Careers & Fellowships
Join us in working toward more equal, inclusive, multiracial, and multiethnic democracy.
The Ash Center is a global and values-driven community that believes diverse perspectives are paramount to better understanding and addressing real-world problems. In fostering an environment of rigor, curiosity, and integrity, we value and respect different opinions, lived experiences, and diverse research and policy areas and approaches. We actively seek candidates who share our commitment and values.
Fellowship Opportunities
Allen Lab Fellowships
Research Fellowship: This fellowship is intended for emerging scholars, predoctoral students/ postdoctoral researchers within 5 years of degree conferred. Fellows will be in-person in Cambridge to work on a self-directed research project
Policy Fellowship: This fellowship is intended for faculty, mid-career practitioners, and policymakers with expertise and demonstrated interest in the research, development, and implementation of policy coinciding with the Lab’s research themes. Fellows will work on their own self-directed project. May be remote and part-time with expectation of several visits to campus per semester.
Reimagining Democracy Program Fellowships
Democracy Visiting Fellowship: The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation invites faculty, doctoral, and postdoctoral students to apply to its Democracy Visiting Fellowship Program and further their research on substantive democratic governance issues.
Staff Opportunities
There are no staff opportunities available at this time.
Student Opportunities
Research Assistant, Regulatory Disclosure
Position Description:
Over the past three decades, federal, state, and local government in the United States have increasingly required public, private, and non-profit organizations to disclose information to the public as a method of achieving public aims. The Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center Program on Democracy and the Informed Public seeks a pair of research assistants (RAs) to research and write on issues of regulatory disclosure and government-mandate (“targeted”) transparency. Some examples include requirements to provide consumers with information regarding automobile safety or restaurant hygiene; communities with data on pollution exposure; and investors with information about financial risks.
The RA will work closely with professors David Weil and Archon Fung, and a small team of other RAs and researchers investigating the current use of targeted transparency. The RA will both update existing cases and research compiled by Professors Fung and Weil regarding targeted transparency and collect information on new uses of targeted transparency by federal, state, and local governments. The position will include a mix of independent work and in-person meetings.
Tasks and Deliverables:
The RA will 1) compile a data base of targeted transparency laws and rules as well as conduct a literature review of academic articles on regulatory disclosure and targeted transparency from 2007-present, 2) update a set of existing research cases on regulatory disclosure, and 3) conduct research for new cases identified by the PIs. Tasks include:
- Identifying and cataloging laws and regulations, as well as academic and non-academic literature in Zotero (training provided).
- Desk research on selected cases identified by the project team.
- Writing (briefs and research summaries, draft sections of case studies, and project updates).
- Working collaboratively with the research team more broadly on topics related to information and transparency.
- Additional responsibilities as assigned.
Desired Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Experience undertaking academic research and writing.
- Experience conducting literature reviews and familiarity with legal and regulatory research.
- Familiarity with Zotero (preferred though not required).
- Self-direction and initiative.
- Experience conducting desk research using the internet and AI tools (with guidance provided).
- Strong communication skills (verbal and written) and ability to work collaboratively with others on team-based assignments.
- Interest in issues of disclosure policy, information, transparency, trust, rights, or related fields.
Duration:
- Academic Year 2026-2027
Anticipated Time Commitment:
- 10-15 hours/week. Flexibility around academic schedules (e.g. midterms/finals).
Please submit resume and cover letter to: lwainaina@hks.harvard.edu.