Staff Writer - The Decision Lab 01/07/20 19:51
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Staff Writer
Remote
Join us on our mission to change the world through better decisions
A little bit about us
The Decision Lab is a behavioral science consultancy dedicated to creating social good by
helping individuals, organizations and governments make better decisions. With over
500,000 online engagements per year, 12,000 newsletter subscribers, and over 60
contributors and staff writers, our audience is composed of thought leaders from a variety
of industries and functions. Through research, analysis, and product design, we help
organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Capital One and the World
Bank solve thorny problems and build impactful evidence-based digital products.
We believe that democratizing the availability of and access to content that can be used by
industry practitioners is a critical part of this mission because it equips researchers and
practitioners with the tools to apply evidence-driven insights.
Examples of the things we do
Our collaboration with the World Bank – on incentive frameworks for knowledge
sharing
Our work with Capital One – a study we did on helping Americans undo the effects of
stress on financial decisions.
Our insights – we are one of the largest publications in applied behavioral science
Our biases – we provide resources for organizations to learn about how behavioral science
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Staff Writer - The Decision Lab 01/07/20 19:51
The position
TDL was created with the vision of bridging the gap between behavioral science research and
application. A core part of our mission is to create content that highlights important and often
unnoticed research and provides actionable and applied takeaways. Staff writers are
responsible for locating, synthesizing, and writing about new cutting edge research in
behavioral science, behavioral economics, and psychology. In particular, a successful staff
writer will be heavily focused on the application of this research in the sectors where it can be
most impactful.
Why this role is important for TDL
We started The Decision Lab because we saw a fundamental gap between behavioral science
theory and application. The staff writer role is at the front line of bridging this gap. This
means that we look for bright, capable, and curious candidates who possess a strong grasp of
behavioral science concepts (from the point of view of behavioral economics, psychology,
neuroscience, sociology, etc.) and have a thirst for translating evidence (be it academic
papers, experiments, or analytics) into applied insights.
Why this role is great for you
The Decision Lab is a place where you can learn to apply evidence-based approaches to
solving diverse & complex challenges in the realm of behavioral science. You will be a part of
a team of intelligent & free-thinking colleagues who lead with optimism, pragmatism, and
empathy. You will have the opportunity to research and disseminate the latest behavioral
science insights to a wide audience of academics, business leaders, and public sector
individuals.
Qualifications
TDL’s publication is looking for an experienced, engaging staff writer who is looking to
demonstrate thought leadership in the field of applied behavioral science.
Beyond that, we are looking for someone who is creative in their approach to applying old
research to new and emerging problems in a wide variety of sectors.
Academic and/or work experience related to applying research within the domain of
behavioral science
Exceptional writing ability
The ability to translate academic research in the field of behavioral science into clear and
engaging articles for a wide audience
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Staff Writer - The Decision Lab 01/07/20 19:51
Strong communication skills
Independent thinking and ability to work within a rigorous, deadline-driven structure
Familiarity with behavioral economics concepts (biases, heuristics, framework)
Demonstrated interest in empirical behavioral research
About the role
Part-time, volunteer-based position
A commitment of approximately 10 hours per week (minimum of 2 articles per month at
600 – 1,000 words per article)
Fully remote and flexible working hours
How to apply
Please email your CV, an article pitch, and any sample of your previous writing that best
demonstrates your ability to write clear and engaging content (preferably an article from a
journal or publication as opposed to an academic essay) to editor@thedecisionlab.com.
Your pitch must include the following:
1. A proposed headline. Essentially, how would you distill your proposed article topic into one
line?
2. 100-200 words explaining:
What area of research your topic is related to
What new insights you’ll be providing or synthesizing
Why someone would want to read about this topic (here’s your chance to explain why this
article is important from an applied perspective)
3. At least two sources of academic research that you’re planning on basing your article
around. Include these with proper citations (APA preferred).
Please note that due to a high volume of applications, only successful candidates will be
contacted.
If you are interested in writing for us on a less formal basis, please check out our content
submissions page for more information on how to submit a single article.
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Staff Writer - The Decision Lab 01/07/20 19:51
About The Decision Lab
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The Decision Lab is an equal opportunity employer; applicants are considered for all roles
without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, citizenship status, age,
physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, marital, parental, veteran or military status,
unfavorable military discharge, or any other status protected by applicable law.
OUR VALUES
As a non-profit, we have a deep-rooted belief that better decisions make a better world.
However, improving decisions is a messy and difficult thing. For this reason, we have laid out
a clear set of criteria for what constitutes good work. Our approach is inspired by many of the
organizations and individuals we use as role models.
We believe that a good approach to creating social impact is SPICE: Socially driven,
Pragmatic, Inventive, Catalytic and Evidence based. We use these criteria to evaluate
ourselves, our work, the clients we choose to take on and the people we make part of our
team. Read more about SPICE below:
Socially driven
We create positive and fair outcomes for individuals, organizations and societies.
The outcomes that societies want to achieve are constantly being discussed and revised,
always a work in progress. They are not defined from the outset or from the outside. For these
outcomes to be sustainable, they must integrate societal, environmental and economic
dimensions.
Pragmatic
We develop solutions that are practical, effective and attainable.
We are deeply committed to bringing our ideals to life. To do so, we let the problem be the
guide for our attention. We are agnostic regarding approaches and dispassionate in our
assessment of candidate solutions. This unwavering focus on the problem allows us to employ
the full range of tools at our disposal, deploying the right ones for each context.
Inventive
We develop solutions that are not constrained by the current reality.
When no existing solution is adequate to the problem at hand, we must move from curation to
creation. Success in these contexts requires a commitment to exploration and an openness to
inspiration.
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Staff Writer - The Decision Lab 01/07/20 19:51
Catalytic
We develop solutions that spark rapid transition to a new paradigm.
When we reach a tipping point, a small nudge sparks a change from one equilibrium state to
another. By starting small and iterating quickly, we manage the change in a deliberate and
responsible manner, ensuring that the catalytic reaction is positive when unleashed at scale.
We can also help manage the journey to the tipping point, creating pre-conditions for catalytic
projects to take off.
Evidence-based
We develop solutions that use evidence as a compass.
We are deeply committed to using evidence to guide our actions. We build evidence in-house
through robust experimentation, and integrate our findings into a wider body of knowledge,
coming from many people and many places. This cohesive landscape of insights allows us to
triangulate the best course of action.
Eager to learn about how behavioral science
can help your organization?
CONTACT US
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Staff Writer - The Decision Lab 01/07/20 19:51
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