The Policy Lab is a community of researchers and practitioners dedicated to promoting the use of evidence-based research in policymaking.
Policy Lab projects draw on an interdisciplinary range of expertise and skills, including: data analytics, coding, intervention design, communications and events, behavioral and social science research, and information and product dissemination.
Want to be a part of our team?
Full-Time Staff
We are not currently hiring for any full-time positions, but are always happy to connect with data-driven innovators! Please feel free to drop us a line at thepolicylab@brown.edu to connect.
Fellows
Are you a researcher interested in joining our community of practice? Let's chat! The Lab welcomes faculty across disciplines and institutions as Fellows to dive into policy challenges and support our work. Reach out to us at thepolicylab@brown.edu to learn more!
Student Interns
We recruit and mentor a cohort of 5-6 paid student interns every fall, spring, and summer semester! Interns at The Lab are an integral part of our operations -- no coffee runs here! We hire for three different internship tracks: Applied Policy Research, Communications and Events, and Data Science.
Past intern projects include:
Applied Policy Research
- Conducting literature reviews and research on English Language (EL) Learner programs
- Categorizing/coding semi-structured interview transcripts and cross-referencing against field work and survey data to understand User Experiences with State-Supported public health infrastructure.
- Performing a comparative analysis of state agency personnel through cross-tabulation of data covering the entire United States
Communications and Events
- Maintaining The Policy Lab’s social media presence
- Drafting content for the newsletter and website
- Brainstorming event/podcast ideas and contributing to event planning and marketing
Data Science
- Gathering publicly available datasets which might help answer policy relevant questions
- Cleaning and standardizing datasets from different sources
- Performing statistical analyses on merged data sets
- Simulating the effects of different policies using, e.g., time series models, Markov chain Monte Carlo, and Bayesian modeling
We will not be hiring for additional summer interns at this time. However, we will be recruiting for an intern cohort for the fall semester. We anticipate opening applications for the fall in mid-July. Please check back here and subscribe to our mailing list for updates!
Intern Testimonials
"Working at The Policy Lab was a really great experience. I had the chance to dive deep into a project throughout the semester, designing research questions, analyzing the data, and presenting findings. My mentors were super supportive, and the whole experience was really fulfilling!"
-Dora Nathans, Spring 2021 Applied Policy Research Intern
"Throughout my internship experience, I was constantly being challenged. From meeting team members with insatiable curiosity to journeying through different projects with weight and impact, my time with The Policy Lab was much more than building hard and soft skills. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to work directly with Director Yokum and would highly recommend this experience to anyone with an interest in investigating, a passion for policy, or simply a fire for finding creative solutions to problems on a grand scale."
-Dylan Davis, Spring 2021 Applied Policy Research Intern
