Rebooting Social Media/Applied Social Media Lab Call for Student Research Assistants
Join the Institute for Rebooting Social Media (RSM) and Applied Social Media Lab (ASML) teams! We are looking for student research assistants (RAs) with fresh ideas, curiosity, and creative drive to support our growing team of staff and visiting faculty-led projects and research. RSM RAs will support the incoming cohort of Visiting Scholars as they work on projects and writing related to social media’s most urgent problems, including mis/disinformation, social media governance, reparative social media, and bridging algorithms. ASML RAs will collaborate with ASML staff members in software engineering, identifying technical synergies and proposing innovative ideas that could shape the future of social media. When applying, candidates may choose between roles with various expectations.
Responsibilities:
Depending on specific projects, research needs, and backgrounds, RAs may be asked to collaborate on the following:
- Designing, building, and testing new social media infrastructures
- Mobile and web development
- Conducting statistical analyses and quantitative research
- Conducting literature reviews
- Conducting legal research
- Writing memos on case law
- Performing social media, social network, and content analysis
- Transcribing interviews
- Attending progress meetings, synthesizing research, and presenting summaries to the RSM/ASML communities
Research Assistantships are an excellent opportunity for students to apply their skills while learning or developing new research skills. RAs are not expected to have mastered any of the skills listed in the roles below. Instead, successful applicants should demonstrate a strong motivation to understand the social media landscape and address its problems.
Learn more about the specific responsibilities of each role below.
Eligibility & Additional Information:
Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements in order to be considered for an RA position:
- Ability to work in a remote and/or hybrid format; in-person attendance at specific meetings or events may be expected with notice.
- Actively enrolled Harvard University student
- Ability to commit up to 5-20 hours per week, depending on the role and individual availability (to be agreed upon with manager)
- Authorization to work in the U.S.
The University’s standard rate for RA positions is $21.00/hour. No other benefits are provided.
Required Materials:
- A completed application form noting your preferred position(s)
- A current resume or CV
- A brief cover letter describing your skills, interests, and what about working at the Berkman Klein Center and for RSM/ASML interests you
To Apply:
Applications will be collected through this application form on a rolling basis. The form will be closed when all positions are filled.
Role #1 – Graduate-Level Software Engineer (ASML)
Role #2 – Qualitative Researcher (RSM)
Role #3 – Quantitative Researcher (RSM)
Role #4 – Legal Researcher (RSM)
Applicants may be considered for multiple or additional positions.
About RSM:
The Institute for Rebooting Social Media (RSM) is a three-year, “pop-up” research initiative at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center addressing social media’s most urgent problems. By working with academia, industry, and the public, RSM works to research, promote, and create healthier online ecosystems.
About ASML:
The Applied Social Media Lab (ASML) is a new initiative from Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center. The two-year mission of ASML is to build social media solutions that center the public interest.
As a Graduate Software Engineer RA, you will play a key role in designing, building, and testing new social media infrastructure. You’ll work with programming languages such as TypeScript, JavaScript, Dart, Python, Rust, or Go to develop innovative solutions that integrate ASML technology into the broader tech ecosystem.
Basic Qualifications:
- Pursuing a graduate degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or having relevant work experience.
- Experience and/or interest in mobile or web development. Experience with React Native or Flutter is a plus.
- Proficiency in at least one of the following programming languages: TypeScript, JavaScript, Dart, Python, Rust, or Go.
- The ability to tackle open-ended problems and navigate ambiguous challenges independently and as part of a team.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Preferred (but not required):
- Familiarity with decentralized systems, peer-to-peer networking, applied cryptography or related technologies, such as Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), DIDComm, verifiable credentials, end-to-end encryption protocols, and zero-knowledge proof systems.
- Experience developing mobile applications using Flutter and deploying them on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- Experience with open protocols, such as OAuth, OpenID, ActivityPub, XMPP, AT Protocol, DSNP, Matrix, Nostr, Solid, or Beckn.
- Experience with machine learning techniques or processes, including prompt-based learning, fine-tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and inference.
As a Qualitative Research Assistant, you will contribute to ongoing social media research by reading and coding data from interviews and assisting with event organization. This role may include support for literature reviews, coordinating meetings and events, and helping synthesize research findings.
Basic Qualifications
- Ability to read and qualitatively code interviews.
- Experience with content analysis.
- Experience with survey data collection, interview transcription, and software used to handle qualitative data.
- Excellent analytical and writing skills.
- Experience coordinating events or meetings is a plus.
As a Quantitative Research Assistant, you will focus on surveys, experiments, and data analysis related to misinformation, fact-checking, and social media governance. You’ll assist in designing and conducting studies that explore the implications of misinformation on public discourse.
Basic Qualifications:
- Experience with online survey design and data collection.
- Strong analytical and writing skills, with an interest in misinformation and online trust.
Preferred (but not required)
- Interest in misinformation and fact-checking research.
- Experience in conducting and designing online surveys and research experiments.
- Experience using Qualtrics and/or SPSS.
As a Legal Research Assistant, you will contribute to the legal and policy aspects of social media governance-related research. This includes conducting legal research, summarizing regulatory discussions, and supporting events on internet policy topics. This role is ideal for students interested in the intersection of law, technology, and social media.
Basic Qualifications
- Pursuing JD, SJD, or LLM.
- Experience in legal research and writing.
- Interest in free speech, censorship and/or misinformation-related internet research.