Job Description Summary

The AI Impact Lab Program Assistant provides hands-on leadership, mentorship, and technical guidance for the AI Impact Lab. This role is central to implementing the university’s "human-centered tech translation" model by supervising student teams as they build ethical and trustworthy AI solutions for internal and external clients. The Program Assistant bridges the gap between technical AI development, experiential learning, and real-world business application, ensuring students gain both technical proficiency and essential professional skills.

*This is a part-time, fixed term position lasting approximately one year in length.

Job Description

Essential Functions:

• Student Mentorship and Supervision: Serve as the primary supervisor and mentor for around 40 student participants in the fall and 20 in the spring.
• Curriculum Delivery (Fall): In collaboration with a faculty instructor, lead a semester-long series of weekly workshops and labs for students enrolled in the Impact Lab course. Instruction covers essential AI technical skills, ethical frameworks, and "soft skills" such as team dynamics and structured problem-solving.
• Technical Advising and Workshops (Spring): Provide technical oversight and resource navigation for student teams developing 3–4 cross-disciplinary AI prototypes. Act as a primary resource for finding appropriate university tools or hardware (e.g., DeacCluster) to support project technical needs. Organize additional spring workshops focused on working with clients.
• Project Management & Collaboration: Partner with the Impact Lab Project Manager and Faculty Co-Directors to ensure the pilot meets key milestones, including partner selection and infrastructure setup.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitate communication between student teams and project clients, who may include local organizations and internal university units.

Other Functions:

• Coordinate and support guest lecturers and presenters at fall and spring workshops.
• Assist faculty co-directors in the selection of Spring student teams.
• With faculty co-directors, organize an AI Impact Lab Student Project Day.
• Assist in assessment and evaluating project success and collecting data for the final comprehensive report.

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Data Science, or a related Business field.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong foundational knowledge of AI/ML tools, workflows, and development environments.
• Project Management: Ability to manage multi-stakeholder projects from requirements gathering through iterative development.
• Mentorship: Experience teaching or supervising students in a technical or clinical setting.
• Communication: Ability to translate technical AI concepts for non-technical clients and students.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related Business field.
• Familiarity with ethical AI frameworks and the responsible application of technology.
• Experience working within an academic "experiential learning" or "lab" environment.

Accountabilities:

• Successful delivery of functional AI prototypes to clients by May 2027.
• Achievement of high student satisfaction and measurable learning gains in workshops.