Employment Opportunity:

Osgoode JD RA (AJRRN)

Part-Time Osgoode JD Research Assistant — Refugee Law Lab (Access to Justice for Refugees Research Network)

The Refugee Law Lab is looking for an Osgoode Hall Law School JD student to provide research and coordination support for the launch of a new global research network on law, technology, and forced migration.

One part-time position is open to Osgoode JD students with an interest in refugee law, human rights, and the role of new technologies in migration and border control.

The Refugee Law Lab (RLL), based at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School, is devoted to research and advocacy related to new legal technologies and their impact on refugees, other displaced communities, and people on the move. We develop datasets and legal analytics that enhance transparency in refugee law processes, critique the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies in the migration field, and build open-source legal technology to advance the rights and interests of marginalized communities.

The RLL is hosting the Algorithmic Justice for Refugees Research Network (AJRRN), a new global research network that will facilitate interdisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional research on law, technology, and forced migration. The network brings together scholars, advocacy organizations, technologists, and people with lived experience of displacement to push back against rights-violating uses of technology and to develop rights-enhancing tools. The network is in its first year, and the successful candidate will play a hands-on role in standing it up.

To assist with the launch of the AJRRN, the successful candidate will:

  • Participate in brainstorming and planning meetings
  • Help establish the network’s governance structures, including supporting the work of the Steering and Consultative Committees
  • Assist in drafting and refining governance documents, terms of reference, and related materials
  • Conduct background and doctrinal research on refugee law, human rights, and border control technologies
  • Provide copy-editing and proofreading support for communications and other written materials
  • Help with general coordination and administrative tasks supporting the network’s first-year activities

Qualifications & Competencies:

  • Currently enrolled JD student at Osgoode Hall Law School
  • Strong legal research and writing skills
  • Strong copy-editing and proofreading skills, with attention to detail
  • Interest in refugee law, human rights, and law and technology
  • Completed or current coursework in any of the following is an asset: Administrative Law, Refugee Law, Immigration Law, Legal Information Technology, the Poverty Law Intensive (Migrant Rights), CLASP (Immigration), or the Immigration Intensive
  • French, Spanish, or Arabic language skills are an asset
  • Experience with, or interest in, participatory and community-based research methods is an asset
  • Lived experience with forced migration or being a member of an equity-seeking group is an asset
  • Open to students in 2nd or 3rd year of the JD program

Place of work: Remote

Salary: $24.50/hr

Time Commitment: Approximately 5–7 hours per week throughout the Fall 2026 and Winter 2027 Terms. Hours are flexible, and we can accommodate periods of non-availability.

Eligibility: Must be eligible for Research @ York (RAY) positions.

What You’ll Gain:

  • Hands-on experience helping launch a global, interdisciplinary research network
  • Develop legal research, writing, and editing skills in a real-world research setting
  • Gain domain knowledge in refugee law, human rights, and the role of technology in migration and border control
  • Experience in team-based scholarly research and research network governance
  • Integration into the RLL research community, with opportunities for learning and networking alongside scholars, advocates, technologists, and people with lived experience of displacement

Application Deadline: August 14, 2026, 11:59 PM

Position Start Date: August 31, 2026

Application Method: Apply online

Supervising Faculty: Professor Sean Rehaag, RLL Director