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Research Assistant (Spring-27 Intern)

The Ramos Research Institute
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APPLICATIONS DUE: NOVEMBER 1, 2026 AT 11:59 PM ET

The Ramos Research Institute (RRI) is accepting applications for its Spring 2027 Research Internship Program.

RRI is a nonpartisan nonprofit think and action tank focused on civic learning and democratic engagement, media literacy, education policy, and strengthening democratic culture. Research interns work alongside Institute researchers and project teams on active research, policy, and public-facing initiatives.

The internship is designed for undergraduate students who want meaningful experience conducting research and contributing to projects with real-world applications. Applicants do not need extensive prior research experience. We welcome students who are experienced researchers as well as those who are curious, motivated, and interested in developing their skills.

Interns are assigned to projects based on Institute needs, their interests, academic backgrounds, and relevant experience. Depending on the project, interns may contribute to work involving civic education, democracy and democratic engagement, media literacy, education policy, public opinion, community-based policy research, and related areas.

Key Responsibilities

  • Conduct literature reviews, policy research, and background research.
  • Locate, evaluate, organize, and synthesize academic and public-policy sources.
  • Assist with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, when relevant to the assigned project.
  • Support the development and administration of surveys, questionnaires, interviews, or other research instruments.
  • Contribute to research reports, policy briefs, white papers, presentations, and other Institute publications.
  • Assist with data organization, visualization, and presentation.
  • Participate in project meetings, research discussions, and collaborative working sessions.
  • Contribute ideas and perspectives to ongoing research initiatives.
  • Track relevant policy developments, current events, and scholarship connected to assigned projects.
  • Work independently on assigned responsibilities while collaborating with researchers, fellow interns, and project leadership.

Qualifications

  • Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program or a recent college graduate. Students and recent graduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply.
  • Strong interest in research, public policy, civic life, education, media literacy, democracy, or related subjects.
  • Strong written communication, critical-thinking, and organizational skills.
  • Ability to conduct careful, independent research and meet established deadlines.
  • Ability to work collaboratively as part of a research team.
  • Intellectual curiosity and willingness to engage with unfamiliar ideas, evidence, and subject areas.
  • Reliability, attention to detail, and a willingness to take initiative.

Experience with Excel, Stata, SPSS, R, Python, or other research and data-analysis tools is welcome but not required. RRI projects vary considerably in methodology, and this internship is generally better suited to students seeking a broad research and policy experience than to applicants seeking an internship focused primarily on statistical analysis.

Compensation and Academic Credit

This is an unpaid internship. RRI is happy to work with students and their colleges or universities to support applications for academic credit when available. Many previous RRI interns have completed the internship for academic credit.

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit the materials requested through Handshake.

Please address your cover letter to:

Alejandro Ramos and the Hiring Committee

Learn more about RRI’s interns and research:

https://www.ramosresearchinstitute.org/interns
https://www.ramosresearchinstitute.org/publications