Research Assistant (Student)

Work Where You Learn: Build Experience, Grow Skills, and Contribute to Your University Community.

This position is available only to enrolled American University students.

Most student positions at American University are eligible to use Federal Work Study (FWS) awards, with a few exceptions. FWS funds cannot be applied to janitorial, construction, partisan or sectarian positions. For information or questions regarding FWS funds, please contact American University's Office of Financial Aid.

Important guidance for current American University employees: American University current employees, including those employed in student positions, must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into your employee Workday account and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings. Applying outside of your employee Workday account may cause delays in a hire process.

Department:

School of Public Affairs

Time Type:
Part time

FLSA Status:
Non-Exempt

Job Description:

Summary:

Conduct research assistance under faculty supervision on U.S. elections, direct democracy, voting administration, and voter turnout. Collect and clean archival data from websites, communicate with state and local public officials. Expected 5 hours per week.

Essential Functions:

• Conduct original data collection from archival web sources and state legislative websites.
  
• Email and phone communication with state and local officials to locate data.
  
• Interpret legislation and legal documents.
  
• Possible work coding and web scraping, depending on familiarity.
  

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• Part-time.
  
• 5 hours per week.
  

Salary Range:

• $18.40 per hour.
  

Required Education and Experience:

• Full-time undergraduate enrollment at AU required.
  
• Familiarity with Excel and google sheets required.
  
• Ability to communicate with public officials.
  
• Attention to detail.
  
• Collaboration with multiple workers.
  
• Ability to work independently and willingness to learn new skills.
  

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Familiarity with Google Drive recommended.
  
• Interest in U.S. politics and elections a plus.
  
• All AU students are eligible to apply for this position, with a preference for those students with a Federal Work Study award.
  

Other Details

• This position is available only to enrolled American University students.
  
• Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
  
• American University is an E-Verify employer.
  
• Visit for additional information about American University employment and benefits.
  

Current American University Employees

American University current employees (including those employed in student positions) must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.

Contact Us

For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email View email address on click.appcast.io.

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual's genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.