Undergraduate Research Assistant (Paid), Spring 2027

A paid research apprenticeship in philosophy of science for Queens College undergraduates, January to May 2027. Apply by December 1, 2026.
Published

November 2, 2026

Position
Undergraduate Research Assistant (1 position)
Supervisor
Ryan O’Loughlin, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Queens College, CUNY
Funding
Queens College Research Enhancement Grant
Compensation
$3,500 stipend
Dates
January 15 – May 15, 2027 (about 10 hours per week)
Eligibility
Queens College undergraduates
Application deadline
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
This ad online
https://productive-error.org/research-assistant.html

I’m hiring one undergraduate research assistant to work with me on a philosophy of science project. The project is called “The Productive Role of Error in AI-Driven Modeling” and is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. If this sounds interesting to you, please read on and consider applying. Feel free to email me if you have questions ().

Background

Can getting things wrong be part of how science gets things right? Philosophers of science have long asked how science manages to be reliable when its individual models, theories, and practitioners are fallible. My new research project takes up a version of this question in one of the most consequential areas of science today: climate modeling, where scientists are increasingly turning to AI. The project focuses on three questions. First, how can scientists understand what an AI model is doing, and explain why it goes wrong when it does? Second, can errors actually make scientific models stronger over time, so that a model improves because it was pushed until it broke? And third, how does the way scientists find, handle, and communicate errors shape whether the rest of us should trust their results?

The position

  • Paid: a $3,500 stipend, funded by a Queens College Research Enhancement Grant
  • Time: January 15 through May 15, 2027, at about 10 hours per week (roughly 175 hours in total). The schedule is flexible. The position may be extended if additional funding becomes available (which is my hope).
  • What you’ll do: read and summarize research in philosophy of science and philosophy of AI, write short literature review memos, meet with me regularly to discuss the readings and the project’s open questions, and help prepare materials for the project’s workshop at Queens College.

What I’m looking for

This is meant to be a genuine research apprenticeship, not only a list of assigned tasks. Our working sessions are a central part of the job. I’m looking for someone who reads carefully, asks good questions, and is willing to push back on my arguments when they think I’ve gotten something wrong.

Some familiarity with philosophy of science is helpful but not required. If you’re new to the field, we’ll spend the first weeks of the position working through some foundational readings together. No background in climate science or AI is needed, and you don’t need prior research experience.

The position is open to all Queens College undergraduates. Philosophy majors, students in the BA/MA program, and students in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences are especially encouraged to apply.

How to apply

Email the following to with “RA Application” in the subject line:

  1. A statement (one page, single-spaced, maximum) explaining why you’re interested in the position, how it connects to your academic or professional plans, and what background you’d bring, whether in philosophy, science, or elsewhere
  2. A resume
  3. Optional: a writing sample, such as a paper from any course

Please do not use AI to write your statement or writing sample.

Applications are due Tuesday, December 1, 2026. I’ll invite shortlisted applicants to a short interview.

Ryan O’Loughlin, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Director of the BA/MA Program in Philosophy, Queens College, CUNY

This ad online: https://productive-error.org/research-assistant.html