Throughout the year, the Center offers work for highly motivated students in its offices at 50 Church Street and in the labs of our affiliated faculty across the campus. Opportunities from providing administrative support and assisting staff with general office work and events to work on projects, such as coding and analyzing data, conducting research and literature reviews, note taking and producing report summaries of meetings.
As opportunities become available we will share them on this page of our site. Sign up here to receive information on employment opportunities.
Current Opportunities
Student Opportunity
Student Seminar Series Leader
The Center on the Developing Child’s Student Seminar Series is designed to foster interdisciplinary conversations within the graduate and undergraduate student community. Held monthly, the seminars will expose students from different programs and schools at Harvard University to a cross-discipline exploration of the science of learning, health, and behavior and its implications for policy and practice. Led by students, the seminars will focus on a variety of topics and employ various formats, including student work, journal articles, and current events. All students interested in leveraging knowledge on behalf of vulnerable kids and families are encouraged to attend.
Graduate Teaching Position
The Center on the Developing Child currently has one opening for a Harvard graduate student to lead a Student Seminar Series designed to foster interdisciplinary conversations within the graduate and undergraduate student community. This is a paid position. Students will be expected to work with the Center’s Education and Leadership Development Senior Program Manager to design this seminar series. The Center is looking for someone to work 5 hours per month for the academic year. The seminars will be two hours long and will be held once a month from September 2012 through April 2013 from 5:30-7:30pm.
Qualifications: Students working towards a doctoral degree are welcome to apply. Teaching experience preferred. Interest and knowledge in public policy, program evaluation, health, child development, family support services, or a related area required.
To Apply: Please apply submit a cover letter and CV to Martine Severin, Senior Program Manager, Education and Leadership Development, Center on the Developing Child, at martine_severin@harvard.edu
Student Opportunity
Internship Opportunity: Zambia Internship 2012
Innovations for Poverty Action- Zambia & the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project are looking for students with an interest in global health, development economics, education and/or early childhood development (ECD) to support ongoing research in Zambia. Interns are expected to spend at least two months in Zambia this summer (starting in May or June 2012), and to support all aspects of a research project, including data collection, data processing and analysis.
Examples of focus projects
- IPA-Zambia’s Incentivizing Community Health Workers research investigates how the Zambian government can support, motivate and retain local health staff within rural communities. This nationwide study evaluates and informs the first Ministry of Health program of its type, as the government seeks a sustainable approach to tackling the healthcare worker crisis.
- The Zambian Early Childhood Development Project, funded by the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, aims to measure the effects of early childhood investment on children’s short and long term development in Zambia. By implementing an annual nationally representative survey measuring children’s cognitive, social and emotional development before school entry, the project will be able to evaluate the impact of a large set of health, nutrition and early childhood programs on child development and welfare in Zambia.
- Negotiating a Better Future is a Harvard Business School & IPA-Zambia collaboration teaching adolescent girls negotiation skills within the public school system, and evaluating the impact on health and educational outcomes. Among other indicators, can negotiation skills alter the balance of power in potential sexual relationships, thus reducing girls’ exposure to HIV?
The project will not provide funding support for local expenses or salary. Students will attend orientation meeting(s) and receive informational materials prior to their departure, related to the Zambian context and current research projects in the spring of 2012.
Applications are open through Friday, April 6. In April and May there will be an opportunity for orientation and engagement with principal investigators such as Professor Ashraf and her Research Manager at HBS.
The in-country internship start-date is flexible from late May to August. Internships duration will correlate with increased responsibility – the longer you work with the team and better understand the work, the greater independence and interfacing with external stakeholders will be possible (e.g. local civil society, university and government partners).
Responsibilities may include:
- Supporting data collection through tracking and data collection tools
- Cleaning and analyzing data
- Conducting literature reviews
- Conducting pre-pilot fieldwork including qualitative interviews
- Training and supervision of local data entry staff
- Supporting data analysis through use of STATA or other similar analysis software
- Supporting administrative and organizational needs as appropriate
Required Education, Experience and Skills
Successful interns will be proactive, able to work independently and respectfully within the local context, and will demonstrate interest in research and a related field of study (e.g. global health, ECD). Knowledge of STATA or other data analysis software is valuable for some available positions. This position is ideal for students seeking hands-on research and/or development experience.
Background Information on Living in Lusaka, Zambia
- Housing ~$400/mo. to stay in a shared house. Hostels and guesthouses also available.
- Transport between $1.50/day (public buses, carpooling) and $12/day (taxis)*
- R/T Airfare ~$1600
- Food ~$10/day (less if groceries and/or markets; more if Western food at the mall or restaurants). We offer lunch in the office daily, as a team, for $1.
To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and CV to Martine Severin, Senior Program Manager, Education and Leadership Development, Center on the Developing Child, at martine_severin@harvard.edu
Student Opportunity
Volunteer Note Takers, Frontiers of Innovation
The Center on the Developing Child is seeking volunteer note takers for our Frontiers of Innovation working meeting May 16 and 17, 2012. The Frontiers of Innovation (FOI) initiative is building an expanding and diverse community of policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and philanthropists and is designed to catalyze cross-sector, cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovative strategies to produce breakthrough outcomes in learning and health for vulnerable young children and their families.
In May the Center on the Developing Child will convene the most active core of the FOI community who are driving the innovation agenda, for two days (May 16 and 17) of highly interactive, facilitated small-group sessions. This meeting will be held at the Hyatt Harborside in Boston. Students will be responsible for their transportation to this meeting. Parking expenses will be reimbursed. This is a terrific opportunity for students to be a part of a highly-interactive meeting of the leading researchers, practitioners, policymakers and philanthropists interested in significantly improving outcomes for young children and families.
Specific Duties
- Detailed and comprehensive note taking for approximately 6 breakout sessions
- Assist hosts in synthesizing session outcomes to post online
- Estimated time commitment:
- May 16: 10 hours
- May 17: 4 hours
Preferred Education, Experience and Skills
- Student with an interest in child development or related social science field
- Detail oriented, self-motivated and able to work both independently and as part of a team
Interested applicants should submit a CV and cover letter to Susan Levene at susan_levene@harvard.edu by Monday, April 30, 2012.
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