Research Assistant - AI Patent Classification Project
Oregon State University
Software Engineering, Data Science
Oregon, USA · Corvallis, OR, USA
USD 15.05-21.5 / hour
Posted on Dec 2, 2025
Position Information
| Job Title | Research Assistant – AI Patent Classification Project |
|---|---|
| Appointment Type | Student Employee |
| Job Location | Corvallis |
| Position Appointment Percent | 100 |
| Appointment Basis | 12 |
| Pay Method | Hourly |
| Pay Period | 16th - 15th of the following month |
| Pay Date | Last working day of the month |
| Remote or Hybrid option? | |
| Min Hourly Rate | $15.05 (Standard); $14.05 (Non-Urban); $16.30 (Portland Metro) |
| Max Hourly Rate | $21.50 (Standard); $19.50 (Non-Urban); $22.00 (Portland Metro) |
| Position Summary | This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) part-time (a maximum of 24 hours per week) Research Assistant for the School of Entrepreneurship, Management, and Logistics at Oregon State University (OSU). This position supports a research project analyzing how AI technologies evolve by classifying large volumes of patent documents into architectural categories. The research assistant will help construct high-quality training data through manual review of selected patents and will implement machine-learning models—specifically BERT-based text classifiers—to automate large-scale patent labeling. The role includes preparing data, training and validating the model, and running the final classifier across the full patent corpus to generate research-ready labels. Pay rate for this position is $16.05 per hour. |
| Transferable Skill Development | |
| Position Duties | • 30% Manual inspection and coding of patent text to classify architectural types. • 70% Assisting with model development, including preparing training data, implementing BERT-based classifiers, and running code under faculty guidance. |
| Minimum Qualifications | Full Employment Eligibility Requirements can be found here: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/student-employment-manual/500-employment-eligibility-requirements
*International students may be allowed to carry fewer hours than specified above and still be considered “full-time” by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A reduced course load is approved by the Office of International Services (OIS), and must be provided to the Student Employment Center. |
| Additional Required Qualifications | Strong English reading and comprehension skills; demonstrated programming ability (Python and R). |
| Preferred (Special) Qualifications | Interest in research related to artificial intelligence, machine learning, or technological innovation. A graduate student in computer science, especially AI, is a plus. |
| Working Conditions / Work Schedule | Work can be performed remotely. Expected workload is approximately 10–15 hours per week during Winter 2026, with flexibility based on project needs. |
Posting Detail Information
| Posting Number | P12645SE |
|---|---|
| Number of Vacancies | 1 |
| Anticipated Appointment Begin Date | 12/15/2025 |
| Anticipated Appointment End Date | 03/31/2026 |
| Posting Date | 12/01/2025 |
| Full Consideration Date | 12/04/2025 |
| Closing Date | 12/12/2025 |
| Indicate how you intend to recruit for this search | Competitive / Student - open to ALL qualified/eligible students |
| Special Instructions to Applicants | When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents: ● A Resume ● A Cover Letter For additional information please contact: Jiyao Chen at jiyao.chen@oregonstate.edu We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status. OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire. Note: All job offers are contingent upon Human Resources final approval |