assisting with or leading training of data collection staff, Supervising data collection staff Writing data edit specifications, Investigating and reporting on field situations, Assisting with proposal writing and budgeting Expectation of conference presentations and publishing research articles

35. Methodologists MA or Ph.D. in the field of survey methodology and minimum of 2 years experience in survey research or related field, Duties: Provide methodological consultation to projects in the area of questionnaire design, evaluation and testing, survey design, experimental design, quality control, and data analysis; Project responsibilities, including technical and budget management, significant responsibility for proposal development, frequently contributing to methodology, pretest, and analysis sections; Marketing/business development, seeking to build relationships with current and future clients/partners/colleagues.  Knowledge of the principles, processes, and methods of survey research 

36. Research Sociologist Ph.D. with 3 years of directly relevant experience in research and evaluation experience in one of the following substantive areas � criminal justice/crime/delinquency, education, or mental health. Strong writing skills with a history of publications in professional journals Responsibilities of the position include: Leading & writing proposals, drafting written products & publishing in peer-viewed journals Marketing research expertise to potential clients.

37. Research Analyst MA in statistics, education, sociology or a related field and relevant experience in applying statistics to social science research Works with others regarding statistical issues in social science analyses; apply statistics to research problems, primarily in education; conduct data analysis using SAS (including the ability to use the data step and some statistical procedures); and prepare reports based on analytic findings; Strong writing skills

38. Health/Social Policy Analyst MPH/MA/MS, psychology, sociology or related field Analyze and interpret data Prepare technical reports, budgets, monitor project costs as well as manage correspondence; Participate in writing grant/proposals to funding sources; Coordinate and assist in managing research projects. Must have strong skills in writing and interpersonal and organizational skills. Knowledge of research design and experience in substantative area

39. Career Opportunities Social Sciences RAND Battelle RTI NORC ABT Mathmatica Urban Institute Smaller, topic focused shops Most post jobs on web Most recruit at conferences

40. NC State Sociology Graduates at RTI Survey Research Division Stephanie Rizk BA 2001 MA 2003 Susan Twiddy BA 1999 MS 2004 Ilona Johnson BA 1991 Beth Riggsbee BS 1999 Kristine Fahrney PhD Candidate 2008 Sheila Knight BA 1987 MA 1991 Tammy Woerner BA 1995 Education Studies Division Ruth Heuer MS 1997 PhD 2004 Marcinda Mason MA 1998 PhD 2002 Melissa Cominole MS 1997 Jordan Hudson BA 2004 Health Social and Economics Research Claudia Squire MS 1999 Jody Greene MS 1990 Angela Greene MS 2005

41. How to find job openings at RTI International For company information and a list of current job openings, go to www.rti.org

42. For additional information:Sheila KnightSurvey Research DivisionRTI International3040 Cornwallis RoadRTP, NC 27709919-316-3925sknight@rti.org