Research Professor in Data Science for Social Sciences and Public Policy

The School of Social Sciences and Government at Tecnológico de Monterrey is seeking an accomplished scholar who bridges data science and the social sciences to help lead our next generation of frontier research on the public issues shaping Latin America and the world. We are looking for a research professor with both strong background in social sciences and data science. This is a professor that can turn large-scale data, computational methods, and rigorous inference techniques into insight that changes how governments, institutions, and societies respond to their most consequential challenges.

About the School

Our strategic intent is to contribute to a deep understanding of reality through cutting-edge social science knowledge and applied research solutions that innovate and transform the economic, public, and social spheres. Organized around four Broad Areas — Government and Policy Innovation, Critical Frontiers in Economics, Political Regimes and Global Affairs, and Legal Systems of the Future — the School convenes a community of roughly 50 researchers at the national level, supported by a dedicated Data Science Center, Decision-Making Theaters, a Public Opinion and Behavioral Research Lab, Law Clinics, and a growing portfolio of strategic initiatives, including an emerging Advanced Analytics and Decision Sciences Initiative and an AI for Public Policy program. Our goal for 2030 is to become a Top 100 QS World University Rankings institution, and we have built a comprehensive research ecosystem alligned with that goal.

Our researchers regularly partner with RAND Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, Open Society, ClimateWorks and leading global universities such as MIT, Stanford University, The University of Chicago, and LSE, translating rigorous research into decision-relevant tools for governments, multilateral organizations, and civil society.

We are recruiting a Research Professor whose work sits at the intersection of data science and public affairs — someone equally comfortable designing a machine-learning pipeline, a large-scale simulation model, an agent-based model of a complex social system or a natural-language-processing study, and translating the results into insight for policymakers and public debate.

The position will serve primarily the Government and Public Transformation program (LTP) either in Monterrey or Mexico City campus depending on the candidate’s preference of location, with significant secondary contributions to Economics (LEC) and International Relations (LRI). We welcome candidates whose substantive expertise touches any of our four Broad Areas — governance and public management, economic development, democracy and global affairs, or regulatory and legal innovation — provided their methodological core is rigorous, data-intensive, and computationally sophisticated.

• Conduct and publish frontier, high-impact research (Scopus/Web of Science Q1–Q2) applying data science, computational, and quantitative methods to consequential social and public-policy questions.
• Design and lead externally funded research programs, securing competitive grants from multilateral organizations, foundations, government agencies, and industry partners.
• Contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching and mentoring within the LTP program, with cross-listed courses for LEC and LRI.
• Collaborate across the School's research infrastructure — the Data Science Center, Decision-Making Theaters, and Strategic Initiatives — and with international academic and policy networks.
• Translate research into public-facing tools, platforms, or policy products that inform decision-making in government, multilateral institutions, and civil society.
• Contribute to the School's path toward the Top 100 of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, including doctoral supervision and research leadership as the position matures.

The Ideal Candidate

• Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g., computational social science, complex systems, political science, economics, public policy, sociology, data or computational science, or a related discipline), with a demonstrably interdisciplinary orientation toward social science and public affairs.
• This is a genuilly open-rank search. We welcome candidates at all career stages- from recent Ph.D. graduates with an outstanding research trajectory to established scholars at the Associate or Full Professor level, or an equivalent research position in academia, a think tank, or a multilateral institution.
• A strong record of frontier research, evidenced by publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and a clear trajectory of continued scholarly influence.
• A proven, verifiable track record of attracting competitive external research funding from national or international sources, such as research councils, multilateral development banks, foundations, or government agencies.
• Demonstrated technical fluency in data science methods — machine learning, large-scale causal inference, natural language processing, agent-based or simulation modeling, or advanced geospatial analysis — applied to social science or public-policy questions.
• Experience designing or contributing to decision-support tools, platforms, or products used by governments, multilateral organizations, or the public.
• Excellent written and spoken English; Spanish is an asset but not required at hiring.
• Preference will be given to candidates holding degrees from, or with substantial academic experience at, institutions ranked within the Top 200 of the QS World University Rankings (QSWUR).

The Kind of Work You'll Join

A sense of the frontier, data-driven research our School is already leading:

• SISEPUEDE — an open-source simulation platform for decarbonization pathway analysis across Latin America and the Caribbean, developed with RAND and the Inter-American Development Bank.
• Ciudad Finita — a public data platform diagnosing urban sprawl, housing, and mobility challenges in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, funded by Fundación FEMSA.
• A Complexity Index for the Mexican Economy — an economic-complexity analytics tool informing industrial and productive-diversification policy.
• Regional net-zero pathways — decision-making-under-uncertainty advisory work spanning 27 countries, with the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.
• The Subnational Politics Project — a multi-institutional data infrastructure, built with American University, Universidad Católica de Chile, the University of Maryland, and the Hertie School Berlin, that tracks political institutions and territorial inequality across Latin America's federal systems over four decades.
• The BBVA-Tec Center for Trade Policy and Global Value Chains — measuring state- and municipal-level institutional capacity to attract investment, supporting SME integration into nearshoring-driven supply chains from automotive to semiconductors, and advising federal and state governments on trade policy in real time.

What We Offer

• Internationally competitive compensation, commensurate with experience and track record.
• Relocation support.
• Full access to the School's research ecosystem: the Data Science Center, Decision-Making Theaters, Public Opinion and Behavioral Research Lab, Law Clinics, and Strategic Initiatives.
• A collaborative, multi-campus community based in Monterrey and/or Mexico City, with strong ties to RAND Corporation, the IDB, the World Bank, CAF, Wellcome Trust, and leading global universities such as MIT, Stanford University, The University of Chicago and LSE.
• Institutional support for grant-writing and international collaboration, with dedicated internal funds to support seed-funding research as well as productivity and impact-based economic awards.
• A vibrant, growing research community — approximately 50 active researchers at the national level — with an explicit institutional ambition to reach the Top 100 of the QS World University Rankings by Subject by 2030.

How to Apply

Application deadline: 31 October 2026.

Anticipated start date: February-August 2027 (upon candidate’s availability).

Applications and inquiries: [email protected]

Required materials:

• Cover letter addressing fit with LTP, and, where relevant, LEC and/or LRI
• Curriculum Vitae
• Research statement (max. 3 pages) outlining current and future research agenda, including funding strategy
• Two to three representative publications
• Names and contact information for three references

Review of applications will begin on 1 November 2026 and continue until the position is filled.

Tecnológico de Monterrey is Latin America's leading private university and an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and nationalities and are committed to building a diverse, inclusive research community. We particularly encourage applications from scholars whose work can help the School of Social Sciences and Government continue to lead frontier, high-impact research on the region's — and the world's — most pressing public issues.