Careers and Internships

Research Associate to the Executive Director, The Lowy Institute

The Lowy Institute is seeking a Research Associate to work with the Executive Director of the Institute. The Lowy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan international policy think tank located in Sydney, Australia. It is Australia's leading think tank, providing high-quality research and distinctive perspectives on the international trends shaping Australia and the world.

The Lowy Institute hosts speeches by leading national and international figures and holds events and conferences to discuss key global issues. It aims to deepen the international policy debate in Australia and to give Australia a greater voice on the international stage.

The Research Associate will work closely with the Executive Director to provide exceptional research support, for papers, books, and speaking engagements. They will also provide input to briefing notes for the Executive Director and assistance in managing strategic dialogues.

The successful candidate will have excellent research, writing, and editing skills, clear communication skills, and tertiary qualifications in international relations. The most important qualification, though, is the ability to write clearly and well, as demonstrated in published work.

Applicants should send a CV and cover letter to Sarah Hipsley, Chief Operating Officer, (shipsley@lowyinstitute.org), by 23 January 2020.

Internships

Intern, West Asia Program, Future of Terrorism Project (part-time)

The Lowy Institute Future of Terrorism Project is looking for an intern to support research and data collection for a research task that looks at the influencers of Australian jihadists.

About the project:

Following on from our 'Typology of Terror' study, this research aims to understand the multiple social media, individual and literary/legal inputs that are common to the Australian cohort of jihadists.  Through the collection and analyses of the people, platforms and writings that are commonly red, listened to or shared by jihadists we can gain a better understanding of the key inputs to jihadist radicalisation and perhaps track those that directly or indirectly 'influence' the jihadists' worldview.  The study will result in a paper and a live digital product.

About the candidate:

The intern will need to be Sydney-based and will undertake a combination of primary data collection, data standardisation and secondary source literary reviews. The successful candidate will have an undergraduate degree, preferably with a strong focus on Middle East and/or terrorism issues.   The selected candidate will be well-versed in social media platforms, detail oriented and methodical.  Familiarity with Arabic is an advantage but not essential. 

The internship will be part-time for four to six months from February 2020. A daily stipend will be provided to cover transport and lunch expenses.

Please send a CV and cover letter outlining your skills, work experience and suitability for the role to rshanahan@lowyinstitute.org by 31 January 2020 with the subject ‘Intern Application – NAME’.

The availability of internships depends on the capacity and needs of our staff. Openings will be advertised on this page as they arise. Please note we no longer accept rolling applications.

Our internship program aims to connect talented international policy students and professionals with our research staff and programs. You should be interested in contributing to Australian international policy, have excellent time management and administrative skills, think critically, write clearly, and capably manage independent research tasks. Typically you will be enrolled in, or have completed, the final year of undergraduate studies, honours or postgraduate studies. The internship program attracts a large number of outstanding candidates and is highly competitive. Our intern alumni include Rhodes scholars, diplomats, soldiers, journalists, and academics. If your application is successful you will work in our Sydney offices at 31 Bligh St on a voluntary basis, with a small stipend to cover lunch and travel expenses. Permission to work in Australia is essential.

For any queries, please contact interns@lowyinstitute.org.