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
The Ash Center selects fellows in a highly competitive process that brings scholars, practitioners, and political leaders to the School for term appointments with a host of opportunities to pursue independent research projects, enhance their professional skills, and network with their peers.
Learn more and apply to:
Staff Opportunities
There are no staff openings at this time.
Note that applicants to staff openings (excluding research assistant and research fellow positions) must apply through the Harvard Human Resources online system, which can be found here.
Student Opportunities
Research Assistant for Prof. Bruce Schneier
Research assistants wanted at the intersection of democracy, artificial intelligence, and the information economy. It is unclear that the mid-18th-Century democratic systems and institutions — the technologies of democracy — are well-suited for the information age. In parallel, artificial intelligence has in recent years displayed increasingly sophisticated capabilities, to the point where it will near-inevitably be deployed across wide swaths of society. How can AI be used to re-imagine democracy for the mid-21st century, where concepts of community, communication, consensus, and delegation are very different? And what are the risks if the details of AI’s implementation in democracy are left in the hands of the private sector, rather than the broader polity? Research includes literature review, brainstorming, writing, and possible participation in other events; and will contribute to a forthcoming book on the topic. Students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences are welcome to apply. Generalists preferred. The time commitment will be approximately 10 hours per week. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to schneier@schneier.com.
Harvard Votes Challenge Coordinator
The Harvard Votes Challenge is a university-wide effort to increase voter registration and participation among eligible students, staff, and faculty. The Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School seeks a Graduate Assistant to coordinate this civic engagement work across HKS in collaboration with the wider Harvard University community. The ideal applicant will have a passion for civic engagement and democracy, as well as experience in organizing, communications and event planning. The position includes the following responsibilities: Helping with planning and implementation of the vision and strategy for the Harvard Votes Challenge and evaluation of the program; organizing HKS students to register to vote via TurboVote and track progress through data management; serve as an additional point of contact on Harvard Votes Challenge programming for students, volunteers, faculty, staff, and administrators; attend team meetings every other week; organize and create communications and content about voter engagement; and make civic engagement fun. The time commitment is 5-10 hours per week. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to jahaida_jesurum@hks.harvard.edu.
Research Assistant: American Medical Association (AMA) Archive Project
The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability (IARA) Project is seeking a research assistant to support a project focused on examining the archives of the American Medical Association (AMA). The project aims to explore historical and current issues of race and equity within the organization.
We look for candidates who demonstrate an interest in archival research, social science, or historical methods, familiarity with racial justice or racial equity, and a willingness to approach problems with creativity and collaboration. Responsibilities will include: assisting in the development of keywords to identify relevant data within the AMA archives; conducting keyword searches to locate and extract potentially relevant data from digital archives; accurately entering and organizing data, including publication titles, authors, subtitles, and page numbers, into a structured database; and performing additional tasks as needed to support the project’s objectives and team members.
All candidates should be an enrolled graduate student at Harvard University (any school or program is welcome); exhibit strong research and analytic skills; have experience with data entry and management; and have excellent communication and teamwork abilities.
If you have some but not all of the above, we encourage you to apply. We value employees with a willingness to learn.
This position will collaborate on a team with two healthcare Research Associates and report to the project lead, Ángel Rodríguez.
Compensation:
Pay is $21 per hour.
The expected time commitment is 8-10 hours per week.
If this position might be for you, please send your resume and cover letter to iara@hks.harvard.edu. This position will be open until filled, so please apply at your earliest convenience.
Background:
The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability (IARA) Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center is dedicated to promoting antiracism as a fundamental organizational value through research and policy initiatives. The project is led by Professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a renowned scholar on race and racism in the United States.
