Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Overview: 

 

The Sustainability and Social Change (SSC) Lab is currently seeking an undergraduate Research Assistant to join the lab in the fall as a volunteer, through work-study or as a directed-study student! As an RA in the SSC Lab you will be able to contribute to important applied research, while also learning valuable skills to help navigate research, conferences, publishing, and academia. If you have any questions about this posting, would like to sign up to volunteer in the lab, or would like to set up a directed study, please email a CV and cover letter to Lab Manager, Clara Riggio (c.riggio@northeastern.edu). To apply for a work-study position, please visit our job posting on Workday! or visit https://ssclab.sites.northeastern.edu/join-us/

 

You Should Apply if You: 

  • have an interest in climate change, the environment, public policy, political polarization, inequality and the relationship between these topics and decision-making, social norms and networks, and values and preferences. 
  • are looking to expand your interdisciplinary research network 
  • want to learn new skills in experimental design; data collection and analysis; literature reviews and meta-analysis; programming; and academic writing. 
  • are interested in writing articles, and presenting work at conferences. 
  • want to join a team of experienced, cooperative, and driven researchers! 

 

Responsibilities: 

  • Attend weekly lab meetings 
  • Undergo training in research software, data analysis, and Human Research ethics 
  • Assist in experimental design, data analysis, content analysis, literature reviews, running studies (online surveys, interviews, cooperative game studies, etc.) 

 

Qualifications: 

  • Knowledge of political science, sociology, economics, policy or psychology 
  • Organization and time-management skills 
  • Excellent writing and literature review skills 
  • Familiarity with R, Python or other data analysis software (preferred) 
  • Familiarity with Qualtrics, MTurk and other online survey platforms (preferred) 
  • Familiarity with statistical analysis, causal inference, and text analysis (preffered) 

 

The Sustainability and Social Change Lab is directed by Dr. Sara Constantino. Constantino’s work broadly focuses on social and political barriers to the design and implementation of effective social and environmental policy, and to collective action more generally. Our lab focuses on the applied topics of climate adaptation and mitigation, poverty alleviation, and the intersection between inequality and climate change. We have ongoing projects on the emergence and erosion of social norms; the role of political ideology, partisanship and trust on cooperation and political behavior; moral decision-making related to welfare provision, intergenerational justice and reparations; the varied narratives surrounding energy transitions, extreme weather events and poverty; the inequities and politics around climate mobility decisions; and the social and political consequences of cash transfer policies. To learn more, please visit https://ssclab.sites.northeastern.edu.