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Research Assistants

Part-time

Penn State University

University Park, PAPart-timePosted 10mo agoStill listed today

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At a glance

Compensation
No compensation found
Location
University Park, PA
Role Type
Research
Schedule
Part-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Department of Statistics seeks undergraduate or master’s students for part-time Research Assistant positions during the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2025 semesters. Successful candidates will assist with developing large language model applications for social science research and data analysis. Preferred qualifications include prior LLM application development experience and strong Python programming skills; familiarity with machine learning libraries or NLP tools is a plus. Hours, wages, and employment periods vary by project needs and applicant availability.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

LLM Application Development, nice to havePrompt Engineering, nice to haveFine-Tuning, nice to haveAgent-Based Frameworks, nice to haveEvaluation Pipelines, nice to havePython Programming, nice to haveMachine Learning Libraries, nice to haveNLP Tools, nice to havePyTorch, nice to haveTransformers, nice to haveLangChain, nice to have

Qualifications

Undergraduate or Master's Student, nice to have

Full job description

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, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS The Department of Statistics seek to hire undergraduate or master’s students as part-time Research Assistants for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 semesters. The successful candidates will assist in developing large language model (LLM) applications for social science research and data analysis.

Preferred qualifications include:

  • Prior experience developing LLM applications (e.g., prompt engineering, fine-tuning, agent-based frameworks, or evaluation pipelines);
  • Strong programming skills in Python;
  • Familiarity with machine learning libraries or NLP tools (e.g., PyTorch, Transformers, LangChain) is a plus.

Hours, wages, and anticipated periods of employment will vary based on project needs and applicant availability. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as the need arises.

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.

The Pennsylvania State University 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

How this job compares

Set against the 681 open Research Assistant jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This postingNot listed
  • US median$47–60K/yr84 salary ranges
  • Pennsylvania median$12–16/hr38 hourly ranges
Openings
Olive Jobs lists 78 open Research Assistant jobs in Pennsylvania and 681 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Experience
Research Assistant postings that state a minimum ask for 1 year of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 1 to 2 years (152 postings).
Education
187 of the 681 open Research Assistant jobs (27%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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