Campaign Finance Research Assistant - Federal Work-Study Internship Program (Student Wage)

University of Virginia • Charlottesville, VA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

Professor SoRelle W. Gaynor, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, is seeking a research assistant for her project on congressional activity and campaign finance. The role will involve archival work and data collection of campaign finance data, dataset construction, and file management. This position is for the Fall 2026 semester, with the possibility of renewal for Spring 2027. The FWS internship will include training on above skills.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled UVA student (undergraduate or graduate).
• Interest in congressional politics and campaign finance.
• Interest in learning archival research skills.
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Resume and letter of interest required.
• Federal work-study students preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Excel, file management
• Familiarity with congressional politics, campaign finance laws, or campaign finance data sources.
• Experience with Excel
• Familiarity with campaign finance data sources, such as FEC.gov or OpenSecrets.org.

Responsibilities

• Data collection of campaign finance information, involving the databases of FEC.gov, OpenSecrets.org, and more.
• Data organization via file management and Excel.
• Literature review research in political science literature.
• There will be five meetings with Prof. Gaynor over the course of the semester.

Benefits

• Training on skills related to campaign finance data and archival research.
• Structured internship experience through the Internship Placement Program (IPP).
• Enrollment in UNST 3910 (1 cr.) or UNST 3920 (1 cr.) or participation in an asynchronous co-curricular workshop series through Canvas.
• Dedicated career support from supervisor.
• Gain key skills and competencies that align with future job interests.
• Resume enhancement and impactful stories for interviews.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Associate degree