SUMMARY

The SSRC seeks a part time research assistant for its China-Africa Knowledge Project. This position requires a commitment of approximately 15 hours/week on average. It will start on or around March 1, 2016 and will last until 30 June 2016.

DESCRIPTION

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, international, nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences through a wide variety of workshops and conferences, fellowships and grants, summer training institutes, scholarly exchanges, research, and publications.

The China-Africa Knowledge Project (CAKP), an initiative at the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), seeks to deepen understanding of China’s engagement with the African region by situating emergent scholarship on China and Africa within broader scholarly and policy discourses about ongoing global transformations. Launched in collaboration with the Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network (CA/AC), this project aims to strengthen existing research networks and widen their reach through a series of web-based activities and facilitate new collaborations.

The research assistant will be assigned to work on the publication of the updated 2012 SSRC Mapping Study on China-Africa Knowledge Networks on trends in research and an inventory of institutions, centers, and institutes with China-Africa programming. The inventory will be expanded to include institutions throughout Asia as a point of comparison with the recent growth of such institutions in China, and reflect some of the Africa-Asia initiatives currently taking place. The position will also involve overseeing the social media aspects of the CAKP which will include updating the CAKP Twitter account by and updating the CAKP Resource Hub, a one-stop shop for researchers and practitioners working on the China-Africa relationship.

This position requires a commitment of approximately 15 hours/week on average. It will start on or around March 1, 2016 and will last until 30 June 2016.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide overall support to the Project Director and Program Coordinator on the various projects noted above, depending on priorities.
• Conducting Internet and other research support tasks for the 2016 SSRC Mapping Study on China-Africa Knowledge Networks on trends in research.
• Updating the CAKP Twitter page, drafting Tweets and monitoring academically relevant China-Africa knowledge online.
• Copyediting CAKP think pieces and publications.
• Editing and updating website content.
• Providing organizational support to CAKP seminars and workshops.
• Other duties and additional responsibilities and projects as directed.

• Bachelor’s degree in the social sciences. Graduate work in the social sciences preferred; coursework or research on China-Africa themes preferred.
• Familiarity with and interest in China’s engagement in Africa and Africa’s engagement with China.
• Demonstrated research, writing and editing skills.
• Proven experience in social media and website management tools: Twitter, WordPress, HTML, web and blog applications required.
• Attention to detail and high degree of professionalism.
• Team player with demonstrated ability to take initiative, work independently, and respond flexibly to changing demands.
• Ability to work remotely but available to come to SSRC periodically as needed.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Chinese language skills desirable.

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, international, nonprofit organization founded in 1923. It fosters innovative research, nurtures new generations of social scientists, deepens how inquiry is practiced within and across disciplines, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public issues.

The SSRC is guided by the belief that justice, prosperity, and democracy all require better understanding of complex social, cultural, economic, and political processes. We work with practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers in the social sciences, related professions, and the humanities and natural sciences. We build interdisciplinary and international networks, working with partners around the world to link research to practice and policy, strengthen individual and institutional capacities for learning, and enhance public access to information.