Postdoctoral position available

Written by Simon Garnier on July 1, 2015

We are currently seeking a postdoctoral researcher to lead:

  1. the development and testing of spatially explicit models of criminal activities;
  2. the production of a forecasting software application to provide decision support for policing.

We're hiring

This is a 1+1 year position (funding in the 2nd year will depend on progress in the 1st year) based out of Newark, New Jersey. This position is supported by a Rutgers-Newark Initiative for Multidisciplinary Research Teams (IMRT) award and is expected to be extended beyond the 2 year initial period through local and federal funding. The successful candidate will report to an interdisciplinary team of researchers including Pr. Joel Caplan and Pr. Les Kennedy at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice, and Pr. Simon Garnier at the Biological Sciences Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The project will be carried in two phases of 1 year each. During Phase 1, the successful candidate will work in close collaboration with Garnier to develop and analyze data-driven agent-based (and possibly mathematical) models of daily occurrences of various criminal activities in Newark and Jersey City, New Jersey, and possibly other major urban centers as the project progresses. These models will extend the Risk Terrain Modeling approach created by Caplan and Kennedy. During Phase 2, the postdoctoral researcher will lead the development of a forecasting software application based on the best results of Phase 1. This software application is expected to be web-based and to make use of the High Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities of modern cloud-based systems. The postdoctoral researcher will also be involved directly in the team’s efforts to promote and disseminate the software application to a broad audience.

The ideal candidate should have a background in quantitative research and modeling, and a demonstrable knowledge of at least one high level programming language (Python and/or R preferred) and one lower level programming language (C++ and/or Java preferred). Previous experience with HPC and production-ready software development (either commercial or open-source) is desirable but not mandatory. The ideal candidate should also have a proven track record of professional presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. Knowledge of criminological theories and/or experience in the criminal justice practice is preferred. Post-doctoral applicants are preferred, but other degree levels and employment/collaboration options will be considered.

Immediate start date is desired.

For more information about the position, the project and the application process, please contact:

Pr. Joel Caplan: jcaplan@andromeda.rutgers.edu

Pr. Les Kennedy: les.kennedy@rutgers.edu

Pr. Simon Garnier: garnier@njit.edu

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