Published: 10/04/2024

Project Description: Mae MacDonald, a PhD Candidate in Political Science, Knight-Hennessy Scholar and Graduate Fellow at the Immigration Policy Lab, is looking for two Research Assistants for a research project on solutions for refugees in the Global South. The research seeks to understand when and why refugees return to the countries that they flee, and the role of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and its major donor (the United States) in this process. Mae has years of experience conducting fieldwork and working with refugees in Kenya, Uganda, Thailand, Greece, and the U.K.

RA Position: The role will mostly involve working with archival records from UNHCR and the World Refugees Survey. First, the RA will help to validate the UN’s data on refugee repatriation by digitizing, coding, and comparing multiple records of repatriation numbers. Second, the RA will help to code data on which countries fund the UNHCR using archival material. Third, the RA will help to code data on the funding provided for different types of refugee “solutions,” including refugee camps, local integration, resettlement, and repatriation. These datasets will become public goods that are analyzed by other researchers. 

Note that this RA position mostly involves data entry, which isn’t always the most exciting work. However, along the way, you would learn about how the world accommodates refugees, a topic that is both interesting and important. You would also learn about how research is conducted, which would be useful to anyone considering graduate school and a career in social science academia. 

Ideal candidate:

  • Detail-oriented and enjoys working with numbers
  • Able to work independently, highly motivated, and well organized 
  • Interested in refugee and migration issues
  • (Intended) major in political science or other quantitative social science
  • Proficiency in a spreadsheet software, e.g., Excel or Airtable

Previous research experience is not required. Students of any year (including frosh) can apply. 

Logistics

  • Remote 
  • 20 USD per hour
  • 2-4 hours per week (ideally more), ~65 hours total
  • Weekly or fortnightly check-ins (in-person or on zoom)

If you are interested in applying, please email Mae at maemac@stanford.edu before Weds 16th Oct. In your email, please say why you are interested in this RA position and provide information about your availability and fit based on the ideal candidate description.