Applicants are required to submit a (1) cover letter, (2) resume, and (3) example code via the UM Careers website as one combined electronic document. The cover letter should explain how your skills and experience align with the job requirements and why you are applying for the position. Please include all relevant experience and education in your resume. Example code should not exceed 5 pages in length and should showcase your skills in cleaning, merging, and analyzing databases, or be an example of another relevant exercise.

The Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS) is a next-generation criminal justice data platform designed to improve policy-relevant research on the U.S. justice system. To date, the project has amassed a substantial amount of criminal justice data, including 3 billion lines of raw data, which come from 38 states and cover over 200 million criminal justice events. CJARS was recently awarded a $6 million grant from Arnold Ventures to expand project operations over the course of the next three years. We are seeking applications for a Research Assistant to join our expanding team and contribute to ongoing and planning research projects. As a Research Assistant, you will be involved in conducting literature reviews, cleaning and analyzing data, creating data visualizations and other statistical output, and supporting the dissemination of research findings.

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

The Research Assistant will engage in a number of activities that support ongoing and planning research activities, including:

• Conduct literature reviews and develop annotated bibliographies that summarize key elements of published research.
• Collect, code, clean, and link various data resources in preparation for statistical analyses.
• Contribute to the development of data analysis plans and carry out analyses on large data resources.
• Assist with the creation of tables and figures for presentations, statistical reports, manuscripts, and/or grant proposals.
• Assist with research dissemination efforts, such as developing brief research summaries and preparing materials to be posted online.
• Prepare other materials in support of CJARS project operations as needed, such as data visualizations for promotional materials.
   

• Bachelor's degree in economics, criminology, public policy, or another relevant field. A combination of education and professional experience may be considered in lieu of a bachelor's degree.
• Ability to code using common statistical software programs, such as: Stata, R, SAS, Python, etc.
• Ability to pass a federal background investigation to secure Special Sworn Status with the U.S. Census Bureau.
   

• Prior experience working in a research environment wrangling large datasets.
• Knowledge and understanding of data science, probabilistic matching methods, or U.S. criminal justice research literature.
   

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

The position is in-person in Ann Arbor, Monday through Thursday. Friday is an optional work-from-home day.

The salary range for this position is $46,900 to $58,600, please note a higher salary may be offered for highly qualified candidates.

As one of the world's great liberal arts colleges, LSA pushes the boundaries of what is understood about the human experience and the natural world, and we foster the next generation of rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to the state of Michigan, the nation, and the world.

To learn more about LSA's Mission, Vision and Values, please visit https://lsa.umich.edu/strategicvision
 

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.