Law/Grad Research Assistant — Immigration Legislation Data

The Pennsylvania State University

State College (Centre County)

On-site

USD 22,000 - 31,000

Part time

3 days ago

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Job summary

The Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education is seeking a law- or graduate student research assistant to support a project cataloguing state immigration policies across the United States from 1989-2026. The RA will read state legislation, code legislation using an established protocol, and enter data into a structured spreadsheet for the PI and team.

This position covers fall 2026 and spring 2027 with potential extension into summer 2027 and

Qualifications

Interest and/or formal specialization in U.S. immigration law, social/public policy.
Interest in gaining familiarity with social science and/or legal/legislative research.
General familiarity with Excel and/or Google Sheets.
Excellent self-management skills.
Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and stay organized with minimal day-to-day supervision.
Strong attention to detail and comfort with repetitive, careful data work.
Strong written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

Read state legislation on immigrants/immigration.
Systematically code legislation for a series of indicators following an established coding protocol.
Enter the coded information into a structured spreadsheet
Assist in cleaning collected state legislative data, checking for accuracy and consistency.
Communicate regularly with the PI on progress and participate in regular team meetings.