Data Scientist / Statistical Methodologist — Academic Research Project (Global Multilingualism) - Contract to Hire

LINGACON is an academic research project measuring multilingualism at the global scale. We have completed a 235-jurisdiction audit covering 99% of world population and are now preparing three peer-reviewed papers for PsyArXiv submission and journal pipeline. We need a data scientist or quantitative researcher to refine our Global Linguistic Connectivity Index (GLCI) computation, support Paper 2 publication, and produce the data layer for our public website.

This is real research work with real publication credit, not contract analytics.

WHAT WE NEED

— Refine GLCI computation with joint-distribution modeling. We have a first-pass independence-baseline GLCI computed; you refine it using Eurobarometer cross-tabs and equivalent regional barometer data to capture within-country bilingual overlap correctly.

— Compute and validate the full 235×235 country-pair GLCI matrix with confidence intervals derived from per-source published sampling errors.

— Produce sensitivity analyses for the Mutual Intelligibility Coefficient framework (Paper 2 publishes both conservative and MIC-adjusted GLCI).

— Generate visualization-ready JSON datasets for the LINGACON website's interactive calculators (currently in development with a design partner).

— Ongoing analytical support for Paper 2 and Paper 3 (intervention modeling, policy simulator growth model).

— Diaspora Matrix completion modeling.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

— PhD or equivalent depth in statistics, computational social science, demography, mathematical/theoretical physics, econometrics, or quantitative linguistics.

— Strong fluency in inference under uncertainty: bootstrapping, CI propagation, sensitivity analysis, joint distribution modeling. Not just ML model fitting.

— Python (pandas/numpy/scipy) or R (tidyverse + survey package) primary. We don't need Spark or Hadoop — the dataset is small enough to fit in pandas.

— Demonstrated ability to communicate methodology clearly in English, preferably Russian and Armenian too. The deliverables will be reviewed by academic peer reviewers.

— Analytical judgment matters more than tool mastery. We want someone who will flag concerns with our methodology, propose improvements, and tell us when our assumptions look wrong.

PROCESS

We start with a paid test task ($100 fixed price, 2~4 hours of work). The test task is compute global GLCI plus the country-pair matrix from our existing dataset, with a 1-page methodology write-up. Full materials provided.

If your test task hits our rubric (math correctness, sensitivity analysis quality, methodological judgment, code quality, communication), we offer ongoing engagement at negotiated rate. The $100 test fee is credited toward your first ongoing milestone.

ABOUT LINGACON

Independent research project producing academic papers on global multilingualism. Our methodology has been published as Methodology v1.7 (~50 pages). The L-MAS (LINGACON Multilingualism Assessment Standard) companion paper is co-authored with collaborators in the US academic system. We collaborate with researchers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

TO APPLY

In your proposal, please tell us:

1. Your relevant research or quantitative work — link 1-2 example projects.

2. Your preferred language stack and one sentence on why.

3. One methodological question or concern you'd raise about the LINGACON GLCI approach as it sounds from this description. (We're not asking you to solve it — we're screening for the kind of question you ask.)

Proposals that skip point 3 will not be reviewed.

Location: any. Same-timezone or close to GMT+4 preferred for collaboration.

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