Research Assistant – Quantitative Analysis & Data Research

The New School

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

Faculty Laura Lanteri is seeking a strong student or junior researcher to support the development of a nonfiction book about patterns in contemporary behavior, culture, markets, and institutions, particularly how behaviors become concentrated, standardized, and reinforced at scale. The Research Assistant will primarily support the project’s quantitative and data-driven research. The role involves researching and analyzing data from academic, government, industry, and other credible sources; identifying evidence relevant to specific questions and hypotheses; and presenting findings in clear, useful formats. The assistant will help evaluate whether findings support rigorous arguments, maintain organized source documentation, and occasionally conduct targeted literature reviews. The position is hybrid/remote. Employees primarily work remotely, with occasional on-campus presence required with advanced notice and as needed to fulfill job responsibilities. The hourly rate is $31.37. The position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement between SENS-UAW, Local 7902 and the University.

Requirements

Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
Comfort working with large amounts of data and research.
Experience with Excel or Google Sheets.
Strong research skills and ability to identify reliable primary sources.
Understanding of basic research methodology and statistical interpretation.
Excellent attention to detail, particularly around numbers, citations, and sourcing.
Intellectual curiosity and ability to investigate questions that do not always have obvious answers.
Ability to work independently and communicate findings clearly.
Suitable for a student or junior researcher in economics, statistics, data science, social science, public policy, business, sociology, psychology, or a related field who is interested in applying quantitative research to broader questions about contemporary culture and behavior.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with statistical analysis tools such as R, Python, Stata, SPSS, or similar.
Experience with data visualization, academic research, econometrics, behavioral research, or large public datasets.

Responsibilities

Conduct quantitative research across academic, government, industry, and other credible data sources.
Identify datasets, statistics, longitudinal studies, surveys, and market research relevant to specific questions or hypotheses.
Analyze and synthesize data to identify patterns, correlations, shifts, and outliers.
Build simple quantitative models and comparative analyses where useful.
Research historical and contemporary trends across consumer behavior, economics, technology, media, culture, and related fields.
Fact-check numerical claims and trace statistics back to their original sources.
Create clear tables, charts, and data summaries to inform the book’s arguments.
Maintain an organized research database with sources, citations, methodology, and supporting documentation.
Help distinguish interesting correlations from findings that can support a rigorous argument.
Occasionally conduct targeted literature reviews around specific questions.