The UBI Center is seeking research assistants and interns

About the UBI Center

At the UBI Center, we’re passionate about infusing evidence to the discussion around universal basic income. We apply state-of-the-art economic analysis to answer questions from “How would we pay for UBI?” to “Who would UBI affect?” to “What would UBI do to the macroeconomy?” And we’re building a world-class think tank with modern paradigms: open-source, remote-first, and international-always. If you want to apply your skills to informing the public, press, and policymakers with trusted analysis about today’s most important policy idea, the UBI Center is the place to be.

Software engineering intern

Opportunity

You will build software that turns economic data into UBI analysis, powering our research team. We work with other open source economics software teams, especially the Policy Simulation Library and OpenFisca, to build tools that can be used for analyzing policies like UBI and other economic reforms. For example, we have built openfisca-uk, the first microsimulation model of the UK tax and benefit system; microdf, a Python package for analyzing survey microdata; and scf, a utility for working with the US Survey of Consumer Finances. We also contribute to the US taxcalc and og-usa tools for static and dynamic analysis, respectively, of US tax reform. By improving this software with these teams, and building new tools, your work will accelerate our research and enable us to expand into new areas, such as city-level UBI analysis. All UBI Center products are open source, so you will have full access to review and share your work in the future.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with Python and open source development
• Knowledge of pandas and other data analysis tools
• Familiarity with data structures in economic surveys (e.g., US Current Population Survey microdata)
• Passion for universal basic income and antipoverty policy

Web development intern

Opportunity

You will build new features in our website to engage users with our research. Our forthcoming website is fully open source, built on Jekyll and GitHub Actions and hosted on GitHub Pages; it also uses custom software we’ve developed to incorporate interactive graphics from Jupyter notebooks. You’ll work with our software and research teams on integrating interactive visualizations, such as personalized calculators showing the effects of UBI policies, into the website, and help streamline the process of posting new research. All UBI Center products are open source, so you will have full access to review and share your work in the future.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and modern web frameworks
• Knowledge of data visualization software like Plotly and Dash
• Experience with open source software development
• Passion for universal basic income and antipoverty policy

Communications intern

Opportunity

You will build partnerships and share our research with the world: our subscribers, the press, other nonprofits and experts, and the broader community via social media. By crafting emails, press releases, and social media posts, you will ensure UBI is part of the public conversation around economics, and that our research is represented in discussions around UBI. You’ll also work with our research team to identify trending topics in the news and on social media so that we can prioritize research into timely issues.

Preferred qualifications

• Excellent writing and organizational skills
• Experience with graphic design software like Photoshop or Canva
• Passion for universal basic income and antipoverty policy

US research assistant

Opportunity

You will conduct economic policy research with modern data science tools (Python, Jupyter, and GitHub), while building relationships with other experts on universal basic income and open source policy analysis. Your contributions to the UBI research space will reach a wide audience, as the movements toward universal benefits and unconditional cash transfers accelerate. As public policy analysis becomes increasingly quantitative, the skills you acquire will be valued in a range of roles. All UBI Center products are open source, so you will have full access to review and share your work in the future.

You will build on the UBI Center’s US portfolio with new analyses on poverty and inequality. By working with established US datasets like the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Consumer Finances, you will learn about tools used by think tanks and policymakers across the country. You will also have the opportunity to write articles or social media posts about US cash transfer research.

Preferred qualifications

• Passion for universal basic income and antipoverty policy
• Education in economics, mathematics, computer science, or public policy
• Experience in data analysis
• Strong writing skills
• Experience with statistical programming in languages such as Stata, R, or Python
• Knowledge of collaborative software development tools like GitHub

UK research assistant

Opportunity

You will conduct economic policy research with modern data science tools (Python, Jupyter, and GitHub), while building relationships with other experts on universal basic income and open source policy analysis. Your contributions to the UBI research space will reach a wide audience, as the movements toward universal benefits and unconditional cash transfers accelerate. As public policy analysis becomes increasingly quantitative, the skills you acquire will be valued in a range of roles. All UBI Center products are open source, so you will have full access to review and share your work in the future.

You will build on the UBI Center’s nascent UK portfolio with new analyses of policy reforms on UK poverty and inequality. You’ll use openfisca-uk, an open source microsimulation model of the UK tax and benefit system we’ve created, to study reforms ranging from incremental (e.g. replacing personal allowance with UBI) to transformative (e.g. revamping the full tax and benefit system). You’ll work with our software and UK research teams to explore new data to augment our modeling capabilities, such as land value taxation and value added tax reform. You will also have the opportunity to write articles or social media posts about UK cash transfer research.

Preferred qualifications

• Passion for universal basic income and antipoverty policy
• Education in economics, mathematics, computer science, or public policy
• Experience in data analysis
• Strong writing skills
• Experience with statistical programming in languages such as Stata, R, or Python
• Knowledge of collaborative software development tools like GitHub

Apply

To apply, email the following materials to contact@ubicenter.org with the opening title in the subject:

• Your resume
• Your preferred start and end date
• (Optional) A brief cover letter, including the projects you would prefer to work on (could be outside those described in the descriptions)

Our internships and research assistantships are remote and unpaid. Candidates located outside the US are welcome to apply. The UBI Center is a nonprofit US entity.