Social Science Research Assistant Jobs in Reston, VA

Washington, DC | Maximum 40 hours/week | In-Office with Remote Opportunities (Fall 2026)

You are an analytical thinker with a passion for applying rigorous, modern data science methodologies to real-world challenges. You thrive in ambiguity and bring clarity through structure, insight, and evidence. You understand that data doesn't speak for itself—that the best insights come from combining computational rigor with an understanding of the social, political, and communication dynamics that generate the data in the first place. You are fluent in the fundamentals of predictive modeling, classification, and natural language processing, and you're eager to grow your skills in a dynamic, collaborative environment. You enjoy working with data from messy sources and turning it into actionable insights for a range of clients. You're driven by curiosity, grounded in social science thinking, and you know how to ask the right questions of data to uncover what matters.

• Data Collection & Preparation
  • Collect and curate data from a variety of media content aggregators, open-source platforms, and APIs using scripts, scrapers, and automated tools.
  • Build datasets that are relevant to the customer's project scope and need area.
  • Use Python, SQL, or similar languages to clean, structure, and transform datasets for analysis.
• Applied Machine Learning & NLP
  • Apply machine learning and natural language processing techniques to large, unstructured text datasets to uncover meaningful patterns and insights.
  • Implement topic modeling, classification, clustering, and other core NLP/ML workflows aligned with customer analysis needs.
  • Experiment with and evaluate different models and algorithms, including both traditional statistical approaches and modern AI techniques (e.g., transformer-based models, embeddings, stance detection).
• Analytical Design & Research
  • Contribute to the design and refinement of analytical frameworks and research methodologies that structure how we assess complex information environments.
  • Help translate social science research questions into computational workflows, bridging theory and applied analysis.
• Visualization & Insight Generation
  • Create visualizations and interactive dashboards using tools like Tableau, Superset, Power BI, or similar platforms to communicate analytic findings.
  • Translate complex data outputs into accessible formats that support client understanding and decision-making.
• Project Collaboration & Delivery
  • Collaborate across teams—including engineering, product, and client delivery—to ensure analytics align with broader project goals.
  • Contribute to client deliverables by packaging and explaining relevant data insights.
  • Participate in the continued development of our Narrative Analytics® platform and workflows, bringing a data-driven mindset to each step of the process.
• Collaboration & Professional Conduct
  • Demonstrate professionalism, ownership, and timely execution across tasks, communication, and deliverables.
  • Adapt to evolving project priorities and fast-paced client timelines, while maintaining quality and clarity.
  • Communicate findings clearly and translate complex technical data science needs into actionable guidance for both external clients and internal team members across technical and cross-functional domains.
  • Collaborate with respect, openness to feedback, and a commitment to continuous learning.

• Eligibility & Security
  • Authorized to work in the U.S.
  • Must be eligible to work on U.S. Government contracts, which may require U.S. citizenship.
  • Existing security clearance (SECRET or above) is a plus but not required.
• Education
  • Currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in data science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Political Science, Sociology, Economics, Psychology, International Relations, Communications, or a related field with strong demonstrable computational training.
• Technical Skills
  • Proficiency in Python and/or R for data analysis, machine learning, and NLP workflows.
  • Strong understanding of SQL and data manipulation techniques.
  • Familiarity with supervised and unsupervised learning methods such as classification, clustering, regression, and topic modeling.
  • Exposure to natural language processing tools and techniques (e.g., tokenization, embeddings, sentiment analysis, transformer models).
  • Experience building dashboards or data visualizations using Tableau, Superset, Power BI, or similar tools.
  • Intermediate Excel skills, including formulas, pivot tables, and data cleaning functions.

• Familiarity with Git, Jupyter, or collaborative development tools.
• Understanding of cloud platforms (e.g., GCP, AWS) or large-scale computing workflows (e.g., distributed processing, data pipelines).
• Experience working with social media, news, or open-source text datasets.
• Exposure to computational text analysis beyond keyword search (e.g., word embeddings, document similarity, stance detection, narrative framing).
• Interest in or familiarity with political communication, media analysis, international security, or public policy environments.
• Ability to explain technical concepts clearly and translate data into insights for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with attention to detail.
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

If you're passionate about technology and making an impact, apply today! Protagonist is dedicated to fostering a welcoming and innovative environment where everyone's voice can make a difference.

Protagonist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The internship pays $20.00 / hour or the applicable local minimum wage rate, whichever is higher.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.