Temporary Research Analyst - Penn Center for Media, Technology, and Democracy - Penn Engineering

University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA

34d • $7 - $25 • Remote

About The Position

The Penn Center for Media, Technology, and Democracy (Penn MEDIATED) works to advance the scientific understanding of the information ecosystem and leverage that research to strengthen the foundations of democracy. Penn MEDIATED seeks a research analyst (RA) to assist with research, analysis, and writing on the information ecosystem and its impacts on democracy. The RA will perform two roles. First, they will work to expand our research compendium, which compiles and translates University of Pennsylvania research on the quantitative study of the information ecosystem and its impact on democracy. Second, they will perform literature reviews, summarize empirical research, identify stakeholders, write brief analyses, and work with the Executive Director and the Communications and Research Manager to support writing analytical pieces, such as blog posts and research briefs. The goal of the research compendium is to make Penn's rigorous academic work more accessible to the people who need it most: journalists, media executives, civil society organizations, and policymakers. The compendium draws from seven schools and centers—the Annenberg School for Communication, the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the Wharton School, SAS Political Science, SEAS Computer and Information Science, the School of Social Policy and Practice, and the Carey Law School—with an emphasis on empirical and quantitative work. We encourage applicants to carefully review our compendium webpage before applying to get a sense of the topical scope and the translation work involved. This position is eligible for remote work.

Requirements

• Graduate degree in a relevant field of study and experience with research synthesis, literature reviews, or policy briefs.
• Strong ability to read and understand quantitative social science or computational research.
• Excellent written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated interest in democracy, media, information integrity, technology policy; or related areas

Responsibilities

• Track new research output across the Center's 25 affiliated faculty and draft compendium entries for relevant research that aligns with the center’s mission.
• Maintain and expand the center’s research dashboard on LLMs and Civic Discourse.
• Assist center staff in drafting op-eds, policy primers and reports with the goal of making empirical research on the information ecosystem more accessible to the general public.

Benefits

• Health and Life: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare.
• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard. Please note that benefit eligibility is determined/based on ACA guidelines.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level