Student assistant position for coding and data analysis

About the job
Within the ERC-funded research project STANDBY, “Standing by: Pro-social Bystander Reactions to Online Political Research”, we are looking to hire a student assistant to help with various data analysis tasks. Your work will focus on carrying out data preprocessing, data wrangling, and carrying out analyses using R (and sometimes Python). An example project you could be working with is the preparation and exploration of data coming from a field experiment we ran on Facebook, aiming at reducing online incivility and increasing counterspeech. You could be responsible for data preparation of the. json data, as well as carrying out initial exploratory analyses of Facebook comments. We also continuously need help with conducting statistical robustness analyses and preparing supplementary materials for manuscripts. Of course, in projects where you provide substantial work, co-authorship of manuscripts is possible.

The position is scheduled for one year, with possibility of extension. The average workload will be 7 hours per week but can vary depending on your and the projects’ needs. The position starts October 1, 2026, or as soon as possible hereafter.

We are looking for:
We are looking for someone who is structured and dependable. You find enjoyment in working with data, learning new techniques, and applying them in rigorous ways. Ideally, you are at the end of your Bachelor or start of your Master programme. In terms of technical knowledge, we expect you to have:

• A strong knowledge of R (strong skills in data wrangling using tidyverse syntax and functions, working with quarto documents, visualizing data, and writing clean & reproducible code)
• Experience with natural language processing tasks (in R or Python – familiarity with common tasks such as sentiment analysis, topic modelling, classification using transformer-based models)

How to apply
Please apply by uploading a short motivational letter (1/2 page) and a CV (in English). The application deadline is September 30, 2026.

The place of employment is the Department of Political Science, Bartholins Allé 7, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

Requirements and terms
You will be employed as a part-time student assistant on an hourly basis. Terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and HK/Stat for kontorfunktionærer, laboranter og it-medarbejdere.

About us
The STANDBY-project is hosted at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, and lead by professor Lasse Lindekilde (see https://ps.au.dk/forskning/forskningsprojekter/standby).

Any questions regarding the position should be directed to Simon: simonkarg@ps.au.dk. If you have technical questions regarding the application process itself, please contact HR Coordinator Astrid Valdgård Schmidt at avs@au.dk.

Who we are
With around 120 academic staff members and 50 PhD students, the Department of Political Science is among Europe’s largest political science departments. The research at the department covers most political science disciplines, including public administration, and represents a variety of methodological approaches. We are among Europe’s highest-ranked departments, and our broad research profile enables us to focus on societal problems as they appear in the national and international political arena. This allows us to contribute actively to the development of the discipline. We offer a lively and ambitious research and teaching environment characterized by pluralism and openness. We expect active participation in the activities of the department, which includes being present at the department at least three days per week.

For more information about the Department of Political Science, please see here.

The Department of Political Science is part of Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University – a top 100 university. Aarhus BSS has achieved the triple-crown AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditations.

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 37,000 students (FTEs) and 8,700 employees and has an annual revenue of EUR 1.106 billion. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/