Summer 2026 - CUNY Summer Research Fellow

About the team:

Vera’s research is an essential component of our work to deliver justice and end mass incarceration. Our research is founded on social science principles of independence and methodological rigor and designed to deliver the knowledge that will lead to real world impact. Vera researchers generate and interpret the evidence required to understand problems, develop solutions, shift policies, and change beliefs and norms that perpetuate inequity and impede justice. 

Vera researchers work as part of inter-disciplinary teams to develop and implement theories of change that weave together research, advocacy, communications, and site-based technical assistance (TA). We conceptualize issues and collect the evidence that is needed to understand problems, highlight inequities, design interventions, and advocate for transformative change. With impact at the fore, we work with our teammates and allies to ensure that the knowledge we produce reaches decision-makers in a format that is designed to spur action. 

About the role:

The Vera Institute of Justice and CUNY Graduate Center invite applications for Summer Fellows who will be based in Vera’s New York City office. These $4,000 fellowships will be offered to Graduate Center Ph.D. students from any program with research interests in criminal or immigration justice and the work of the Vera Institute. The primary responsibilities of the award winners will be to collaborate with researchers in one of Vera’s initiatives on research relating to a specific project, including but not limited to data collection, analysis, fieldwork, report writing, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination.  

 While Vera’s initiatives span the criminal legal system, Vera is offering CUNY Fellows projects in select areas. Please see the list of potential projects below. 

 Fellowship recipients will work with their assigned initiative for 120 hours over the summer of 2026. While there is some flexibility in remote working, fellows will be expected to work onsite at Vera’s offices in Industry City, Brooklyn for at least 60 hours over the course of 10 weeks in the summer in line with Vera’s hybrid schedule. In addition, recipients will be required to attend a welcome session at the beginning of the fellowship, to do a brief presentation on their work at the end of the summer and write a blog post about their experiences before the end of the Fall 2026 semester.  

Summer Fellowship Initiatives

Beyond Jails Initiative

The Beyond Jails Initiative (BJI) works at the local and state level to improve policies and practices that reduce the use of county jail incarceration and that build alternatives that keep people safe, healthy, and connected to their communities. From drafting legislation and campaigns to protect pretrial fairness from harmful rollbacks and reduce the use of money bail to working with community-based organizations to strengthen defense counsel in initial arraignments and for funding for key social services, the BJI team combines research, technical assistance, and advocacy. The CUNY Summer Fellow in 2026 would work with the BJI research team on both quantitative and qualitative projects. Quantitative work will involve cleaning and analyzing administrative data from county or state agencies – such as jail admissions or court hearings – to help stakeholders understand patterns and track changes. On the qualitative side, the BJI team will be interviewing stakeholders and/or directly impacted people in selected jurisdictions to understand the implementation and effects of new policies/practices. Fellows also contribute to team-wide writeups of key ideas, presentations to external groups, and supporting cross-team learning across Vera. 

Greater Justice New York

Vera’s Greater Justice New York (GJNY) initiative uses data analysis, research, strategic communications, policy, and advocacy to advance pretrial justice reform, reduce reliance on jails and prisons, minimize the harms of criminal-legal system involvement, and support reinvestment in strategies that build truly safe and thriving communities across New York State. GJNY partners with stakeholders and advocates to transform the criminal legal system, shape a statewide policy agenda, and drive local conversations about decarceration and public safety. The GJNY Summer Fellow will collaborate with team members to support a range of research activities that advance statewide and New York City–level reform efforts. Responsibilities would include developing research questions, cleaning and analyzing data, and synthesizing key findings in written and visual formats. The fellow will also have opportunities to learn about New York State’s current criminal legal policy landscape and GJNY’s strategies for advancing reform. An ideal candidate is creative, detail-oriented, and passionate about effective storytelling through data. Experience with or interest in learning data analysis in R and data visualization in Datawrapper is preferred. The candidate should be deeply committed to racial justice and eager to explore ways to advance it within New York’s criminal legal policy landscape. 

Redefining Public Safety

The goal of Vera’s Redefining Public Safety initiative is to narrow the scope of policing and strengthen investments in a robust and equitable civilian-led public safety ecosystem, including violence prevention and alternative 911 crisis response.  A research fellow will contribute to our technical assistance work with staff of community safety departments in two cities, including building data infrastructure, creating community-centered measures of success, and building performance measurement and management processes. The fellow may also support analysis and reporting on other research projects, including analysis of 911 data, a survey of public safety leaders, and budget analysis of investments in public safety. Fellows with a commitment to equity and community-centered safety, experience conducting quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis, and experience working within government and communicating research findings to diverse audiences are encouraged to apply. 

Reshaping Prosecution

The Reshaping Prosecution initiative is dedicated to transforming what it means to be a prosecutor by focusing on the dignity of all people impacted by the criminal justice system. Prosecutors play a critical, but often hidden, role in mass incarceration as one of the most powerful actors in the criminal justice system. Our team helps prosecutors across the country and the communities they serve work to shrink the front end of the system, pursue racial equity, and increase transparency.  The CUNY Summer Fellow will assist in applied quantitative research efforts with selected prosecutors’ offices around the country. This work involves the analysis of data from prosecutors’ administrative case management systems and from community-based organizations that are conducting diversion programs. The CUNY Summer Fellow will help transform data into an analyzable format by compiling, cleaning, and documenting disconnected datasets into a master analyzable dataset. Additionally, the Fellow will assist in statistical analysis, writing up findings, and conveying that information effectively to non-researchers. 

Restoring Promise

The Restoring Promise initiative partners with corrections leaders and incarcerated people to reimagine prison housing units for young adults and realign corrections policies and practices with a commitment to human dignity. Since 2016, Restoring Promise has partnered with six diverse states to open nine young adult housing units. The CUNY Summer Fellow will work with the Restoring Promise research team on a cross-site mixed-methods project in seven units across five states. The Cross-site Analysis (CSA) aims to understand how the Restoring Promise approach has been implemented in different contexts, assess its costs, and evaluate its impact and sustainability. Quantitative work will involve data cleaning, analysis, and visualization of administrative, survey, and systematic observation data. Qualitative work will include analyzing interviews with various stakeholders and conducting focus groups to evaluate prison culture. As a mixed-methods study, triangulation exercises will be performed throughout the project. Fellows may also contribute to writing preliminary findings and preparing presentations

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera fellows, interns and employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule. 

Schedule:

The fellow should be available to work up to 10 hours per week during the summer. The dates will be June 1, 2026 – August 7, 2026, with some flexibility to accommodate personal and academic schedules.

How to apply:

Please prepare and submit the below materials (saved as either a Word or PDF file) alongside your application submission 

1. Letter of interest addressing your interest in the fellowship, being sure to describe the area of research of your PhD and/or your dissertation topic, an overview of methodological expertise and projects that you have utilized this research expertise. (not to exceed 2 pages) 
2. Resume/ CV 
3. Current Graduate Center transcript (you may submit the unofficial student copy that can be printed from banner)  
4. Letter of support from your primary advisor 

Application Deadline: EOD Saturday, January 31, 2026.

Questions? Please reach out to Sophia Harty-Reiter, Operations and Analytics Associate (sharty@vera.org)

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / CUNY Summer Research Fellow
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status. 

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission. 

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org.