The Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility is a center within the American Enterprise Institute. Our dedicated team conducts rigorous research to examine economic well-being, upward mobility, social capital, and other opportunity-related issues.
The Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility (COSM) at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) seeks a full-time research assistant to work in person with COSM scholars, principally Brent Orrell. The new research assistant will begin in summer 2026.
Launched at the beginning of 2023, COSM seeks to shrink opportunity gaps facing disadvantaged Americans and strengthen social mobility by publishing rigorous research and developing innovative policy solutions.
The research assistant will study a wide variety of issues related to AI and the future of work, the merits of flexible education and training pathways, the skills needed for success in the modern workforce, economic and civic development in rural areas, and more.
Interested candidates should submit a resume, a cover letter noting their interest in AI and the future of work, unofficial academic transcripts, and a writing sample on any topic.
The Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility (COSM) at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) seeks a full-time research assistant to work with Senior Fellow Angela Rachidi. The research assistant may also support COSM Deputy Director Kevin Corinth and Director Scott Winship and assist COSM generally with research projects. The new research assistant will begin no later than summer 2026, ideally earlier.
Launched at the beginning of 2023, COSM seeks to shrink opportunity gaps facing disadvantaged Americans and strengthen social mobility by publishing rigorous research and developing innovative policy solutions.
The research assistant will conduct extensive research on US safety-net programs and their associated outcomes, including poverty, food insecurity, and health, among other topics.
Interested candidates should submit a resume, a cover letter noting their interest in or experience with safety-net policies, unofficial academic transcripts, and a writing sample. (Independent research projects are strongly preferred as writing samples.)
July 11, 2026 | Matt Weidinger
The Trump administration is threatening to use “every available enforcement tool” to compel states to better protect unemployment benefits against fraud and abuse.
July 9, 2026 | Matt Weidinger
Promises of vast new work-free benefits seem somewhere between a believe-it-when-I-see-it vision and just the latest liberal plan to expand an already-bloated welfare state.
June 29, 2026 | Kevin Corinth
Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility Deputy Director Kevin Corinth discusses Medicaid work requirements on...
June 23, 2026 | Angela Rachidi and Nic Dunn
Congress is considering a major anti-poverty reform: giving states more flexibility to redesign welfare and...