September 21, 2009

Seeking: Technical Research Assistant for Adhoc Tasks at MSR

This position has been filled.

Microsoft Research New England is seeking an undergraduate research assistant to help out with assorted tasks for 10-20 hours/week to assist Dr. danah boyd, a social media researcher who investigates youth engagement with various genres of new media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Xanga, etc.).

An RA who would enjoy this job would be technically proficient, a quick technical learner, able to change direction when something comes up, and curious to learn more about technology studies research. Projects might include tracking web content related to ongoing research projects, organizing research bibliographies, writing simple scripts to parse online data, managing mailing lists and blogs, etc.

The ideal candidate will have basic scripting skills and be familiar with Web2.0 technologies to find innovative solutions to various challenges. The ideal RA would be comfortable navigating both Microsoft Server and UNIX-based systems. Some tasks require familiarity with HTML, CSS, Javascript, SQL incarnations, Movable Type, etc. or the ability to quickly learn these languages/platforms. Others would require the candidate to find 3rd party software that could help address the challenge. In short, this position is meant for someone who is a webgeek.

The RA would be required to do most work from the Microsoft Research office in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA but some tasks can be completed remotely. An undergraduate at a nearby university would be most appropriate for this position, although non-student locals may be considered. The position will be managed through contingent staff agency for Microsoft Research and will pay $15-$20/hour.

To apply, please send a copy of your resume and a cover letter to Paul Oka (poka@mit.edu) and CC danah boyd. Feel free to contact Paul with any questions you might have.

(See also: hiring Research Assistant/Intern for Online Safety Literature Review)

This position has been filled.

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Tags: hiring MSR intern RA

Posted by zephoria at September 21, 2009 12:15 PM | TrackBack