A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Merit Network, Inc., a non-profit corporation governed by Michigan's public universities, operates
America's longest-running regional research and education network. Since 1966, Merit has been
providing performance-driven networking solutions to Michigan's educational communities, including
universities, colleges, K-12 schools, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other non-profit
organizations. Merit advances member success, research, economic development, collaboration, and
professional development by leveraging its network infrastructure, expertise and the value of its
member communities.

The Data Science Associate will play a crucial role in our research and development team, focusing on
cutting-edge projects in communication networks, network security, advanced data analytics. You will
have a background in both theoretical and applied aspects of computer science, with a focus on
innovative solutions and cross-disciplinary collaboration. You will conduct a variety of programming
tasks collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data for both the Network/Cyber Research Team and the
Technology Impact Research Team in ways that create applicable steps. You will report to the Director
of Research. This job is a hybrid position located in Ann Arbor, MI.

About Merit Research: Network Research, Cybersecurity, and Technology Impact Research comprise the
scope of our scholarship. Merit Research seeks to inspire and advance innovation in networking and
cybersecurity. We also seek to increase the understanding of the societal impacts of technology,
broadband and information access for the purpose of making the world a better place to learn, discover,
work and live.
Merit Research will engage in practical and theoretical aspects of networking, cybersecurity, technology
and broadband research in order to:

• Understand and advance the security and performance of Internet infrastructure
• Support academic learning and experimentation
• Enable cross-disciplinary, multi-institutional research collaborations
• Bridge gaps between academic scholarship and practical application
• Promote Internet freedom

Essential Functions for this position are followed by an (E). 

As the Data Science Associate, your key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Prepare progress reports and presentations, and help develop technical research papers in the areas of communication networks and network security (E)
• Help develop required documentation for grant reporting requirements
• Analyze and interpret meaningful insights based on data sets (E)
• Support ongoing grant-funded projects and contribute to future grant applications (E)
• Collaborate with researchers and industry partners to support the research line of business, increase collaborations and data sharing, and identify revenue opportunities for data licensing (E)
• Collect, store, annotate, and curate datasets to be used for cyber-security research by our team and external collaborators (E)
• Stay up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity trends, threats, and technologies. Support research to develop new methodologies for threat detection and prevention (E)
• Develop software tools for data processing, analysis, and visualization. Prepare documentation and methods for quality assurance for all developed software (E)
• Serve as one of the system administrators for servers and other research infrastructure (E)
• Develop monitoring tools for diagnosis of infrastructure and data collection anomalies (E) 
• Provide technical support to researchers and team members, helping them troubleshoot and resolve issues related to the servers and research infrastructure
• Present research outcomes and results at relevant conferences and other events (E)

Other Duties

• Please note this job description is not designated to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

Supervisory Responsibility 

This position has no supervisory responsibilities. 

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work 

This is a full-time hybrid position. The work schedule will be determined by your supervisor, and it may change if necessary. There may be some occasional work required outside of the established schedule, which may include weekends and holidays. The typical work schedule is 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday, for most staff. 

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, cloud-based systems, and AV/teleconferencing software and equipment. 

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee (with or without accommodations) to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Employee must frequently work at a computer station, answer telephone calls, emails, and/or other forms of customer/client communication. Employee may on occasion be required to move items of various sizes and weights throughout the office building. 

Travel

Some travel for conferences and events will be required. 

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience in Linux-based systems
• Experience with GitHub platform
• Experience with Big Data platforms such as Apache Spark, Google BigQuery, etc.
• Experience with network device configuration, including switching and routing equipment, and networking protocols
• Experience developing code in languages such as Go, Python or C/C++ software in a UNIX environment
• Experience effectively communicating complex technical concepts and information to a wide range of individuals
• Ability to work within a team setting

• Experience with distributed systems (e.g., prior interaction with ZeroMQ or other messaging passing frameworks)
• Experience with front-end development
• Experience with large-scale storage systems
• Experience making presentations to technical and other audiences
• Experience working in a fast-paced research and development environment
• Experience working with higher education, K-12 educational institutions, libraries, research institutions, governmental organizations, and other public sector non-profit organizations a plus

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

About University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

A great university is made so by its faculty and staff, and Michigan is recognized as one of the best universities to work for in the country. The Michigan culture is known for engaging faculty and staff in all facets of the university to create a workplace that is vibrant and stimulating.For two consecutive years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has placed U-M in its "Great Colleges to Work For" survey. In particular, the university earns high marks for strong relations between faculty and administrators, a collaborative system of governance, strong pay and benefits, and a healthy work/life balance.

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