Hi all, reminder for students: the deadline for WMF community department summer internships is March 7. They are looking for both qualitative and quantitative analytical skills, see job descriptions below. :) -- :: Andrea Forte :: Assistant Professor :: College of Information Science and Technology, Drexel University :: http://www.andreaforte.net _____________ I. Wikimedia Foundation / Community Department Summer Fellowship (Quantitative Research) The Wikimedia Foundation is developing a community analytics platform to gain a better understanding of its contributors and readers. This platform is used both for answering ad-hoc questions and identifying long-term trends. We are seeking a small team of paid Summer fellows to help bring this platform to life on a scalable platform, create many new data sets to aid research, and begin to make the system available to the entire Wikimedia and academic communities. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR: You love data and you are a great story teller. You enjoy working with large datasets and applying state of the art algorithms. But data is not just numbers, it's telling a story and you have a knack for discovering the most important story hidden in the data. You share the values of the Wikipedia projects and the Wikimedia Foundation. CANDIDATE CHARACTERISTICS: * Currently pursing a PhD in statistics, computer science, mathematics, economics, biostatistics, physics, operations research or another discipline involving large scale data analysis. * Experience with statistical data analysis such as linear models, multivariate analysis, stochastic models, and sampling methods. * Excellent implementation skills in Python and at least one other language (Java, PHP). * Experience with Django is a big plus. * Experience with NOSQL solutions (Hadoop/HBase/Hive or Mongo) or eager to learn. * Knowledge of UNIX/Linux or Windows environments and APIs. * Familiarity with TCP/IP and network programming a plus. * Being an editor of Wikipedia is a big plus. * Self-starter: Able to mobilize the resources you need to get things done, including yourself. COMPENSATION: $3,200 per month + housing provided or housing stipend. TIME COMMITMENT: Full time employment for as much of the Summer as you’re available. HOW TO APPLY: Please send the following materials to bjones@wikimedia.org with “Summer Fellowship” in the subject line: a. A thoughtful cover letter explaining your interest in this fellowship. b. A brief description of your dissertation project and your interest in linking your research to support the foundation’s mission. c. An academic article you have written (published or unpublished) that shows your writing skills. d. A pointer to your website or other online presence (if available). II. Wikimedia Foundation / Community Department Summer Research Fellowship (Qualitative) Be a part of an exciting Summer of research at the Wikimedia Foundation. Our task: to understand better why the active editor base is not replenishing itself at the same rate it used to -- and to present data that can help our communities figure out what to do about it. We are looking for PhD candidates or people who have completed Masters degrees in history, other humanities fields, anthropology and other social sciences. Over the Summer, we will be working on several interdependent quantitative and qualitative research projects, as well as developing new research tools. One or two longer-term fellowships are also available. This is a paid fellowship based in San Francisco. For an exceptional candidate, and exception can be made to work remotely after a two week orientation in San Francsico. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR: You love taking a microscope to social phenomena to figure out what is really going on at the level of individuals' personal, daily, experience. You are a systems thinker who can think about interactions between many variables and hypotheses at the same time. You love both quantitative data and textual archives. You are a great story teller. You have a knack for discovering the most important story hidden in the data. CANDIDATE SKILLS/CHARACTERISTICS * Believes in the value of Wikimedia. Exudes enthusiasm for the mission and can powerfully embody and communicate it. * Intellectual curiosity and flexibility. Enjoys tackling difficult, ambiguous problems and able to incorporate new knowledge into how one approaches situations and generates solutions; loves learning from others and expanding intellectual horizons * Open and transparent: Comfortable working in a highly transparent fashion, open to input and feedback, proactive candid communicator who wants people to know what she/he is doing and isn't afraid to bring others in when things are off-track or when you need help * Action-oriented: Focuses on generating research results that are high quality and support real-world decision-making and action in a timely fashion; able to problem solve around imperfect data and make appropriate methodological judgment * Strong cultural competency: Ability to bridge cultures and geographic differences; able to navigate in a truly global movement, and understands the values in diverse communities and worldviews * Self-starter: Able to mobilize the resources you need to get things done, including yourself. QUALIFICATIONS * Masters degree, PhD candidate or PhD in relevent field such as history, sociology, anthropology. Researching Wikimedia communities requires a mix of skills unusual for any academic discipline, so we're not picky about which discipline you come from. * Experience wrestling with historical, sociological or anthropological questions pertaining to the success, growth and survival of communities, social movements and large scale collaborative work. * Experience wading through dense and complex historical archives or other textual social data. * Wikimedians are strongly encouraged to apply! COMPENSATION: $3,200 per month + housing stipend. TIME COMMITMENT: Full time employment for as much of the Summer as you’re available. HOW TO APPLY: Please send the following materials to bjones@wikimedia.org with “Summer Fellowship” in the subject line: a. A thoughtful cover letter explaining your interest in this fellowship. b. A brief description of your Masters degree or dissertation project and your interest in linking your research to support the foundation’s mission. c. An academic article you have written (published or unpublished) that shows your writing skills. d. A pointer to your website or other online presence (if available).