Now Hiring for Leir’s New Program: Hopes, Fears, and Illusions
Dr. Katrina Burgess and Dr. Kim Howe seek a part-time project manager and a part-time research assistant in support of the program.
Hopes, Fears, and Illusions seeks to gain a more systematic and rigorous understanding of what informs the hopes and fears of migrants regarding their prospects for entering the United States as they journey north through Central America and Mexico. Specifically, we will address two major gaps in our knowledge: what information migrants get from where, and how migrants interpret and then act on this information.
Through ethnographic research at migrant shelters in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, we will gather data directly from migrants on the move while testing and refining methodologies for conducting research with vulnerable populations. Our results will be a key first step toward developing a more empirically robust and humane foundation for U.S. asylum and border policies, which are currently failing at their stated objectives while causing unnecessary human suffering.
Now Hiring: Project Manager and Research Assistant
Principal investigators Dr. Katrina Burgess and Dr. Kim Howe seek a part-time Project Manager and a part-time Research Assistant. Interested applicants may apply to both roles but must submit separate applications. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until January 20; early applications are highly encouraged.
Project Manager
Term: Jan. 30-Dec. 31, 2023
Comp: $20/hour, 7-8 hours/week
The PM is expected to contribute to all aspects of the research project from start-up to completion. They will lead a team of 7-9 research assistants and support methodological development of research protocols, site selection, and data analysis. They should be fluent or highly proficient in Spanish, have strong analytic and organizational skills, be comfortable working independently and as a part of a team, and creatively problem-solve. The PM should have a key interest in research management, and the research topics of Latin America, migration/forced migration, social behavior, and trauma-informed research.
Research Assistant
Term: Jan. 30-May 30, 2023
Comp: $20/hour, 5-7 hours/week
The RA will conduct a literature review on topics related to the project and will lead the project’s IRB application process. The RA should have successful experience with research, including conducting scientific literature reviews, designing research protocols, and organizing research logistics. The RA should have strong analytic, writing, and organizational skills, be comfortable working independently and as a part of a team, and creatively problem-solve. The RA should also have a keen interest and some background in the research topics of Latin America, migration/forced migration, social behavior, and/or trauma-informed research. Preference will be given to candidates who are proficient in Spanish.