Research Project Specialist

Position Overview

The Institute for Policy & Social Research (IPSR) is a designated research center for the social sciences, supporting social science researchers at the University of Kansas. IPSR supports faculty-led research centers, their directors, and a network of more than 100 affiliates and staff.

The Trade War Lab (TWL) is a social science lab, partially funded by a grant from the Minerva Research Initiative and supported by IPSR, dedicated to dual-mission:

• Understand the US-China Trade War and its impact on heartland communities through a bottom up, data-driven, firm-centric approach.
• Empower policy-relevant academic research by teams of undergraduate and graduate students through collaboration and mentoring.
  
  
  

The position is housed within the Trade War Lab in the Institute for Policy & Social Research. The position reports to the Director of the Trade War Lab. The Research Project Specialist will provide research support to the director and manage a large team of undergraduate research assistants and interns. The primary responsibilities are to manage budget and hiring, manage daily staff workload, assist team(s) with implementation of projects and research on economic sanctions. Activities also include organizing meetings, speaker series events, and other activities in collaboration with campus partners, as well as grant writing support, administrative procedures, and grant reporting.

This is a limited term, contingent upon funding position for 12-month with the possibility of an extension should funding become available.

Job Description

50% - Provide administrative assistance to lab project:

• Helps oversee project expenditures for the TWL and initiates transactions (purchases, travel, reimbursement) on behalf of project team.
• Helps oversee hiring, orientation, and manage human resources for the TWL.
• Schedules meetings and manages events.
• Assists with project management and may manage other aspects of the project as defined by the PI.
  
  
  

25% - Provide project support for the TWL:

• Helps maintain and update the TWL GitHub page and public datasets Assists in identifying and growing relationships with external partners and campus partners.
• Assists with drafting materials for presentations and publications.
• Assists with grant writing and grant reporting.
• Assists with organizing of periodic speaker series and event logistics.
• Monitors external grant opportunities and deadlines.
  
  
  

25% - Provide research support for the TWL:

• Researching industry associations and Congressional actions.
• Tracking headlines about the US-China trade war and economic sanctions.
• Assisting in spot and background research for the director.
• Writing public-facing research reports and op-eds.
  
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree OR high school diploma/GED and three (3) years of related experience.
• One (1) year of experience or demonstrated course work in data science, statistics, data analysis, or related work.
• Excellent written communication skills as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience with coordinating activities for teams as shown in application materials.
• Experience with project implementation including budgets, timelines, and deadlines as evidenced in application materials.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Two (2) years working with social scientist researchers.
• Experience editing and proofreading documents and publications as evidenced in application materials.
• Experience with undergraduate research as demonstrated in application materials.
• Familiarity with University of Kansas financial systems as evidenced in application materials.
• Specialized training in project management as shown in application materials.
  
  
  

Additional Candidate Instructions

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume.
• List of three (3) professional references.
  
  
  

Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins Monday, June 23, 2025. For consideration, please apply no later than Sunday, June 22, 2025.

Contact Information to Applicants

Jack Zhang

jiakunzhang@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

$41,600.00

Application Review Begins

Monday June 23, 2025

Anticipated Start Date

Sunday July 6, 2025