Graduate Research Assistant - Creating a Living Digital Archive of Photojournalism - Autumn 2025

Description

Start Date: 09/16/2025
End Date: 12/15/2025

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS 9 PM Pacific Time, Monday, August 18, 2025.

The University of Washington Information School is seeking a UW iSchool MLIS student to provide research and technical support for Assistant Professor Ben Lee's project, Creating a Living Digital Archive of Photojournalism. This project seeks to develop pathways for digitizing and preserving the archives of photojournalists through the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and voice recognition.

The project will create a working prototype of a living digital archive of approximately 10,000 photographs taken by Christopher Morris between 1990 and 2000, publish a paper detailing processes and findings, and culminate with a virtual convening on the "Future of Photojournalism Archives."

The Graduate RA will work directly with Professor Lee to contribute to the project's open-source codebase and support various research activities. This position offers valuable experience in digital preservation, emerging technologies in archives, and photojournalism history.

The Graduate RA will perform some or all of the responsibilities listed below for an average of 20 hours per week during Autumn Quarter 2025.

 

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the project's open-source codebase
• Assist with digitization workflows and metadata creation for photojournalism archives
• Support implementation and testing of AI and voice recognition technologies for archival processes
• Conduct research on best practices in digital preservation and photojournalism archives
• Assist with data analysis and documentation of project processes and findings
• Help prepare materials for academic publication and presentation
• Collaborate with project stakeholders including archivists, technologists, and photojournalism professionals
• Provide administrative support for project operations as needed
• Other duties as assigned

 

Compensation:

The monthly pay rate for a Pre-Master Graduate RA paid on Schedule 1 is $3,283, per the Graduate School's salary schedule. TA/RA/SA/Predoctoral instructors and their dependents may be eligible to receive UW-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage through the Graduate Appointee Insurance Program (GAIP); may be eligible for one personal holiday and up to 10 paid holidays; and may be awarded up to 28 hours of sick time off (prorated based on FTE). Questions regarding pay should be directed to iSchool Human Resources at ihrhelp@uw.edu.

Note: This job classification is governed by a negotiated labor contract and is subject to union shop provisions. For more information about union shop provisions, visit: www.washington.edu/admin/hr/jobs/apl/union-info.html

Qualifications

Requirements:

• Current UW iSchool MLIS (Residential or Online) student
• Enrolled full-time (10 credits) during Autumn Quarter 2025
• Basic programming skills or willingness to learn coding for archival applications
• Interest in digital preservation and emerging technologies in libraries/archives
• Strong research and analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively on technical projects
• Able to commit to and follow through to complete tasks and projects in a timely manner

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with programming languages (Python, JavaScript, or similar)
• Familiarity with digital archival standards and metadata schemas
• Background in photojournalism, visual culture, or media studies
• Experience with AI/machine learning applications in cultural heritage
• Knowledge of version control systems (Git/GitHub)
• Experience with database management
• Understanding of digital preservation workflows and standards

Conditions of Employment:

• Sexual Misconduct Disclosure (Non-UW employees)
  
  

Application Instructions

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS 9 PM Pacific Standard Time, Monday, August 18, 2025.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religi