Data Science Internship Program with APSA

AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION (APSA) POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT


POSITION TITLE: Data Science Internship

COMPENSATION: $20/hour (undergraduates); $25/hour (graduates), 20 hours
in the academic year or 35 hours in the summer

REQUIRED EDUCATION: BA in Economics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science, or methods-intensive political science or related other social science degree; acceptance into an advanced degree program in political science or related other social science discipline with data science component

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE: none

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The American Political Science Association’s data science internship
program is an opportunity for upper-level undergraduates, or for graduate students, to be fully immersed in APSA’s work to streamline data analytics and to centralize data resources for the Association’s Research Department to enhance research on the profession of political science.

Applicants should be curious and eager to learn about data science skills as they apply to political science as a profession to intern at APSA. The internship will put individuals at the center of American politics in Washington, D.C.,  of the political science discipline, and of APSA’s membership, and is a great opportunity to enact positive change for members and the profession through supporting work for data-driven insights and evidence-based policies and decision-making for the profession.  Over the next three years, a central goal of the Association is to increase engagement with and support for a diverse collection of members from a variety of backgrounds, areas of scholarly specialty and institution types. Thus, strong candidates will have experience working with diverse populations, research experience with or knowledge of diverse populations, and will provide evidence of being committed to furthering a climate of inclusivity and collaboration.

Applicants located in Washington, D.C., or with the possibility of
relocation to Washington, D.C. temporarily, to work in APSA’s offices in Dupont Circle are highly desirable. Applicants with the ability to start immediately or by November 1st are highly desirable, students should expect a commitment of at least one semester, so a Winter-Spring semester start date (second or third week of January) or a summer start date are also possible.

STATUS
Non-exempt

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
None

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The APSA Research Department is undertaking initiatives to catalogue existing data from historical and current research to structure and standardize the data it uses for research, for operational decision-making, and that it makes available to members, when appropriate. The Research Department is also enacting procedures to protect the privacy of individuals within the data and to enhance the security of the data and of analytic processes used to present findings on the data to the public. The intern will primarily work to build a foundation for a strong data architecture that is secure and protects privacy, and a flexible, adaptable, information retrieval interface, both to make the research process more efficient and to aid in replication and the reproduction of research findings.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• A creative, detail-oriented individual;
• Ability to work both within a team and to take initiative;
• Ability to keep on task/ deadline;
• Basic knowledge of survey methodology;
• Basic knowledge of statistical analysis of structured data (e.g. data gathered from surveys, or data gathered from administrative records);
• Experience with programming in the R statistical environment, Python, or other relevant programming language;
• Interest in computational social science;
• Interest in/ experience with statistical analysis of unstructured data, in particular, with text data;
• Interest in/ experience with program evaluation or policy
• analysis;
• Interest in/ experience with study of labor markets, and/or micro- or macro-economics

ABOUT APSA

The APSA is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit educational association that serves a
membership base of 13,000 in over 80 countries. With a range of programs and services for individuals, departments and institutions, APSA brings together political scientists from all fields of inquiry, regions and occupational endeavors within and outside academe in order to expand awareness and understanding of politics. To learn more about APSA, please visit www.apsanet.org. APSA offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. APSA has a Metro-accessible location in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, with a full-time staff of 29. APSA is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity and welcomes applications from
anyone with the qualifications indicated above.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, submit a c.v. and cover letter indicating how your
experience and skills align with the description and the essential skills required of the position, by email to APSA at hr@apsanet.org. Please write ‘Data Science Internship in APSA Research’ in the subject line. Consideration will begin as soon as resumes are received, and the position will remain open until filled.