Research Assistant (Summer)

Description:

The UNC School of Government Criminal Justice Innovation Lab (the Lab) is seeking a graduate student (Master’s level) Research Assistant (RA) for summer 2022. This position is full-time (40 hours per week) for 10-12 weeks.
The Lab seeks to promote a fair and effective criminal justice system, public safety, and economic prosperity. It brings together a broad range of stakeholders to learn about criminal justice problems, supports their efforts to develop and implement innovative consensus solutions, and conducts empirical evaluations to help stakeholders measure the impact of their efforts. Our work spans three areas: 1) producing foundational research, including legal research, research summaries, and original empirical research, to spotlight opportunities for change; 2) conducting pilot projects supporting stakeholders’ efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative solutions; and 3) creating ready-to-use legal and evidence-based tools flowcharts, templates, procedures, forms to allow stakeholders to tailor solutions to meet their needs. Our work focuses on ‘front end’ criminal justice issues, such as bail, policing, and overcriminalization.

The RA will contribute to the Lab’s work in a variety of ways, including:
* Performing data collection, cleaning, and management for ongoing pilot projects.
* Assisting Lab staff and external research partners with quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
* Writing research summaries to examine key criminal justice system issues and communicate complex topics to broad audiences.

The RA will work closely with Lab staff and will have opportunities to engage with external research partners and stakeholders. The RA will also have the opportunity to attend stakeholder meetings held in connection with Lab pilot projects, attend conferences, and observe court proceedings (with the caveat that the COVID-19 pandemic may impact opportunities with respect to conferences and court observations). Depending on the candidate’s skills and interests, they may take on other tasks as other project or organizational needs arise.

Required Qualifications:
Currently enrolled in a master’s program in public administration, public policy, criminology, social work, public health, or related field
Proficiency in Excel
Proficiency in data collection, extraction, and management
Experience with quantitative and/or qualitative research
Strong written communication skills and ability to synthesize complex information
A genuine interest in the Lab’s work
Ability to work effectively in a nonpartisan, non-advocacy environment

Visit this link to apply: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/222133