Call for a Research Assistant!
February 24, 2025
Dear Students,
I am seeking a Research Assistant (RA) for Fall 2025 to participate in my research project: The Space between Black and White: Racial Segregation and Integration as Represented in Chinese Grocery Stores in the Mississippi Delta.
Project Abstract:
In the early twentieth century, a small number of Chinese immigrants played significant roles in shaping the highly segregated social and urban landscapes of the Mississippi Delta. Taking advantage of an economic niche created by racism, Chinese immigrants opened grocery stores to mainly serve Black communities. Neither Black nor White, these store owners negotiated and thrived within a bifurcated Black-White framework. Combining methods of archival research, architectural survey, cognitive mapping, and ethnographic fieldwork, and linking personal narratives to architectural representations, this project aims to examine the built environments of selected Chinese grocery stores at multiple scales, reveal their representations of racial segregation, integration, identities, and traditions, and to portray multi-layered social and racial relations beyond the Black-White framework. Situated between architecture, Asian American studies, and racial studies, this project will expand the literature on the Chinese diaspora, racial triangulation, the meaning of home and place, and representations of identities and traditions in vernacular architecture. More importantly, this project will provide a fresh perspective on racial relations and the meaning of place as understood by Black communities, whose very survival depended on microcosms created and maintained by Chinese grocers, and whose daily activities centered around these stores.
Position Requirements:
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Rhino, Photoshop, InDesign, and at least one rendering software.
• Basic understanding of building surveys (proficiency in building survey is desired).
• Availability to work an average of 10 hours per week for Fall 2025.
• Availability to travel to the Mississippi Delta for one week in August before the semester begins (expenses covered).
• Basic photography skills (preferred but not required).
• Drone flying experience or a Remote Pilot Certificate (preferred but not required).
Compensation:
• A summer stipend for the summer trip to the Mississippi Delta, which will not exceed $1,120 ($20 per hour for 56 hours).
• From August 16 to November 15, 2025, monthly compensation of $1,344.44 and a 6-credit hour tuition waiver for Fall 2025. One additional month of payment is possible if the Research Assistant is required to work between November and December.
• All travel-related expenses (transportation, lodging, and food) will be covered by the Principal Investigator (PI), Prof. Wei Zhao.
• Training for specific software will be provided if necessary.
Application Materials
Please submit the following documents in ONE PDF file:
1. One-page resume.
2. One-page statement (single-space) outlining your previous experience and reasons for applying.
3. Short portfolio showcasing:
o Design and representation skills (renderings, axonometric drawings, collages, etc.) in no more than three design projects.
o Any prior building survey work (if applicable).
o Photography samples (if available).
4. List of three references, including:
o Name, email, and phone number.
o Your relationship with each reference (e.g., "Studio instructor for ARCH 473, Fall 2024" or "Project manager for 2024 Summer Internship").
File Naming Format: RA_FirstName_LastName.pdf
Submission Email: weizhao4@illinois.edu
Application Deadline: March 7 at 11:59 PM
Informal interviews will take place shortly after the deadline, and final decisions will be made by early April.
Thank you for your interest. Please let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to reviewing your applications!
Best regards,
Windy
