There are many opportunities for undergraduates to work in the department. (This page only contains Computer Science department-specific opportunities—see the Student Employment Office for other student jobs at Brown.) In addition to working as consultants, working for the UTA program, and working with the technical staff, there are also opportunities for undergraduates to assist with or conduct their own research.
Note that most of these positions are hired regularly, but some become available on a less predictable basis. Check the individual pages, which should provide information about hiring and which faculty or staff person you should contact.
Undergraduate Research
- Undergraduate Research Assistantships (URAs): Several undergraduates in the Computer Science department routinely assist with (or even conduct their own) research. Undergraduates generally receive academic credit for research work (but, in some cases, can receive pay).
- Meta Undergraduate Research Assistants (MURAs): MURAs help coordinate undergrad research opportunities in the department. They answer questions about research, advertise research opportunities for semester and/or summer positions, and host various outreach events throughout the semester to encourage students to get involved with research. MURAs are compensated for their work with pay.
Teaching Assistant (TA) program
- Head Teaching Assistants (HTAs): HTAs work with professors to coordinate many aspects of a course and manage a staff of UTAs if the course has any. An HTA’s role can be very different from a UTA. HTAing often requires more attention to administrative details, organization, and often is a greater time commitment. Being an HTA really gives you the chance to shape a course and work closely with a professor. Shortly after being hired, HTAs begin coordinating the process of hiring UTAs (if the course has any). HTAs are compensated for their work with their choice of either credit or pay (or, in some cases, a combination of both).
- Teaching Assistants (UTAs): UTAs work with professors and HTAs to support one of the department's courses during the semester. UTA's responsibilities typically include holding TA hours, grading assignments, writing/revising course assignments and materials, working on lecture slides, preparing support code or demos of programs, attending class, and in some cases, presenting supplemental materials for the class. UTAs are compensated for their work with their choice of either credit or pay (or, in some cases, a combination of both).
- Meta Teaching Assistants (MTAs): MTAs work in conjunction with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to coordinate the TA Program and several other department-wide activities. Responsibilities include overseeing HTA, UTA, and STA hiring and training, managing TA program resources, and providing logistical and technical support for the program as a whole. MTAs are compensated for their work with pay.
- Socially Responsible Computing Teaching Assistants (STAs): STAs (formerly known as ETAs) work directly with professors, HTAs, and the Head STAs to identify social issues relevant to their designated course, communicate with course staff, study the course structure, and collaborate with course staff to develop a curriculum plan for socially responsible computing content. STAs directly report to their course's HTA and the HSTAs, and their responsibilities also may include writing new assignments and grading STA-specific content for their course. STAs are compensated for their work with pay.
- Head Socially Responsible Computing Teaching Assistants (HSTAs): HSTAs (formerly known as EHTAs) work in conjunction with the Department Chair to coordinate the STA Program. They also organize several department-wide events related to ethics in Computer Science and socially responsible computing. HSTAs are compensated for their work with pay.
Technical Staff
- Sunlab Consultants: The Sunlab Consultants are paid to watch over the undergraduate computing labs and to help people use their accounts. The consultants provide support for remote login (via SSH and FastX) and various programs on the ugrad Linux systems that are commonly used by CS courses at Brown. Sunlab Consultants report to the Head Sunlab Consultants. They are compensated for their work with pay.
- Head Sunlab Consultants: Head Sunlab Consultants work in conjunction with the Director of Information Technology (John Bazik) and the Project and Finance Manager (Kathy Kirman Billings) to manage the Sunlab Consultants. They are hired from the pool of Sunlab Consultants when a Head Sunlab Consultant opening arises. Head Sunlab Consultants are compensated for their work with pay.
- Systems Programmer, Operator, and Consultants (SPOCs): SPOCs work as fully-fledged members of the department's Technical Staff ("tstaff") and assist in the installation, maintenance, development, and documentation of local software. In addition, they represent the off-hours technical support staff and assist with administrative tasks. The SPOCs report to the Director of Information Technology (John Bazik) and the Project and Finance Manager (Kathy Kirman Billings). SPOCs are compensated for their work with pay.
Student Advocates
- Diversity and Inclusion Student Advocates (D&I Advocates): D&I Advocates work in conjunction with the Financial and Outreach Coordinator to identify and advocate for change regarding academic and social diversity issues in the Computer Science department, with the goal of increasing the retention number of students from historically underrepresented groups in Computer Science. D&I Advocates are compensated for their work with pay.
- Health & Wellness Student Advocates (H&W Advocates): H&W Advocates work in conjunction with the Financial and Outreach Coordinator to aim to improve the mental and physical health with the CS department on an individual and systemic level, as well as increase the sense of departmental community. In addition, they serve as resources that can direct students to campus resources that are relevant to the issues or pressures they may be facing. H&W Advocates are compensated for their work with pay.
