Graduate research assistantships

Applications for RA positions on various MPC projects (including IPUMS-USA and IPUMS-International) currently are under review.

Graduate Research Assistantships

The Minnesota Population Center (http://www.pop.umn.edu/) is recruiting graduate students to work on several projects to develop new demographic data sources. Projects include the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS-USA), a high-precision individual-level database of censuses and surveys describing the characteristics of the US population between 1850 and 2000 (http://www.ipums.org/usa/), and IPUMS International, a data series incorporating international census microdata for the period 1960 to the present (http://www.ipums.org/international/).

The Minnesota Population Center (MPC) is a University-wide interdisciplinary unit for demographic research. The MPC serves faculty members and research associates from ten colleges and nineteen departments at the University of Minnesota, and employs nearly 100 research support staff, including computer programmers and technicians, administrative staff, research assistants, and data-entry staff. As a leading developer and disseminator of demographic data, we also serve a broader audience of some 6,000 demographic researchers worldwide.

Qualifications

Required: Students must currently be enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Minnesota. The MPC employs students from the departments of Sociology, Geography, Economics, Applied Economics, History, Public Affairs, or other relevant programs. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Other requirements include good interpersonal skills; reliability and attention to detail; and the ability to act independently and as part of a team environment.

Preferred: Experience analyzing census microdata. Knowledge of a major statistics package (Stata, SAS or SPSS). Experience with HTML, Unix, and XML metadata. Microsoft Access database experience. We are especially interested in recruiting students who could use IPUMS-USA and IPUMS-International data in their own research.

Duties/Responsibilities

Research assistants work extensively with social science data of various types (including microdata, aggregate data, data covering periods from 1850 to the present, and data from the United States and international sources). Research assistants also interpret, edit, and format technical documentation; analyze data using statistical software and record the findings systematically; and, carry out a variety of other tasks as needed for data and web development. Research assistants are expected to learn new software and techniques as necessary to carry out these tasks; to perform work in a timely manner while being attentive to details; and, to show initiative in solving problems.

Benefits

The salary for beginning graduate students is approximately $17,700 per year plus tuition and health benefits. These positions are ordinarily for twelve months and are renewable subject to performance and the availability of funds.

Application Instructions

Applicants must apply using the U of M online employment system (https://employment.umn.edu/ requisition number 153001) by February 4, 2008. Please include a CV and cover letter.

Download PDF announcement of this position.