New

Part-Time Student Research Assistant (Undergraduate) - Department of Sociology and Criminology, Criminal Justice Research Center.

The Pennsylvania State University
remote work
United States, Pennsylvania, University Park
201 Old Main (Show on map)
May 20, 2026
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday. CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday. If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click "Apply" and complete the application process for external applicants. Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location.For additional information on remote work at Penn State, seeNotice to Out of State Applicants. JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS The College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State is seeking two part-time - undergraduate research assistants for the Department of Sociology and Criminology. The role will be supervised by Dr. Jeffrey Ulmer. Work will primarily be conducted online with periodic in-person meetings. Junior or senior students who are knowledgeable about the field are preferred, but all Penn State undergraduate students are encouraged to apply. Are you interested in learning more about how courts function? Are you eager to explore the backgrounds of court actors? We are searching for two undergraduates to 1) clean court actor names and 2) search online for the background information of these court actors. Currently, we have 10 million PDF court dockets from the Pennsylvania Courts and are currently parsing the dockets associated with the Court of Common Pleas. We need assistance with data cleaning and data collection pertaining to the court attorneys involved in these cases. This work is part of an ongoing project focused on how the background of court actors may contribute to racial disparities in sentencing decisions. Job Duties Reading tables in R and court dockets to determine whether two court actors are the same person with the difference being name misspellings and/or nicknames (e.g., Bob vs. Bobby vs. Robert) Identifying instances of a court actor being the same person and filling out a template in R to group the various names of that one court actor under one Pennsylvania Supreme Court number Searching online websites including LinkedIn, the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, attorney firm websites, and news articles to collect the background information of each court actor which includes their race, ethnicity, gender, undergraduate university, law school, year of admission to the Pennsylvania Bar, and any disciplinary action Attend periodic meetings (online or in-person) to review progress Requirements and Qualifications Must be a full-time Penn State undergraduate student living in State College over the summer Available to work at least 10 hours per week Familiarity or interest in learning about the court system and court dockets Familiarity or interest in basic R coding Strong attention to detail Ability to follow instructions accurately Strong organizational and communication skills BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here. EEO IS THE LAW Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473. Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive. We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university's teaching, research, and service mission. Federal Contractors Labor Law Poster PA State Labor Law Poster Penn State Policies Copyright Information Hotlines