Research Assistant
University of Michigan
Job Summary
The Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS) supports policy-relevant criminal justice research by providing high-quality educational and training experience to our growing team. We are seeking applications for full-time Research Assistants to join our diverse community of researchers.
As a Research Assistant, you will help us build the next-generation criminal justice data infrastructure that will support evidence-based criminal justice policy-making and administration. The CJARS project is administered through a partnership between the Population Studies Center in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan and the US Census Bureau.
Joining the CJARS team will help you build skills in data management, data analysis, coding, and knowledge of the criminal justice system which will prepare you for continued graduate education or a career in research.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Under the direction of the project’s Principal Investigators (PIs), the Research Assistant will engage in a number of activities that support the continued development and expansion of the CJARS data infrastructure.
CJARS Research Assistants play a primary role in a broad range of data science activities, including:
- Interpretation of data that has been collected from criminal justice agencies;
- Data management, processing, and harmonization;
- Data analysis to support the evaluation of the quality of harmonized records; and
- Development of data visualizations and other statistical output.
In addition to data science activities, CJARS Research Assistants may also be involved in other project activities depending upon knowledge in other relevant areas, including:
- Research: support various research projects and statistical reports by conducting reviews of current research, analyzing data, and writing summaries of research findings.
- Software Development: develop, maintain, expand, and improve automation of currently existing web scraping infrastructure.
The selected candidate will need to possess the following:
- The ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment with strong project management skills, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to exercise sound judgment.
- Exceptional time management skills with a proven ability to multitask and prioritize to successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision.
Qualifications and Skills
Required Qualifications:
- A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with 0 to 1 year of relevant professional experience;
- Proven ability to code in at least one of the following languages: Stata, R, SAS, Python, or SQL;
- Must pass a federal background investigation to secure Special Sworn Status with the US Census Bureau.
Desired Qualifications (preferred but not required):
- Familiarity with HTML and CSS; and
- Advanced knowledge and understanding of data science, probabilistic matching methods, or U.S. criminal justice research literature.
Additional Information
This is a two-year, term-limited position, ideal for candidates planning to apply to graduate programs in Economics, Public Policy, or other related fields. CJARS is an ideal environment for this because it opens up the cadre of resources available to employees of the Institute for Social Research. As an employee of ISR you will be able to take advantage of training and educational workshops, interact and network with faculty and staff, enroll in classes for credit at UM, and become a part of a diverse research community.
The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the diverse people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to ground our research in varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning. This position includes health benefits detailed in the link below. All University of Michigan policies, practices, and procedures applicable to your classification title apply to your employment. Please explore “Working at U-M” for additional information regarding benefits and employment: https://hr.umich.edu/working-u-m
ISR job openings are posted for a minimum of 14 calendar days and can be filled and removed any time after the 14 calendar day minimum posting requirement has passed.
To Apply
A cover letter is required for consideration of this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should indicate your starting availability, address your specific interest in the position, and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position. Please include all relevant qualifications in your resume.
Full Time
Salary range:
$50,000 – $75,000