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Institute for the Future · 3 hours ago

Research Director, Technology & Society Futures Institute for the Future (IFTF)

Palo Alto, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

$155K/yr - $200K/yr

Institute for the Future (IFTF) is seeking a Research Director to lead the development of frameworks and forecasts on the impact of emerging technologies on society. The role involves exploring technological forces reshaping society while investigating their human, social, and ethical impacts, and serving as a public-facing representative of IFTF.

AssociationBusiness DevelopmentConsultingEducationHealth CareNon Profit

Diversity & Inclusion

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

Lead and contribute to research on emerging technologies and societal futures

Track, sense, and forecast technological and social shifts, including second- and third-order impacts

Explore ethical dilemmas, power dynamics, and unintended consequences of new technologies

Design and test frameworks, prototypes, scenarios, and foresight tools

Serve as a public-facing representative of IFTF through talks, workshops, and media

Build and sustain trusted relationships across academia, industry, policy, and civil society

Qualification

Research on technology futuresPattern sensingPrototypingPublic speakingInterdisciplinary thinkingEthical impact analysisCuriosityBuilding relationships

Required

Proven researcher with experience tracking and forecasting technology and society futures

Strong ability to sense patterns and describe current conditions clearly

Experimental mindset; enjoys prototyping and iterative learning

Skilled public speaker and facilitator; comfortable representing IFTF externally

Open-minded, curious, and interdisciplinary thinker

Well-networked or motivated to build diverse, global connections

Deep interest in the social, ethical, and human impacts of technology

Company

Institute for the Future

Institute for the Future is an independent and non-profit strategic research group that forecasts practical future scenarios.

Founded in 1968

Palo Alto, California, USA

11-50 employees

http://www.iftf.org/

H1B Sponsorship

Institute for the Future has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (1)

2023 (1)

2021 (1)

Funding

Current Stage

Early Stage

Leadership Team

Jane McGonigal

Director of Game Research and Developm

Marina Gorbis

Executive Director

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