Summer 2026 Research Assistant Opportunities at The Lab
The Lab @ DC is an applied research and design team embedded in DC government and composed of civic design researchers, social scientists, and data scientists. We partner with agencies in DC government to help design, launch, and evaluate District programs with a resident-centered lens. Our projects span all policy areas. We believe DC residents deserve a government that asks questions, tests policies, and iteratively improves how it serves the community. The Lab @ DC meets our city's most critical problems with scientific methods, civic design, and authentic partnership with District agencies and residents.
Each summer, we welcome 2-4 graduate-level students to join our team as Research Assistants (RAs). Each RA will be assigned an anchor project—something that they can contribute to substantively over the course of the summer—and another two to three smaller projects to support. Our goal is to provide both a breadth and depth of exposure to The Lab’s portfolio. Past projects have included:
Developing an outreach and user-testing plan for a low-income transit subsidy
Using a predictive model to design an online dashboard for fire inspectors to help prioritize the buildings they inspect
Analyzing qualitative data to understand successes and challenges in the implementation of a high school internship program
Depending on individual skills and interest, and the specific projects in The Lab’s portfolio this summer, RAs can expect to do some of the following activities:
Conduct literature review to identify potential interventions
Draft sections of project memos, reports, blogs, and presentations
Summarize analytic findings for lay audiences
Conduct interviews or focus groups with DC residents
Test and gather feedback on forms or other documents with potential users
Support co-design sessions with project stakeholders
Gather and clean data using R and/or Python
Aid machine learning projects
Design infographics and provide support on web-based communications
Contribute to research planning and project management
As an RA, you’ll have a dedicated supervisor to meet with you on a weekly basis and guide you in your professional development. You’ll join us in the office with a team of professional, fun, and dedicated individuals. You’ll gain first-hand exposure to the inner workings of local government. Check out a blog from our 2025 summer interns to hear about their experiences!
Eligibility: We are looking for graduate students (including those who will start programs Fall 2026 or have graduated in May 2026).
Logisitics: RAs work full-time (i.e. 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 9am – 5pm) for approximately 10 weeks between early June and mid-August. We are in the office 4 days per week and telework 1 day per week. Our offices are in L’Enfant Plaza. We are unfortunately unable to provide funding given our current budget climate; these are volunteer positions. As a result, we prefer candidates who can bring their own summer funding through their university or are able to secure academic credit for their time with The Lab.
Application process: We are an interdisciplinary team and believe that a variety of academic backgrounds make The Lab thrive. Some of our past team members have had degrees in public policy, neuroscience, public health, urban planning, public administration, sociology, economics, data science, computer science, mathematics, etc.
Please complete our application form by March 2, 2026, 11:59PM ET. The form will ask you for a resume and a few brief responses to some open-ended questions. No cover letters please. If you have questions, please reach out to the.lab@dc.gov.
Select candidates will be invited to take an online performance task in mid-March and a smaller number will be asked for a brief, virtual interview after that. We anticipate making offers by late March.