UIC CUPPA Careers Blog: Research Associate - Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

Welcome to CUPPA Careers!

The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at UIC is the University of Illinois System's home for the study of public policy and contemporary urban challenges. We are CUPPA.

In the heart of Chicago, we offer degrees in fields of study that can change your life and change the world. CUPPA students and alumni are uniquely skilled to build and transform sustainable urban neighborhoods and communities and to address the challenges presented in the 21st century. Find our more about our Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees at cuppa.uic.edu.

Follow our job postings below and our national job tweets at @CUPPACareers. For student internships and student opportunities, head to the CUPPA Student Opportunities Blog

Have a job or internship to post? Send an email with the title, location, job description, and contact information to cuppa@uic.edu

Job Title: Research Associate
Job Type: Full-Time
Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid)
Salary: $58,000 - $66,000

JOB SUMMARY
CTBUH is seeking an intermediate researcher and database analyst to work in our Research and Thought Leadership team which manages the world’s pre-eminent repository of tall building information and a growing database of urban infrastructure, demographics, livability metrics, and more. This role involves maintaining and enhancing our tall building database, which contains over 40,000 buildings complete with images and vital statistics. As CTBUH grows, this role will play a critical role in developing a similar database of urban demographics, growth patterns, infrastructure, environmental metrics, and more. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with SQL databases and be familiar with backend development and will help - CTBUH upgrade and maintain these growing platforms. The database is a critical component of the research that CTBUH, its members, and industry leaders, conduct. This new colleague will help the organization strengthen its ability to accurately cover the rapidly increasing pace of skyscraper design, construction, and their relations to the spread of high-density cities, and to help develop and maintain the quality and integrity of data already established.

Please email resume and cover letter to careers@ctbuh.org.

COUNCIL ON TALL BUILDINGS AND URBAN HABITAT

(CTBUH) With 100,000 people moving into cities across the globe every day, the 21st century will truly be the century of the city. Humanity’s continued existence on this planet will rely on our ability to transform cities into dense, livable centers of innovation that reduce both land consumption and energy needs. In order to accommodate an additional 2.5 billion people in the world’s cities by 2050, the shapers of our urban landscapes will require guidance through access to expert research and resources that promote best practices for smarter cities. This is why the CTBUH’s mission is critical to promoting a better urban future.

JOB DUTIES

• Assist in managing the CTBUH Tall Building Database, including regular data updates and expansions into macro urban datasets.

• Work with MySQL and PostgreSQL databases to improve the organization and efficiency of CTBUH’s databases.

• Collaborate with architects, urban planners, and other stakeholders to ensure data and tools meet their professional needs.

• Conduct dedicated ad-hoc research projects that inform internal data studies and external requests from media and CTBUH’s members.

• Identify and work to fill gaps inCTBUH’s databases, including seeking sources and data to fill those gaps through external outreach and exhaustive web searches.

• Evaluate and process incoming project data for accuracy, including interpretation of architectural drawings.

• Collect and evaluate planning applications and related data from municipal planning portals.

• Provide administrative and/or research support for larger, externally funded CTBUH research projects.

• Be a creative, enthusiastic, detail-oriented, self-starter with a strong sense of ownership, eager to work in a fast-paced environment

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A bachelor’s degree in urban planning or architecture, or a related discipline.

• Familiarity with urban planning and/or building science terminology, ideally with experience in one or both sectors.

• Proficiency in SQL database querying and management.

• Experience with data analysis and visualization.

• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work both independently and in a team setting.

• A passion for tall buildings, architecture, urban issues, and related topics.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in a relevant field or post-baccalaureate work experience in lieu of a graduate degree.

• Project experience with MySQL and/or PostgreSQL schema, syntax, and logic.

• Functional knowledge of basic backend development: CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.

• Experience using ArcGIS, QGIS, or other geographic information system.

• Experience with APIs and live data integrations.

• Experience in data migration between platforms.

• Professional or academic experience with large urban datasets, including open data portals and other public sources.

BENEFITS

• Opportunities to work on high-impact research projects in urban planning and architecture.

• Collaborative work environment and engagement with leading professionals in the industry.

• Opportunities for international travel, including CTBUH’s own conferences and select professional development opportunities.

• Competitive benefits package, including premium health benefits, up to a 9% retirement account contribution, 4+ weeks of paid time off, annual performance-based bonuses, and 2 days per week to work from home. CTBUH’s comprehensive benefits package represents approximately 40% of the value of base salary