Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs

The Research Translation Platform at the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative (Penn State) is recruiting a Master’s or PhD student (or recent graduate) in U.S. political science or public policy for a summer research traineeship to support the development of the State Legislative Leadership Attribution Method (SLLAM).

This project develops a new method for crediting state legislators for the legislation they lead. Accurately attributing legislative leadership is challenging due to variation across states in how sponsorship works, how it is recorded in official legislative systems, and how it is translated by third-party data vendors. This project focuses on a foundational but often overlooked challenge in policy research: how legislative activity is recorded, translated, and ultimately interpreted.

What You’ll Do & Produce

1. Develop a replicable protocol for attributing legislative credit across U.S. states

2. Write well-documented code implementing this method

3. Receive authorship on the first manuscript using this approach

4. Have the opportunity to lead a related research project using this protocol and a unique legislative data source

Skills We’re Looking For

1. Strong attention to detail and comfort working with messy or inconsistent data

2. Persistence and curiosity in ambiguous or under-documented settings

3. Strong interest in state legislatures and legislative institutions

4. Intermediate data management skills (e.g., data reshaping, string variable manipulation, merging datasets)

5. Experience in R or Stata (preference for one or both)

We care as much about how you approach problems as about any specific tool or prior experience.

Mentorship & Support

1. Weekly check-ins and strategy sessions to work through challenges together

2. Ongoing guidance on institutional and data complexities

3. Review and feedback on draft outputs, including code and protocols

Logistics

1. Time: 10–15 hours/week for 16 weeks (option to extend)

2. Location: Fully remote (U.S.-based; U.S. work authorization not required)

3. Start: May/June 2026

4. Compensation / credit: This position is structured as a traineeship. Funding may be available for the right candidate, subject to availability and fit. Course credit is also an option, depending on applicant’s program requirements.

Eligibility

1. Master’s or PhD student (active or recent graduate)

2. Educational background in U.S. political science or public policy

3. U.S.-based

How We Select

We encourage anyone interested to apply, even if you don’t meet every requirement.

Otherwise, selection is based roughly equally on:

1. Quantitative or data-analytic strength

2. Interest in state legislatures

3. Problem-solving ability in complex or ambiguous contexts

Apply

To receive full consideration, please apply by March 10, 2026. Applications received after that date may still be considered.

Apply here: https://form.asana.com/?k=m_mTO-r7MthWzdE4TBWJdg&d=566104430418680

Please include “State Legislative Leadership Attribution Method (SLLAM)” in the final "Notes" question.

For more information about the broader Trainee Program, a collaboration between TrestleLink and the Research Translation Platform, please see here: https://trestlelink.org/get-involved/trainees/

You may direct questions to Jessica Pugel (jessica@rtplatform.org)