Research Assistant - Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science - S3D
The Research Assistant at Confidential Client's Software and Societal Systems department will support the development and expansion of an open-source platform for teaching geometry proofs to middle and high school students. Responsibilities include onboarding contributors, triaging issues, writing documentation, supporting content developers, implementing software features, and assisting with research on proof comprehension. This entry-level role combines engineering and research tasks to advance educational technology in a collaborative academic environment.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, IT.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
What You’ll Do
This entry-level Research Assistant role supports an academic research team building an open-source platform for teaching geometry proof to middle- and high-school students. You will split time between community/ecosystem work (onboarding contributors, docs, triage) and engineering/research tasks.
- Onboard new open-source contributors: guide environment setup, introduce the codebase, review first contributions, and answer questions in issue trackers and discussion forums.
- Triage issues and pull requests: reproduce bugs, label and prioritize reports, and route work to maintainers.
- Write and maintain clear documentation for the proof domain-specific language, the ENDER visual proof renderer, and the formally verified proof checker — documents targeted at content developers and secondary-school teachers.
- Support content developers using the platform: help author, test, and debug proofs and use automated proof-generation tools.
- Implement features and fix defects in a React + TypeScript rendering app (synchronized diagram and two-column text views).
- Contribute test cases and small improvements in the grammar and proof checker (correct, incorrect, and partial proofs).
- Assist with user-facing research tasks: help design study materials, support data collection with secondary school participants under IRB protocols, and perform basic analysis.
Who We’re Looking For
This role is intended for recent graduates or candidates who will complete their bachelor’s degree before the February 2027 start date.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a closely related field (required).
- Prior research experience in a university research setting (part-time academic-year RA experience or full-time summer research experience is sufficient).
- Strong communication skills for developer onboarding and documentation.
- Comfort working with open-source workflows (GitHub/Git, issues, pull requests).
- Familiarity with React and TypeScript is highly desirable.
- Interest in education technology, formal methods, or proof systems is a plus.
- Ability to work collaboratively with researchers, content developers, and educators.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree (or completion prior to start date).
- Previous research assistant experience.
- Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.
Workplace & Timing
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA.
- Employment type: Full-time, fixed-term staff appointment.
- Anticipated start: February 2027.
- This is an entry-level position appropriate for recent undergraduates.
Compensation & Benefits
Compensation will be provided by the Confidential Client. Benefits for eligible employees include medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, tuition benefits (when applicable), paid time off, and other standard employee programs. Specific benefit eligibility and enrollment details will be provided by the hiring organization.
Why This Role Matters
You’ll help strengthen an open-source education platform used to teach mathematical proof. The role combines software engineering, documentation, community-building, and human-subjects research — a strong fit for candidates who enjoy mixing technical work with outreach and pedagogy.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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