Finding an Impactful Researcher Job

Ways to use your data science career for social good

Researcher jobs have seen a major uptick in recent years that isn’t expected to decline. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the data science field is expected to grow 22 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations. Data science is a unique field as it covers not only the private sector, but the public, nonprofit, governmental, and academic worlds as well. As more and more organizations place a focus on mission-driven work, there is a growing need for researchers to lend their expertise to social impact issues.

Abby Hiller, Research Translation Manager at Opportunity Insights, agrees stating that there are an “abundance of openings for full-time data science positions” at mission-driven organizations. In addition, thanks to the “granularity of big data, often you can use existing publicly-available datasets to independently explore local questions of public interest,” like the Opportunity Atlas, to research social impact topics. To further explore how big data and social impact complement one another, this article provides insights into how to launch as well as transition an existing research career toward more impactful work.