All Current Fellow Positions

Graduate Community Fellows are a cadre of graduate students who work under the auspices of the Office of Graduate Education on projects and assignments that enhance the life of graduate students in unique ways.

Each Fellow works on specific assignments and reports to a staff person in the OGE or in a partner office.

General responsibilities of all positions

  • Spend 10 hours a week on duties as a Fellow during the appointment period, which runs from September 1 to May 31 unless otherwise noted.
  • Attend Fellows meetings several times per academic year, and meet with members of the OGE staff and the OGE’s business partners as required.
  • Maintain project records as required.
  • Serve as a resource to other graduate students.
  • Submit a year-end report on progress to the supervisor and the OGE.

Position descriptions

Addir Fellows – MIT Interfaith Dialogue

This Fellow supports the Addir Fellows–MIT Interfaith Dialogue by working alongside and meeting weekly with the Coordinator/Director of the program.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate 3-4 weekly 1-hour small-dialogue sessions (50%)
    • Attend 3-4 weekly 1 hour small-dialogue sessions.
    • Identify and, with coordinator, troubleshoot issues and dynamics that weaken the process of engaging in meaningful dialogue. While Addir Fellows have agreed to attend weekly small-dialogue meetings and monthly (Sept., Oct., Nov., Feb., Mar., Apr.) Addir Fellow dinners and community-wide events, the Graduate Community Fellow will build relationships with those who are having trouble living up to these commitments.
    • With group members, will help implement the established process for identifying topics for small-dialogue meeting discussions.
    • Be available to Fellows as a resource and link to coordinator.
    • Prior to the weekly meeting, contact the fellow responsible for that week’s topic to ensure adequate preparation and communication with the rest of the group.
    • Help provide snacks to enhance ambiance of weekly meetings.
    • Establish him/herself as liaison and overall support to dialogue groups.
  • Extend the conversation to the broader graduate community (25%)
    • With guidance from the Coordinator, organize, oversee and facilitate 3-6 in dorm, interfaith, dialogue events.
    • Focus on publicity to graduate students around the monthly dinners and community-wide events.
    • Seek partnerships with other student groups to build conversations about faith.
  • Deepen and sustain the program (25%)
    • Work with coordinator to create plan for evaluating Addir Fellows program; develop a brief survey for outgoing Addir Fellows which targets the program’s impact on community.
    • Work with coordinator on communication and fund-raising activities with graduates of Addir.
    • Create/maintain web related ventures to enhance communication between fellows (current and Addir graduates).
    • Work with coordinator to determine other projects to enhance overall programming.

Skills and Qualifications:

Willingness to work as a team; strong organizational and writing skills; ability to work independently.

Career Advising and Professional Development

The Graduate Professional Development Fellows collaborate on professional development programs and initiatives within Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD) by working closely with, and reporting to, the Assistant Director and Associate Director of Professional Development. The goal of this position is to aid in the creation and delivery of new professional development opportunities for Master’s and PhD students while exploring issues and best practices in graduate professional development. The Fellows will contribute to an array of programming seeking to catalyze growth within seven competencies: career advancement, communication, interpersonal skills, leadership and mentoring, personal development, social responsibility, and teaching, each of which are essential in order to rise in both academic careers and careers beyond academia. The Fellows will also serve as a vital point of connection to the MIT graduate student body.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Create and promote professional development programs and activities in collaboration with the CAPD Grad PD team, taking the lead on one event or workshop per semester.
  • Create and develop graduate student programming during the Independent Activities Period (IAP).
  • Contribute to the Grad PD’s social media, website presence, and visibility on campus.
  • Contribute to identification of the professional development needs of graduate students
  • Assist with special projects to celebrate graduate students and their professional development accomplishments.

Skills and Qualifications:

Strong organizational, presentation, writing, and interpersonal skills; experience or interest in managing or contributing to a social media presence; ability to meet deadlines; interest in professional development and exploration, passion for building community and helping fellow MIT PhD student colleagues to grow and thrive. This is a flexible position with both virtual and in office work required.

Celebrating Graduate Students: Writing

This Fellow works closely with, and reports to, the OVC Communications Officer. The goal of this position is to make the diversity of MIT’s graduate students more visible, and to provide a window into the graduate experience for prospective graduate students.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Create pieces for MIT Campus News on graduate students

  • Interview graduate students about their work, involvements, and/or background.
  • Organize a photo shoot with a professional photographer.
  • Write pieces for MIT Campus News which may take the form of a medium-length story piece, a photo montage, or a question-and-answer piece.

Skills and Qualifications:

Strong writing and interpersonal skills; ability to meet deadlines; interest in photography or graphics; enjoys working on a team.

Committed to Caring 

Over the course of the academic year, this Fellow coordinates the Committed to Caring Program in partnership with the Office of Graduate Education communications officer. This program honors faculty members who go above and beyond to make an impact in the lives of graduate students. Faculty members are nominated by students and recognized through a broad campus poster campaign and online content. This position will run September 2023 – May 2024.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Produce articles celebrating each honoree for publication on MIT News and on the OGE website
  • Arrange and lead the photo shoots between professors, nominators and students
  • Select images and coordinate poster production with the graphic designer
  • Coordinate poster printing and display in the infinite and on the infinite displays
  • Compose creative taglines for posters and article
  • Post the articles and accompanying images on the C2C site

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Strong writing and editing skills; attention to detail

Diversity Initiatives – Community/Retention – OGE

This Fellow will work closely with the Assistant Dean for Diversity Initiatives in the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) and the Program Associate of Diversity Initiatives to help identify and invite speakers to the Diversity Initiative’s community building series called IGNITE. IGNITE is a series of intensive, monthly seminars designed to promote academic, career, professional and leadership development. IGNITE will offer students the chance to deepen their peer relationships across scientific disciplines and share experiences, insights and strategies for managing the challenges of graduate work. Offering a unique informal setting, IGNITE will give students the opportunity to make meaningful connections with faculty, alumni and administrators of color, opening up avenues to build and foster community.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Meet with Assistant Dean, bi-weekly to plan tasks and brainstorm ideas;
  • Identify and invite speakers.
  • Schedule seminars/workshops.
  • Reserve space at MIT.
  • Develop marketing materials and share with graduate student community with support of Program Associate.
  • Attend events as possible.
  • Develop and implement strategies to evaluate programming with support of Assistant Dean.
  • Provide feedback on future topics.
  • Collaborate with Assistant Dean on topics that will also be relevant to OGE UCEM Scholars Program.

Skills and Qualifications:

Creative thinking; commitment to being productive and accomplishing tasks; ability to work collaboratively and independently; event planning experience; strong organizational and communication skills, including interpersonal communication and writing skills; ability to meet deadlines.

Diversity Initiatives – Recruitment – OGE

This Fellow will work closely with the Assistant Dean and the Program Associate of Diversity Initiatives in the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) to identify and train graduate students who will represent MIT at both local and national fall recruitment conferences and fairs. This Fellow will reach out to departments to ensure there is information about their departments provided at conferences. This Fellow with the support of the Program Associate will follow-up with prospective students who have questions regarding admissions or programs, such as MSRP, at MIT.

This Fellow will also continue to implement the Grad Catalyst Workshop. This workshop teaches underclassmen at minority-serving institutions and liberal arts colleges how to plan their undergraduate trajectories so as to be strong graduate school candidates come senior year.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Meet with Assistant Dean for Diversity Initiatives, bi-weekly to coordinate work.
  • Identify and train graduate students interested in representing MIT at local and national conferences such as NSBE, SHPE, AISES, and SACNAS.
  • Partner with student organizations that are interested in engaging in recruitment efforts of prospective URM graduate students.
  • Share information with prospective students about programs such as MSRP and the MIT UCEM Sloan Scholars Program.
  • Schedule Grad Catalyst workshops (in-person and online).
  • Present Grad Catalyst workshops.
  • Train other interested graduate students on conducting Grad Catalyst workshops.
  • Evaluate Grad Catalyst workshops and editing materials, as necessary;

Skills and Qualifications:

Willingness to travel; committed to being productive and accomplishing tasks; ability to work collaboratively and independently; event planning experience; public speaking experience; strong organizational and communication skills, including interpersonal communication skills.

Financial Literacy 

This fellow supports the OGE’s efforts to promote MIT graduate student financial literacy and health. The position will report directly to the OGE’s Manager of Graduate Fellowships.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Assist in the promotion of the iGrad Financial Literacy Platform to the graduate student community through marketing campaigns and information sessions.
  • Help collect, analyze and report on data related to MIT graduate student financial health and needs through the development of survey’s and the organization of student focus groups.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of outreach efforts surrounding general financial literacy such as information sessions and seminars.
  • Help build and maintain website and social media content surrounding financial literacy and funding opportunities such as fellowships.
  • Organize and develop peer support groups on topics related to financial literacy and health including fellowship application preparation.
  • Assist in increasing the pool of funding resources such as fellowships and scholarships by searching for and researching such opportunities.
  • Facilitate iGrad Financial Literacy curriculum through small group discussions.

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Event planning experience.
  • Strong communication and organizational skills.
  • Experience with graphic design.
  • Experience or interest in creative marketing and publicity campaigns.
  • Willingness to work as a team and ability to work independently.
  • Some basic knowledge of finance preferred.

GradLink and Graduate Student Support – OGE

This Fellow primarily supports the social media presence of the OGE; also, some support of graduate student programs and events that focus on graduate student support. The fellow works closely with, and reports directly to the Communications Officer, consulting with the Assistant Deans for GradSupport as needed.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Maintain and enhance OGE’s social media presence through GradLink, which may include:
    • Creating regular content for Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    • Developing and implementing strategies for increasing followers
    • Act as a thinking partner in brand development
    • Respond as needed to direct social media messages
  • Support the development, implementation, and assessment of programs and events that promote the holistic well-being of graduate students (primary example: act as part of the planning team for Graduate Student Appreciation Week).
  • Interact with departments, administrative offices, and student groups with which the OGE partners or whose activities the OGE funds, as needed to support the above.
  • Partner with other Fellows on mutually beneficial projects.

Skills and Qualifications:

Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills; previous experience with social media platforms; ability to work independently; creative thinker.  Interest in connecting with the graduate community. Preference will be given to candidates in their second year of study or higher.

Graduate Community Programs

This Fellow supports the Graduate Student Experience Grants program and the Graduate Community Fellows program by working closely with, and reporting to, the OGE Programs and Policy Administrator.

  • Assist with plans for marketing and promotion of grant activities, including website development, email notices, posters.
  • Maintain documentation for all aspects of the grants and fellows process.
  • Serve as a member of the Grant Selection Panel.
  • Maintain a master list of grant project timelines; collect periodic reports from grant authors and assist with their publication for the Grant Selection Panel and, in edited versions, for the website.
  • Act as primary contact to grant authors and provide support as required.
  • Publicize the request-for-proposal process and open community fellow positions.
  • Create and/or implement a plan for evaluating projects; as needed, develop plans to integrate the best ideas into the ongoing work of the OGE (or other Institute organizations).

Skills and Qualifications:

Demonstrated commitment to community building activities; experience in organizing events, preferably at MIT; strong communication skills; excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines; enjoys working on a team.

Institute Community and Equity Office Programming/Events (ICEO)

The Fellow(s) will support the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) and the Office of the Associate Provost on several key diversity and inclusion projects. The GCF will work directly with the program director, Beatriz Cantada and the Institute Community and Equity Officer.

Projects include active engagement in the development of the Institute’s strategic equity plan. We invite the fellows’ suggestions on ways to advance a respectful and caring community.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Provide programming support for MLK Scholars program and ICEO events.
  • Assist in outreach efforts and serve as liaison with the graduate student community on DEI issues.
  • Design and create content for ICEO newsletter.
  • Assist with maintenance of websites.
  • Help expand ICEO’s social media presence and digital identity.
  • Review, update, and expand current internal and external DEI resources
  • Collect and analyze data in support of DEI initiatives.
  • Meet with ICEO staff on weekly basis.

Committee Representation:

  • RISE Awards Committee (OMP/SPXCE)
  • Other Ad Hoc committees

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated interest in community, diversity, inclusion and equity issues
  • Creativity, strong communication and organizational skills
  • Experience with project planning, or willingness to learn
  • Ability to work independently and in a team setting
  • Experience with data analysis and visualization
  • Web, HTML/JavaScript and social media skills a plus

Institute Discrimination & Harassment Response (IDHR) Office

MIT’s Institute Discrimination & Harassment Response (IDHR) Office strives to promote a living, working and learning environment where all members of our community can thrive, free from discrimination. The goal of IDHR’s prevention and education efforts is to present information in the clearest and most accessible way possible for the entire MIT community.

This fellow will support the Education Specialist in the office with overseeing, developing, and implementing training and education materials.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Develop script drafts for updated online training videos
  • Manage and develop communication timelines for online training modules for undergraduate students
  • Conduct gap analysis of current promotional materials and resources
  • Support website content updating and upkeep
  • Support the Title IX Student Advisory Committee meetings and subcommittees including meeting logistics, note taking, and recruitment.
  • Support with ongoing projects (including data analysis and training development)

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Strong organizational skills
  • Detail-oriented
  • Genuine interest in learning more about prevention education efforts
  • Ability to work collaboratively and independently to meet deadlines
  • Experience or Interest in designing materials in Canva
  • Experience or Interest in maintaining the website through Drupal
  • Interest and skills in data analysis

International Students Office – Programming & Events

The Fellow(s) will work closely with and report directly to the ISO Programming Administrator. This position supports the objective of coordinating programs for international students to help them acclimate to the U.S. and engage more with MIT, in particular for international grad students (who comprise about 42% of the grad population). The Fellow will be expected to attend some evening events.

Skills & Qualifications:

Commitment, demonstrated interest in supporting the international student population, event/program planning experience or interest, enthusiasm and ideas for various kinds of programs and events, creativity, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and interest or experience in other languages and cultures.

Tasks & Responsibilities:

  • Meet weekly with supervisor along with the two other fellows to discuss event planning.
  • Attend weekly Language Conversation Exchange (LCE) meeting. (ISO is a co-sponsor of LCE events)
  • Attend any and all ISO sponsored or co-sponsored events (as schedule allows) to help set up, facilitate, and clean up for the events
  • Co-coordinate with other fellow the volunteers for ISO Welcome Reception during Graduate Orientation
  • Take ownership of and co-lead at least one event per semester (along with other programming & events fellow)
  • Other projects as assigned
  • Fellows are encouraged to share ideas, design and implement—with  supervision—any  programs & events that will assist international students in their acclimation.

International Students Office – Publicity/Communications

The Fellow will work closely with and report directly to the ISO Programming Administrator. This position supports the objective of helping all international students acclimate to the U.S. and MIT (international grad students comprise about 42% of the grad population).

Skills and Qualifications:

Required: Commitment, creativity, excellent verbal and written communication skills, self-starter, demonstrated interest in supporting the international student population, interest or experience in other languages and cultures.

Desired: Design skills (eg. Canva for flyers); experience with Mailchimp or other e-newsletter software; skills with video production.

Tasks & Responsibilities:

  • Assist with outreach, including marketing and other publicity through designing flyers
  • Create monthly ISO newsletter and weekly event reminders
  • Maintain ISO social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
  • Publicize all ISO events in various channels (MIT Events Calendar, the GSC Anno, MIT Sloangroups, other)
  • Take photos of events, if schedule permits, and upload photos to Facebook albums
  • Commit to meeting with supervisor at least once/week and be responsive to email.
  • If interested, the fellow can help produce videos or cartoons to help international students understand important immigration information.
  • If interested, the fellow can collaborate with ISO Programs/Events Fellow and help plan at least one event per academic year.
  • The fellow may help with programs/events as needed and if schedule permits. Other projects may be assigned.

Language Conversation Exchange

Two Fellows support intercultural exchange among graduate students and others at MIT, by coordinating the MIT Language Conversation Exchange Program. The Fellows work closely with and report directly to the Program Manager.

The appointment period is August 1 through May 31. This position is for 5 hours per week, in collaboration with another Fellow who also works 5 hours per week. Fellowship stipend is $337.50 per month.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Market the program and recruit participants (orientation events, social media, info fairs, outreach to foreign language departments, etc.).
  • Be the primary contact for applicants and participants.
  • Monitor the website, approve applications, keep participant database updated.
  • Perform regular program evaluations, incorporating participants’ feedback where possible.
  • Develop new outreach efforts and community programs that bring together conversation partners.

Skills and Qualifications:

Demonstrated interest in languages and cultural exchange; experience with marketing and event planning; excellent interpersonal skills and good judgment about people; experience in online community management; self starter, independent worker.

MindHandHeart: Resources and Communications

MindHandHeart was launched in September 2015 and is developing an infrastructure to enhance MIT’s ability to develop, implement, and evaluate community health and preventive strategies to promote resilience and mental well-being. We are looking for a Graduate Fellow to support our ongoing development and strengthen our understanding of how the initiative can support the student community.

The primary goal of this position is to ensure that MIT students are aware of the resources, programs, and support services available to them.  The GCF will work closely with communications staff from MHH, OGE, DUE, DSL, and the Chancellor’s Office to keep the resources.mit.edu site up-to-date.  Additionally, the Fellow will help to promote these resources across a number of print and digital channels.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Website (70%)
    • Review and edit the descriptions of resources listed on the resources.mit.edu site (extensively to start, then periodically)
    • Curate the site’s content by adding resources as they become available or removing them as necessary
    • Check the site for broken links and run monthly analytic reports to gauge traffic
    • Update the site’s banner and imagery
  • 30%: Writing and Social Media
    • Contribute to MindHandHeart’s social media presence (write content, develop Twitter lists, track analytics, etc.)
    • Write and edit news stories and/or blog posts documenting the work of MindHandHeart and our partners

Skills and Qualifications:

Drupal CMS; attention to detail; knowledge of the MIT community and resources landscape (helpful, but not required); social media skills (helpful, but not required); strong writing and editing skills; ability to meet deadlines and work in a collaborative environment

PKG Center – Grad Community and Voter Engagement

The PKG Center for Public Service is the epicenter of public service at MIT. It is a small collegial and welcoming office. The PKG Center’s overarching goals are to tap and expand MIT students’ unique skills and interests to prepare them to explore and address complex social and environmental challenges. We educate students to collaborate ethically and effectively with community partners to engage in meaningful public service, today and in their lives beyond MIT.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Graduate Community and Voter Engagement Fellow will work closely with the Program Coordinator for Student Engagement and Outreach at the PKG Center for Public Service and the ALL IN Coalition, to reach graduate students, lower graduate student barriers to voting, and encourage graduate student voter turnout in a strictly non-partisan way for the betterment of civic engagement and democracy at MIT. The GCV Fellow will also support graduate outreach efforts for the PKG Center’s portfolio of programs in order to empower graduate student co-curricular engagement.

Skills and Qualifications:

The fellow will:

  • Analyze and develop a deep and fluent understanding of MIT’s NSLVE data (Tufts National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement), which provides campus-specific statistics on voter turnout and engagement.
  • Maintain MIT’s ALL IN Perpetual Calendar spreadsheet to ensure institutionalization and accountability of voter engagement efforts.
  • Experiment with new ways to reach the graduate student community and better assist them in the voting process, and in their exploration of public service and social impact.
  • Represent graduate students at MIT’S ALL IN Coalition monthly meetings.
  • Lead graduate community outreach connections through the creation of an outreach plan.
  • Set goals for graduate student engagement and turnout in local, state, and federal election seasons.
  • Collaborate with MITvote to plan events and initiatives for election seasons, especially those targeted towards graduate students. 

PKG Center: Community Engaged Learning

The PKG Center for Public Service is the epicenter of public service at MIT. It is a small collegial and welcoming office. The PKG Center’s overarching goals are to tap and expand MIT students’ unique skills and interests to prepare them to explore and address complex social and environmental challenges. We educate students to collaborate ethically and effectively with community partners to engage in meaningful public service, today and in their lives beyond MIT.

The Graduate Community Engagement Fellow will work closely with the Assistant Dean for Community Based Programs to support the development of community engaged learning initiatives at the PKG Center. The fellow’s projects will focus on research and programming that supports PKG’s efforts to provide technical assistance for community engaged learning across MIT through partnerships with faculty, graduate students, and DLCs.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Conduct a landscape analysis of community engaged learning at MIT
    • Research existing faculty efforts with community engaged learning at MIT
    • Create inventory of existing community engaged classes
    • Develop list of faculty/graduate students who are eager to explore community engaged learning models and pedagogy
  • Integrate the data related to community engaged learning at MIT into existing PKG Airtable databases
  • Research existing community engaged learning at peer institutions
  • Support the development of community engaged learning workshops and communities of practice for faculty and graduate students

Programs for Women

This Fellow supports graduate student programs and events for women by working closely with, and reporting to, the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Plan, implement, and evaluate programs and events that promote the professional and leadership development of graduate women students, including the annual Path of Professorship workshop.
  • Assist in creation and stewardship of opportunities for graduate women to build and broaden networks of support to enhance the graduate experience; past examples include Mens et Manus et Salus and a celebration of graduate women.
  • Assist in designing and implementing approaches to assess and document the success of programmatic efforts.
  • Interact with departments, administrative offices, and student groups with which the OGE partners or whose activities the OGE funds.
  • Develop marketing tools for programs and events.
  • Convene focus groups to identify student needs, interests, and experiences.
  • Partner with other Fellows on mutually beneficial projects.

Skills and Qualifications:

Strong organizational skills; strong communication skills; experience with project planning; enjoys working on a team. Background in science or engineering. Candidates should be interested in holding the position for two years.

Office of Minority Education – Supporting Women of Color

The Graduate Community Fellow will collaborate with the Office of Minority Education (OME) staff in the development and implementation of a new program to support the continued success of undergraduate Women of Color at MIT. By working closely with, and reporting to, the associate dean and director of the OME, the fellow will help develop and lead focus groups with MIT undergraduate women of color in order to better understand their concerns and needs; and conduct interviews with key staff and administrators as well. In addition, the fellow will research best practices and proven strategies for women of color initiatives that have worked at similar institutions. All of these data will be used to develop this new initiative, including creating an identity and name for the program, branding and marketing the program, and fully implementing the program for a fall 2022 launch.

The fellow will also assist with administrative duties, such as selecting students for the program, program operations, and other duties as appropriate. The fellow will contribute to an array of programming that will enhance the growth and success of undergraduate women of color including their belonging, health and wellbeing, academic and career advancement (including graduate school), identity, communication skills, interpersonal skills, leadership and mentoring, personal and professional development, networking, social responsibility, financial responsibility, etc. All are essential for the holistic development and success of our women of color undergraduates.  

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Assist with the creation and leading of focus groups with undergraduate women of color to assess their needs
  • Interview key campus stakeholders to gather information and knowledge regarding which programmatic components are essential for this program
  • Assist in establishing a critical tie to women of color graduate students by helping to select a core group of grad mentors; developing a graduate education curriculum in collaboration with OGE GradDiversity and the Grad Catalyst program.
  • Research (including a literary review) best practices and proven strategies for success of Women of Color programs
  • Assist in the development of the program identity/name, brand, marketing materials, and social media presence
  • Assist in the development of the program components, the curriculum, workshops, format, application materials, etc.
  • Assist in the selection of the first cohort of students to participate in the program, and its launch in fall 2022
  • Assist with other related duties as needed

Skills and Qualifications:

Strong organizational, presentation, writing, and interpersonal skills; ability to meet deadlines; interest in program development and management; passion for building community and helping undergraduate women of color students grow and thrive; experience or interest in managing or contributing to a social media presence; etc. Women of color graduate students are encouraged to apply. Applicants for this position should be able to commit to role through spring term 2023 (including the summer 2022 term).

Supporting Indigenous Students

The MIT Indigenous Peoples’ International Leadership Council Fellow supports the cultural, spiritual, and ethical growth of the MIT Indigenous community through establishing community and supporting Indigenous students in self-discovery of their own ethical and spiritual paths to leadership.

This position will be a focal point for graduate students within the indigenous community to receive mentorship by elders, serve as mentors to the next generation of grad students, and build relationships within the wider graduate community at MIT.  In this way, the position will serve as a connection between multiple generations of Indigenous scholars at MIT (Faculty, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, and Future Students).

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Establish and maintain community across Indigenous national affiliation
  • Convene spiritual and ethical gatherings in the MIT Indigenous People’s Center
  • Support Indigenous students in discerning their spiritual and ethical paths
  • Support students in finding mentors and developing their identity as Indigenous scientists
  • Assess and document the needs of Indigenous students and link to appropriate resources at MIT
  • Communicate with the graduate community at MIT to educate about Indigenous identity and experience, to dispel stereotypes, and to grow opportunities for partnerships, such as with OGE GradDiversity and other offices
  • Meet regularly with Nina Lytton, who serves as chaplain to this group on behalf of MIT’s Office of Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life
  • Establish the scope and best practices for this new position

Skills and Qualifications:

Indigenous cultural knowledge. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.  Ability to bridge organizational boundaries and appreciate multicultural perspectives.

REFS Program Support

REFS (Resources for Easing Friction and Stress) are graduate students who are trained in conflict management and provide confidential, peer-to-peer support for graduate students at the Institute. REFS are also knowledgeable of and provide referrals to other resources on campus. This Fellow will support the REFS program by working closely with and reporting to the GradSupport Program Coordinator.

Tasks & Responsibilities:

  • Create and maintain a centralized database of all active individual REFS, and dREFS and iREFS programs
  • Gather information about the operations of the various REFS groups in order to provide optimal support
  • Assist in designing and implementing ongoing training and development opportunities for current REFS
  • Assist with preparation for 2 annual New REFS trainings
  • Provide information, support and assistance to individuals and groups interested in creating new dREFS programs

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated appreciation for conflict management and constructive dialogue skills
  • Creative thinker
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Ability to work independently to meet deadlines
  • Ability to work collaboratively

Teaching and Learning Lab (TLL): Inclusive & Equitable Teaching

The MIT Teaching + Learning Lab (TLL) is conducting a needs assessment in partnership with specific academic departments across campus to identify opportunities, resources, and supports needed to enhance inclusive and equitable learning environments. As a member of the project team, the Fellow will focus on collecting, analyzing, and reporting assessment data as well as facilitating conversations with departmental stakeholders around inclusive and equitable teaching practices.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Assist the study team by collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, which may include the following:
    • Student record data
    • Survey data
    • Document analysis (e.g., course syllabi, faculty and student handbooks);
  • Assist the study team with assembling preliminary and final reports to summarize findings;
  • Support facilitation and documentation of small-group discussions with different groups of department stakeholders;
  • Conduct an environmental scan of inclusive and equitable teaching programs at other institutions;
  • Assist in the development of recommendations for programs and practices to support inclusive and equitable instruction;
  • Weekly check-in meeting with supervisors and other team members.

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Knowledge of and/or strong interest in inclusive and equitable teaching;
  • Experience with teaching and/or strong interest in teaching and learning, particularly at the postsecondary level;
  • Basic familiarity with or interest in quantitative and/or qualitative approaches to social science research;
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
  • Willingness to develop new knowledge and skills, as needed, related to pedagogy, inclusive education, and research methods;
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively, as part of a small team.

The fellow will be co-supervised by Amanda Baker and Ruthann Thomas from TLL.

Violence Prevention & Response: Programming Assessment

This Fellow supports Violence Prevention and Response (VPR) by working closely with multiple members of the VPR team, and receiving supervision from the Lead Advocate for VPR. This fellowship consists of two main components: 1) supporting the work of VPR on sexual violence, relationship abuse, stalking and harassment on campus, which includes supporting/participating in the committees that annually plan and execute Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April), Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month (October), and Stalking Awareness Month (January); and 2) completing a project of the Fellow’s own choosing on one or more of the following topics: sexual violence, relationship abuse, stalking, and/or harassment (this may be the continuation of an existing project or a new project depending on the needs of the office, and will be discussed in consultation with the Fellow’s supervisor).

Tasks and responsibilities:

  • Learn about issues of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking and harassment.
  • Outreach to a broad cross-section of the graduate and undergraduate student community to draw a large, diverse group of students into the project’s work and to events.
  • Conduct analysis of survey data from online educational programs that incoming graduate students are required to complete.
  • Provide support planning and logistical activities around Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.
  • Oversee maintenance of the It’s On Us, MIT website.
  • Work to increase student and community attendance at sponsored events.

Current potential projects for the Fellow to work on in partnership with VPR staff include:

  • Development and implementation of a program evaluation for GREAT Pleasure, a program that equips Graduate Resident Advisors (GRAs) with additional knowledge and skills related to VPR topics.
  • Conducting a needs assessment of the graduate community, including but not limited to, conducting research on the issues and best practices, drawing together graduate students for focus groups, completing qualitative interviews and compiling a final report.
  • Assisting in the streamlining of VPR’s prevention work through finding and reviewing research on prevention best practices.
  • Working with VPR staff on the revision and improvement of VPR’s website.

Skills and Qualifications:

Strong community-organizing skills; strong communication skills; experience with project planning; curiosity and interest in learning; team focus.

Writing and Communication Center (WCC)

The Writing and Communication Center Fellow will work closely with, and report to, the Director of the Writing and Communication Center. The goal of this part-time (5-hour/week) position is to organize, facilitate, promote, and evaluate writing groups and other communication programs for Master’s and Ph.D. students while exploring effective practices in the graduate writing process. The Fellows will also serve as a vital point of connection to the MIT graduate student body.

Tasks and responsibilities:

1. Help the WCC Director in planning, promoting, and launching writing and communication programs

2. Organize and lead peer-review writing groups or workshops based on the interest and help with accountability at the end of the program

3. Attend weekly planning and brainstorming meetings with the director and other team members

4. Deepen and sustain the program by connecting it to the needs of the MIT graduate community and help the WCC Director address those needs.

Skills and Qualifications:

Experience or interest in leading student groups; strong organizational, writing, and communication skills; ability to work independently and in a team, passion for helping MIT Master’s and PhD student colleagues advance their communication skills.