Human Rights Investigations Lab
Alexa Koenig, Co-Faculty Director
Human Rights Center
Open. Apprentices needed for the fall semester. Enter your application online beginning August 21st. The deadline to apply is Monday, August 31st, 4pm.
Thank you for your interest in the Investigations Lab. Our application for the 2026-2027 academic year will open with the regular URAP cycle.
** PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SUPPLEMENTAL GOOGLE FORM APPLICATION TO APPLY TO THE LAB. THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION IS REQUIRED TO BE CONSIDERED. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedodWjkDCT5yXxKunFG5gSqWTAfM1Zb1DfUcXgv7uYpWAmLw/viewform?usp=dialog **
The HRC Lab is a collaborative, innovative, student-driven space that conducts investigations on human rights violations, violence, and injustice around the globe using open source information. In the Lab, members work in student-led teams to discover, document, and verify open source information to assist a wide range of external partners on legal, journalistic, and advocacy efforts.
This year, we are working on the following projects:
1. This project is conducted in partnership with Amnesty International’s Digital Verification Corps (DVC). This project uses open-source research to better understand the structure and activities of armed actors operating in Sudan. The research will examine relevant networks, relationships, and activities at different levels, while documenting publicly available information related to the ongoing conflict.
2. The Investigations Lab is continuing its investigation into the U.S. Administration's current Third Country Removals policy,where the U.S. government sends refugees and migrants to countries to which they have no connections. Having previously mapped the legal frameworks that enable the transfer of migrants, the Lab will now focus on identifying the network of contractors and government actors involved (in the US and third countries). Additionally, we will continue to analyze the policy's impact on individuals both within and outside the U.S. as new agreements are signed or disclosed, as well as gather information to fill in details about unpublished (but confirmed) agreements. We may also seek the disclosure of new documents and details via FOIA requests. This project will feed into journalism and legal advocacy-related efforts.
3. The Investigations Lab will be supporting Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) in research into potential international crimes on the African continent. While the specific topic can only be disclosed after signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement, we can share that the project will consist of gathering and systematizing contextual information to produce insights about gendered violence, as well as identifying who may be responsible. French language skills and/or a curiosity for gathering data from locations with low digital penetration are especially helpful. While the lab's staff will make every effort to ensure that participants are not exposed to distressing material, the underlying subject matter is sensitive. There are both human rights advocacy and legal accountability aspects to this project.
4. The Investigations Lab will be supporting an investigation into the targeted killing of journalists. Participants will systematically reconstruct the events as well as map any other related incidents leading to the attacks, and will build robust case files. Details about the investigation can only be made public after signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This project will feed into journalism-related advocacy and accountability efforts
5. This project is a collaboration with the “Unmasking Supply Chains” project based at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), both in Germany. While the details are confidential until signing an NDA, our work will have a business and human rights focus, laying a foundation for potential future legal interventions related to human rights and environmental violations in the extractive sector. This project aims to support future legal accountability efforts, as well as develop methodological insights for the broader open source investigations community.
Role: Training and Participation Requirements:
The Lab is an out-of-the-classroom research experience! We expect students to dedicate 6-8hrs/week working and meeting with their team to advance the project and support their partner’s goals. The weekly commitment includes at least two hours of mandatory in-person meetings and 4-6 hours of group/at-home work. We also host a range of engaging seminars, workshops, and forums that students can attend throughout the semester.
Once enrolled, students will have the option to continue their work with the Lab in the following semesters. Lab alumni who stayed with us for years say the Lab was one of the most rewarding experiences they had at Cal and have gone on to many different types of meaningful careers.
Tasks:
• Working in teams to conduct open source investigations of human rights violations
• Finding, monitoring, and archiving online information relevant to open source investigations by combing through social media platforms and other open source platforms
• Analyzing, authenticating, and verifying online information, including using visual and textual clues in conjunction with satellite imagery to identify the specific locations where human rights violations took place
• Supporting the needs of partner organizations to meet research goals
• Drafting reports that summarize research findings and contributing to engaging outputs
Learning Objectives:
▪ Experience in applying critical thinking, digital skills, and investigative methodologies to assess the reliability and credibility of online sources and the veracity of online information
▪ Knowledge and understanding of basic digital, physical, and psychosocial security practices that are critical to an online investigation
▪ Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to partners and colleagues
Qualifications: We seek students from all majors. Students will be trained and given ongoing support and supervision, including guidance regarding potential exposure to graphic or sensitive material in photographs and video.
Please visit the lab website linked below to learn more.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Sofia Kooner, Staff Researcher
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Related website: https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/students/join-investigations-lab
Social Sciences