RAND Summer Associate Program

About the Role

The RAND Summer Associate Program introduces outstanding graduate students across the social, behavioral, policy, and technical sciences to RAND. Summer Associates typically work for a 12-week period during the summer and receive bi-weekly pay.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research that can be completed during their time at RAND and present the results via a 15-30 minute briefing at the end of their assignment.
• Be closely mentored by one to two established RAND researchers.
• Network and interact with other researchers outside of their primary mentorship team and area of expertise.
• Attend seminars from researchers both within and outside of RAND.

Requirements & Tech Stack

Methodological Interests

• Quantitative and mixed methods
• Modeling, simulation, and wargaming
• Machine learning/AI
• Causal inference and program evaluation
• Data science and large-scale data analysis
• Social network analysis
• Multilevel modeling
• Bayesian analysis
• Qualitative research (interviews, content analysis, ethnography, case studies)

Software

• Python
• R
• STATA
• SAS
• Matlab
• Mathematica
• ATLAS.ti
• NVivo
• ML/AI frameworks

Qualifications

This position is designed for full-time doctoral students who:

• Have completed at least two years of graduate work.
• Are within two years of completing their doctorate.

Master's students are eligible to apply in the Engineering, Computer or Information Science, and Operations Research disciplines, provided they graduate on or after December 2027.

A keen interest in working on applied, policy-oriented research questions is necessary.

Additional Qualifications Required

• Excellent analytic skills.
• Proven ability in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong commitment to RAND's core values of quality and objectivity.
• Proof of legal right to work in the United States is required upon hire.
• Residency in the U.S. (excluding U.S. territories) is required.

Specializations of Interest

• Political Science/History
• Engineering
• Computer Science/Data Science
• International Relations/Security Studies
• Biology/Life Sciences/Bioengineering
• Industrial-Organizational Psychology
• Operations Research
• Economics
• Health Policy/Public Health
• Education Policy

Specific Research Areas

• Military strategy and doctrine; geopolitics and area studies (China, Indo-Pacific); AI and international order
• Aerospace and space systems; defense systems and acquisition; UAS and autonomous systems
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning; AI safety and evaluation; data science
• U.S.-China strategic competition and deterrence; nuclear and arms control policy; force design and wargaming; homeland defense; counternarcotics; military personnel and training; AGI and geopolitics
• Biosecurity and dual-use biology; synthetic biology; AI-enabled biological design
• Modeling, simulation, and wargaming; optimization and decision analysis; forecasting
• Defense and security economics; supply chain economics; AI and technology economics
• Medicare/Medicaid, healthcare market dynamics, healthcare claims databases, health care payments and financing, drug pricing
• K-12 education policy and reform; career and technical education

Security Clearance

U.S. Citizenship may be required for positions requiring a U.S. government security clearance.

Salary Range

$32.00/hour

RAND Summer Associate positions are overtime eligible.

Application Requirements

Applicants are required to submit:

• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Cover Letter
• Answer three short answer questions on the online application:
• Briefly describe your substantive interests and past experience in those areas.
• Briefly describe your skills and methodological expertise and how you have used those tools in previous research experiences.
• Briefly describe why you are interested in the RAND Summer Associate Program and what role you see this experience playing in your career development.

Applicants must also provide contact information for two (2) individuals who may be asked to provide letters of recommendation (name, organization, and email address).

Applications are due by December 1, 2026.