Mid-Atlantic HERC

The Institute for Behavioral Health seeks a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Summer Intern to provide support for the Exploring community Knowledge -Ongoing (ECKS-O) study.

This is a part time summer internship, 20 hours per week from June - August 2026.

The pay rate is $25/hour.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

The Graduate Research Assistant Summer Intern will work as part of a team to:

• Working with Project Managers and Principal Investigator to support research on law and policy related to drug use and harm reduction
• Conduct statutory and regulatory analysis of Massachusetts laws governing harm reduction infrastructure, including drug paraphernalia statutes, syringe service program (SSP) authorizations, and the legal status of drug-checking technologies (e.g., fentanyl or xylazine test strips, drug checking equipment) in treatment and healthcare settings
• Perform multi-state legal comparisons analyzing how other states regulate novel public health interventions for harm reduction to provide model policy options for Massachusetts
• Prepare policy memos, written materials and publication.
• Creation/preparation of presentations, documentation, and other communication materials to delivery information to communities, the department of public health, the team, and more
• Analyze federal and state data privacy laws with respect to harm reduction data.
• Contribute to legal and policy analysis, statistical analysis (e.g. bivariate analysis) and/or qualitative data coding and analysis with ECKS-O data. Experience with SPSS, R or Stata is preferred.
• Attend weekly project meetings to record action steps, as requested.

Skills and Experience Requirements:

The candidate must have strong organizational and time-management skills, must be detailed oriented and focused.

Must have ability to treat people who use drugs and people who are in recovery with dignity, respect, and kindness.

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal are necessary and strong legal research skills (e.g., experience with Westlaw/LexisNexis) preferred.

Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and navigate complex ethical boundaries involving illicit activities.

Prior experience with research, community service with vulnerable populations, and/or with people who use drugs is preferred.

Access to transportation is required.

Training and mentoring available for candidate.

About Brandeis University

As a medium-sized private research university with global reach, we are dedicated to first-rate undergraduate education while making groundbreaking discoveries. Four major academic units with 3,600 undergraduates and 2,050 graduate students comprise the University: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, the International Business School, and the Rabb School of Continuing Studies. In 1985, Brandeis was elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), which represents the 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Brandeis has been ranked among the top 35 national universities by U.S. News & World Report every year since the rankings’ inception. Our 235-acre campus is located in the suburbs of Boston, a global hub for higher education and innovation. Our faculty are leaders in their fields, as passionate about teaching and mentorship as they are about pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Our students are motivated, compassionate, curious and open to exploring new and challenging experiences. Brandeis was founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian university under the sponsorship of th...e American Jewish community to embody its highest ethical and cultural values and to express its gratitude to the United States through the traditional Jewish commitment to education. By being a nonsectarian university that welcomes students, teachers and staff of every nationality, religion and orientation, Brandeis renews the American heritage of cultural diversity, equal access to opportunity and freedom of expression.

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