Rockefeller Institute of Government Graduate Student Research Assistant

Location: Albany, NY Category: System Administration Job Type: Part-time Non-Exempt Posted On: Tue Sep 8 2026 Job Description:

The State University of New York (SUNY), Rockefeller Institute of Government, is seeking a graduate student research assistant to support a research project examining local climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts across New York State. This position is contingent upon approved project funding

As a SUNY Research Foundation (RF) part-time employee(up to 20 hours per week), the research assistant will contribute to a project that creates a statewide inventory of local climate change mitigation and adaptation implementation projects.

This position offers a graduate student interested in environmental policy, climate policy, local government, public policy, sociology, public administration, urban and regional planning, or related fields an opportunity to gain hands-on experience conducting applied policy research and developing a statewide research database.

Job Requirements:

Job Requirements:

The successful candidate will:

• Have experience with developing, maintaining, or working with a database, research inventory, spreadsheet, or other structured dataset.

• Have experience with organizing and cleaning data.

• Have experience working in excel and similar tools.

• Demonstrate strong research, writing, organizational, and interpersonal skills.

• Have excellent attention to detail and the ability to organize and manage large amounts of information.

• Be able to work independently while also contributing effectively to a collaborative research team.

• Have an interest in environmental policy, climate change policy, local government, or related areas of public policy.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preference will be given to candidates who have:

• Experience conducting qualitative research, including interviews, document analysis, coding, or related methods.

• Familiarity with climate change mitigation, climate adaptation, environmental policy, sustainability, or related policy areas.

• Experience conducting systematic searches of government websites, public records, plans, reports, meeting materials, or other publicly available information.

Graduate students in environmental policy, public policy, political science, sociology, public administration, urban and regional planning, environmental studies, sustainability, economics, geography, or related fields are strongly encouraged to apply.

Duties:

Working with the Rockefeller Institute research team, the graduate research assistant will:

• Assist with developing and maintaining a structured database documenting local climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives, including information on project type, location, implementing organization, policy area, project status, and other relevant characteristics. (50%)

• Conduct qualitative research, including reviewing local government documents, plans, policies, websites, reports, meeting materials, and other publicly available sources. (25%)

• Organize, clean, verify, and analyze information collected through the research process. (25%)

SUNY Student Eligibility

The applicant must be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program related to the work of this project at a SUNY school and provide proof of enrollment.

Compensation

$17.00/hour

Additional Information:

As an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer, The Research Foundation for SUNY will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy-related conditions, reproductive health decisions, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, familial status, citizenship, physical and mental disability, prior arrest or conviction record, genetic characteristics/genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, military status or service, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under federal, state or local law.

The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York operates under a contract with The State University of New York and receives no directly appropriated state funding.