The Drug Trends program is an internationally-renowned system which the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) has coordinated since 1996. The program is key to identifying emerging problems in drug use in Australia, and providing impetus for policy responses and intervention. The Drug Trends program is entering an exciting new phase, adopting novel methods to respond to new challenges in monitoring availability (e.g., online drug marketplaces) and innovative communication strategies to reach national and international audiences.
The Research Assistant will contribute to our program of research utilising online data on drug supply and markets, including extracting data from surface and darknet drug marketplaces. Specifically, the Research Assistant will manage and contribute to pre-existing software used to extract, manage and analyse these online data.
We are seeking someone available for a minimum of 7-21 hours a week.
Accountabilities
Specific accountabilities for this role include:
- Attend research meetings and training sessions and take minutes.
- Use Python for web scraping (through use of Selenium and Scrapy or BeautifulSoup).
- Maintain research databases, including updating and maintaining data processing pipeline and documentation, and ensuring data integrity and secure storage of data.
- Conduct statistical data reporting in Python or R, including the use and development of machine learning models (e.g., neural network models, natural language processing).
- Cooperate with all health and safety policies and procedures of the university and take all reasonable care to ensure that your actions or omissions do not impact on the health and safety of yourself or others.
Skills and Experience (Selection Criteria)
- Currently studying for or has a relevant degree specialising in a quantitative discipline (e.g., computer science, business analytics, mathematics, data science, statistics) or with equivalent competence gained through any combination of education, training or experience.
- Demonstrated experience in using Python for web scraping, data cleansing, and machine learning. Experience in cloud computing (e.g., AWS or Google) and/or the R programming language would be advantageous.
- Demonstrated experience in cleaning, merging, and managing large data sets.
You should systematically address the selection criteria listed within the position description in your application. Please apply online through the link on the site - applications will not be accepted if sent directly to the contact listed.
For further information, please contact Amy Peacock on Amy.Peacock@unsw.edu.au
Application close: 12 Jun 2023 AUS Eastern Standard Time
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