Hi all! My name is Jonathan Robinson and I am a UHP Alum (Class of 2012). I work at Catalist, a progressive data and technology company looking for fall interns for a paid position in our Analytics Department where I work.
We are looking for students interested in politics (campaigns in particular), empirical political science (and social science research more generally), data analysis and all sorts of nerdy stuff like that. Folks can definitely email me at my email: jrobinson@catalist.us if they have questions or just follow up with the email given in the job posting. Catalist is an important progressive institution and would be a great entry for someone interested in the world of big data in practice as well as the growing data revolution in politics.
One thing I’ll say is that if you are interested in this gig, apply. We look for lots of things in interns and just because you only know Excel and the a few things in the email don’t make sense (you don’t know what Ruby or a UNIX environment is) it shouldn’t discourage you from applying! Being smart and excited to learn new things, etc is the most important thing here and something I know UHP students have a lot of.
Our offices aren’t too far from Foggy Bottom–off of the McPherson Square Metro.
Thanks,
Jonathan Robinson (c/0 2012)
Offering an opportunity to get first-hand experience in the intersection of technology and politics. Catalist is a data services company that offers progressive organizations and Democrats a unique and comprehensive database of voting-age Americans. We are presently seeking college students/ recent graduates for paid fall internship positions. Candidates should have a passion for progressive causes. Skills preferred include familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel); good internet/database research experience; comfortable operating in a UNIX environment; familiarity with databases and the database language SQL; familiarity with statistical modeling software (extra credit: candidates who are Rusers); quantitative research experience in social sciences, engineering, computer science, statistics, mathematics, life sciences technology, or similar field. Experience with any of the following a plus: bash scripting, Python, C/C++, Ruby, GIS. Most importantly, though, we’re looking for candidates who are highly motivated self-starters with a solid work ethic and a desire to learn. This position includes the potential for advancement into full time work. For more information on Catalist, including a list of the clients we work with, visit our website: www.catalist.us
Internship responsibilities could potentially include:
- Researching datasets and merging them with the current Catalist dataset
- Constructing database queries
- Statistical modeling and regression analysis
- Database hygiene, sanitization, and standardization
- Writing technical requirements for productization of departmental research projects
- Automating data reporting and statistical processes
- ETL on a variety of database platforms
Experience would be especially relevant to students studying Political Science, Statistics, Computer Science and related fields, however, interested applicants in all study areas are encouraged to apply. We always make reasonable accommodations around student’s academic schedules and are looking for a weekly commitment between 15-20 hrs. Our offices are located near McPherson Square in downtown DC for easy Metro access.
To apply:
Send your resume, including references, job and academic experience, to jobs@catalist.us
