Location 3801 W TEMPLE AVE BLDG 55, FOUNDATION ADMINISTRATION, POMONA, CA, 91768-2557, United States
Base Pay $20.00 / Hour
Employee Type Student Assistant
Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises Employment Services
ANNOUNCEMENT OF POSITION VACANCY
Position
Title: Student
ResearchFellow
Department: Tarkington
BusinessFuturesInstitute College of Business Administration Cal Poly Pomona
Aboutthe TarkingtonBusinessFutures Institute
TheTarkingtonBusinessFuturesInstitute(TBFI)is athink-and-dotankhousedwithin Cal PolyPomona's College of Business Administration. The Institute bridges rigorous faculty research with the business leaders, policymakers, and communities shaping Southern California's future through applied research, public engagement, strategic convenings, and multimedia communications.
Student Fellowsareintegral membersofthelnstitute'steam, working alongside Faculty Fellowstotranslateresearchintomeaningfulpublicdialoguewhilehelpingbuildthe lnstitute's operational infrastructureand long-term capacity.
SUMMARY:
TheStudentResearchFellowwillhelpdevelopthelnstitute'spublic Al-poweredmarket researchdashboard-a continuouslyevolvingplatformthatcombinesrealsurveyand economic data with Al-generated synthetic research to support forecasting, market analysis, andbusiness decision-making.
Buildinguponthe lnstitute's Neo Smart Livingresearch project-which integrated a 600-personconsumer surveywithduallargelanguage model(LLM) syntheticrespondents to conduct segmentation, pricing, and concept testing-the Fellow willhelp transform this methodology into a scalable research platform serving multiple regional businesses.
This fellowshipis intentionally interdisciplinary. Studentsare encouragedtoapply based ontheir strengths andinterests ineither software development orapplied market research. Prior experience inevery area is not expected.
SOMETHING OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WILL GET TO DO (this is just a small sampling of work variety):
Fellowship Tracks
Studentsinterested in software engineering, analytics, and Aldevelopment maycontribute by:
Engineeringpromptsformultiple LLMs
Automatingingestionofpubliceconomicindicatorsandsurvey datasets
Analyze Track{Market Research &Business Analytics}
Studentsinterested inmarket research, marketinganalytics, andbusiness strategymay contribute by:
ApplyingLLM-assistedcodingtoopen-endedcustomer feedback
Synthesizingquantitativeandqualitative findings
Preparingclient-readyreportsandbusiness recommendations
Shared Responsibilities
Regardless of track, Fellows willcollaborate onthe lnstitute's public forecasting platform by:
Comparing Al-generated synthetic datawithreal-world survey resultsto evaluate validity and reliability
Participatinginmeetingswithlocalbusinessesandcommunity partners
Identifyingpotentialdatasourcesforfutureforecasting studies
Contributingideasforimprovingtheforecastingplatformandresearch methodology
Learning Outcomes
Applied artificialintelligenceandLLM workflows
Survey design and business forecasting
Dashboarddevelopmentanddata visualization
Cross-functionalteamworkinaninterdisciplinaryresearchenvironment Studentswillalso have opportunities to:
Receiveone-on-onementorshipfrom Institutefacultyand researchers
Buildaportfoliofeaturingpubliclyreleasedforecasting products
Expandprofessionalnetworksthroughindustryandcommunity partnerships
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must:
Becurrentlyenrolledasanundergraduateorgraduatestudentat CalPoly Pomona
Bepursuingadegree inBusiness Administration, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Economics, Statistics, or a related discipline
Demonstrateinitiativeandawillingnessto learn
Workeffectivelybothindependentlyandcollaborativelywitha team
Communicate professionallyin written and verbalsettings Cross-disciplinary applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Preferencewillbegiventoapplicantswithexperienceinoneormoreofthe following.
Streamlitordashboard development
Prompt engineering
Front-endapplication development
Applicantsareencouragedtodemonstrateprojectstheyhave built.
TIME COMMITMENT: 10-15hoursper week
Fall2026through Spring 2027
Maximum of 20hours perweekinaccordance with Universitystudent employment guidelines
TheTarkington Business Futures Institute intentionally develops the National Association ofColleges and Employers (NACE) Career ReadinessCompetencies throughmeaningful experiential learning. Student Fellows will strengthen competencies in:
Career&Self- Development
Critical Thinking
Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises may provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodation with the employer.
