Community Partnerships Initiative Research Assistant (Summer 2026 and/or Sept. 2026- April 2027) : Science and Technology Policy
Position Announcement

The Community Partnerships Initiative (CPI) is part of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP) in the Ford School of Public Policy. Although science and technology have tremendous power to make our lives better, decisions made by humans in the past, for example, are now often made by algorithms that do not necessarily do the job better. And the benefits and harms of new technologies are not distributed equally. People in historically excluded groups across race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and income level are more likely to be affected by decisions about science and technology, and less likely to benefit.

The public often has important knowledge about how to make certain that science and technology will benefit their community and be fair. STPP respects and values this expertise and is dedicated to integrating these voices into public and policy conversations about science and technology. We listen and learn from communities then provide tools to engage in technical and policy advocacy.  View our publications here:  https://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/research

To learn more about the Community Partnerships Initiative, please click here: https://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/stpp-community/community-partnerships-initiative  

This position will be ~5-10 hours per week during the school year and up to 35 hours per week during the summer. The pay will be ~$20/hour, depending on experience. Position begins in May if you are interested in working this summer and in September if you'd like to work during the 2026-2027 school year. Work location: Remote with possibility of hybrid in Weill Hall, 735 S. State Street.

PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS: Please apply with

(1) a letter of interest detailing your relevant experience

(2) a short writing sample (e.g. policy memo, blog post, op-ed, essay) and

(3) resume in one document no later than midnight, Wednesday, January 21, 2026. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: STPP does not publish work produced with generative AI.  ***Please do not use AI tools in any part of the application process (drafting your cover letter, answering questions during the interview, etc).***  We are interested in reading about and talking to you! 

As a member of the CPI research team, the student in this position will be responsible for participating in the following:

• Researching, compiling information, and drafting memos, policy briefs and white papers on topics such as artificial intelligence, surveillance, assistive technologies for People with Disabilities, air monitoring devices and other technologies of interest to our community partners. 
• Attending and participating in regular research team meetings and meetings with community partners.

The ideal candidate will:

• Be an undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Michigan preferably at the Ford School
• Be available to work part- or full-time for the summer of 2026 and/or 5-10 hours per week in 2026-2027 school year
• Have an interest in science or technology policy
• Have taken at least one class in the Ford School of Public Policy
• Be self-motivated and task oriented, able to execute tasks independently to move project forward
• Have strong writing skills
• Be able to synthesize complex findings from multiple sources clearly and concisely in written form
• Be able to communicate openly and transparently