Research Assistant: Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, Asian Studies

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is seeking a full-time, in-person research assistant to join its Asian studies team.

The research assistant will be responsible primarily for providing research support to Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow Audrye Wong. Research will focus on China’s economic statecraft, overseas propaganda, and foreign influence operations, especially united front–affiliated groups.

Other duties will include facilitating events, managing administrative tasks, and supervising interns. Research assistants may have opportunities to publish work or receive authorial credit on project deliverables.

This position requires excellent writing, communication, research, and organizational skills. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated interest in Asian studies, should be academically curious and able to take initiative on research leads, and must be able to manage multiple competing priorities at once. Applicants must be proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume, a cover letter demonstrating their interest in AEI’s mission, unofficial academic transcripts, and a 500-word writing sample with their application. The anticipated start date for this position is as soon as possible. If selected for an interview, candidates will be given a Chinese proficiency exam.

• Use open-source research methods to track Chinese propaganda and influence operations in the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere.
• Build and manage a database that tracks united front–affiliated organizations, in support of a major research project.
• Research the politics of the Chinese diaspora, including in the United States and Southeast Asia.
• Analyze Chinese-language documents and primary sources on topics such as China’s economic statecraft, overseas propaganda, and foreign influence.
• Write memos summarizing Chinese views of national security and economic issues.
• Conduct literature reviews on foreign policy and international relations.
• Manage interns’ workloads and research tasks.
• Provide administrative support to AEI scholars.

Physical requirements and working conditions at AEI:

• The employee is regularly expected to stand, sit, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone, and keyboard. This job requires close vision abilities due to computer work.
• The employee must be able to lift up to 30 pounds at times.
• The employee must be able to work in a confined area.
• Moderate noise (e.g., from computers, phone, printers, and light traffic) is expected.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential responsibilities associated with this position.

• A bachelor’s degree is required; a bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations, Asian studies, or economics is preferred.
• Candidates should have 0–2 years of previous full-time work experience; previous internship experience is strongly preferred.
• Working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese (particularly reading) is required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required.
• A demonstrated interest in foreign policy, US-China relations, and contemporary China studies is strongly preferred.
• A demonstrated interest in Indo-Pacific politics is preferred.
• Experience using open-source methods to build databases and systematically managing large amounts of data is preferred and should be highlighted in the candidate’s application materials.
• Experience with quantitative methods such as statistical analysis, data visualization, network analysis, and text analysis is a plus and should be highlighted in the candidate’s application materials.

Benefits

AEI offers generous benefits, including 18 days of paid leave (15 days of paid annual leave and 3 personal floating holidays), 12 days of paid sick leave, paid family leave, medical and dental coverage, a health savings account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, a tuition assistance program of up to $5,200, life and disability insurance at no cost to employees, and a 403(b) retirement plan with a 12 percent contribution from AEI, among others. For more information, you can see a full summary of our benefits here.

Compensation is based on a number of factors, including the position’s scope and responsibilities, a candidate’s applicable full-time work experience, a candidate’s key skills and qualifications, and internal and external market considerations. The salary range for this full-time, exempt position is $50,000–$54,000. The salary is just one component of AEI’s total compensation package for employees.