Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is seeking to build an AI-driven Toyota People System to understand and improve social dynamics that shape collective wellbeing and performance, aiming to design interventions and intelligent tools that help teams and societies thrive in harmony with technology.
Requirements
- Demonstrated expertise in applied systems research, including designing and evaluating interventions in complex, real-world environments.
- Experience integrating qualitative and quantitative methods (ethnography, surveys, administrative data, causal modeling).
- Proven ability to conceptualize and measure system-level outcomes (e.g., culture change, burnout reduction, safety climate, equitable access).
- Strong analytical and computational skills (e.g., R, Python, simulation modeling, causal inference).
- Experience with social-network and diffusion modeling, behavioral nudges, or implementation science in organizational or public systems.
- Track record of translating research into practice—for instance, policy or organizational interventions that improved system performance or wellbeing.
- Publications or projects bridging culture and technology, health and systems, or anthropology and AI.
Responsibilities
- Design and evaluate real-world interventions (e.g., cluster or step-wedge trials, policy pilots, network interventions) to improve workforce wellbeing, safety culture, and trust across Toyota and partner organizations.
- Integrate ethnographic and behavioral data into computational representations of social systems, using methods such as causal inference, social network analysis, or agent-based modeling.
- Model diffusion and adoption dynamics—how culture, norms, and trust propagate through teams and organizations.
- Collaborate with machine learning and AI researchers to embed cultural and organizational constructs in the Toyota People System’s architecture.
- Develop ethical, evidence-based measurement frameworks for cultural health, burnout resilience, and collective intelligence.
- Translate findings into action through technical reports, peer-reviewed publications, and design recommendations that inform human-centered AI products and organizational strategies.
- Advance responsible research practices, including IRB and open-science principles, for human-subjects work in organizational settings.
Other
- Ph.D. or equivalent experience in Anthropology, Behavioral or Social Science, Implementation Science, or related fields.
- Experience leading multi-stakeholder, cross-functional research programs.
- Expertise in ethical and open-science practices for complex, human-centered research.
- The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $208,000 and $312,000/year for California-based roles.
- TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) eligibility, paid time off benefits (including vacation, sick time, and parental leave), and an annual cash bonus structure.
