Research Assistant – Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science – S3D

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

About The Position

The Software and Societal Systems (S3D) department in Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science seeks an entry-level Research Assistant to help build and expand the open-source ecosystem around technology for teaching geometry proof to middle- and high-school students. The technology combines visual proof representations, a domain-specific language, a formally verified proof checker, and tools for automatically generating proof content. About half of the position is devoted to the ecosystem, with the remainder including engineering and research work. The assistant will onboard contributors, triage issues, write documentation, and support content developers. The role also includes developing and maintaining software for proof rendering and checking, and assisting with research on proof comprehension. The position is scheduled to begin in February 2027. Applicants completing their degree before then, including December 2026 or January 2027 graduates, are welcome to apply. This full-time, fixed-term staff position is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is paid hourly. A successful pre-employment background check is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics, or a closely related field; a bachelor’s degree is required.
Previous research experience is required. Prior experience as a research assistant in a university research environment is required; part-time academic-year work or full-time summer experience is adequate.
Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.
Ability to interact effectively with a varied population of internal and external partners with integrity.

Nice To Haves

A combination of education and proven experience demonstrating comparable knowledge may be considered.
Applicants who will complete their degree before the February 2027 start date are welcome to apply.

Responsibilities

Onboard open-source contributors by helping with environment setup, codebase orientation, first contributions, and questions in issue trackers and discussion forums.
Triage incoming issues and pull requests by reproducing bugs, labeling and prioritizing reports, and routing them to appropriate maintainers.
Write and maintain documentation for the proof domain-specific language, ENDER visual proof renderer, and proof checker for audiences including content developers and middle- and high-school teachers.
Support content developers in authoring, testing, and debugging proofs and using automated proof-generation tools.
Implement features and fix defects in the React and TypeScript rendering application, including its synchronized diagram and two-column text views.
Contribute to the grammar and proof checker, including writing test cases for correct, incorrect, and partial proofs.
Assist with research on proof comprehension, including designing study materials, supporting data collection with secondary school participants under IRB protocols, and analyzing results.