Research Assistant

Job Description

Assist applied research on housing affordability and housing programs for state and local governments, businesses and non‑profits. Conduct literature review to support housing affordability research and local and state housing initiatives. Assist in report production, proposal production, project development and management, and basic administrative tasks.

Success in this position will require excellent attention to detail, composition and communication skills, and experience working with complex datasets.

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in housing, economics, planning, and/or infrastructure field(s) to ensure the ability to perform and improve efficiency/effectiveness/efficacy of analysis and methods.

Interest in housing programs, policies, and data topics demonstrated through coursework and background experience.

Background/coursework and experience in data analytics and science, housing policies and programs, especially data and methods applicable in housing research, and experiences conducting applied housing research.

Demonstrated composition and communication skills; a technical writing sample may be requested.

Demonstrated experience working in collaborative research teams.

Master's degree in redevelopment research topics.

Experience with data organization and cleaning, including programming skills required to scrape data from documents and websites.

Skills and experience with Python, R, and Excel.

Experience with and understanding of AI tools.

Demonstrate willingness to identify and pursue additional education and professional development to gain skills to advance the Center’s research.

4

Non‑Exempt:
Eligible for overtime

Restricted

40 hours - regular schedule

12/31/2025

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Sara Phillips at during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.