Fall 2024 Internships - J-PAL North America

J-PAL North America, a research center within the Economics department at MIT, is seeking interns to join its team and contribute to its mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. J-PAL North America conducts randomized evaluations, builds partnerships for evidence-informed policymaking, and helps partners scale up effective programs. J-PAL North America leverages research by affiliated professors from universities across the world to share research about which anti-poverty social policies work and why.

We are currently recruiting for two to three interns to work closely with teams to complete projects. This is a 16 week part-time (15-20 hours per week) paid internship from September - December 2024. This position is based at J-PAL North America’s office on the MIT Campus in Cambridge, MA. Interns may follow a hybrid schedule, but are expected to be in office at least 8 hours per week, with at least four hours completed on a Tuesday or Wednesday. This position pays an hourly rate of $24.00/hour.

Timeline & Hiring Process 

• May 31st: Applications due 
• Week of June 3rd: Competitive applicants will be invited to interview 
• June 10th - June 21st: Applicant interviews 
• September 3rd: Internships begin

Qualifications

• Education: You are currently enrolled in an accredited college or university and have successfully completed some college level coursework in economics, public policy, education, public health or subjects related to the social sciences. We are currently seeking undergraduate students who are rising sophomores or juniors, with an expected graduation date of May 2027 or May 2028. We will not consider students who are rising current high school seniors or rising college seniors.
• Experience and Interest: Regardless of your declared major, you are interested in the field of economics and research in the social sciences. You have a demonstrated interest in using results from research to inform policy change about alleviating poverty. You have experience in direct service, research, policy, education, or public health, through student leadership, an internship, or other part-time or full-time work experience.
• Communication Skills: You have strong oral and written communication, editing, and writing skills. Your robust organizational capacity and ability to pay careful attention to detail enable you to effectively handle several projects at once and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

With support and supervision from a mentor, interns are expected to complete a project that supports an existing project team during their internship. At this time, we are recruiting for interns for the:

• Social Policy Research Initiative (SPRI) team
• Health Care Delivery Initiative (HCDI) team
• Communications and Social Media team

Each project is described in detail in the form to apply.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We are working to increase the limited representation of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds who conduct economics and social science research. Interns will have opportunities to learn about career paths in social science research and network with J-PAL staff. Additionally, interns will participate in events, workshops and webinars offered by J-PAL and MIT to further their understanding of social science research.

Selected interns will be hired as part-time temporary employees and employed by a third party employer contracted by MIT. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.

We value the strength that diverse teams bring to our work. We actively welcome applicants who come from backgrounds that reflect populations most impacted by poverty and from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the economics field.