Our Mission
The Policy & Rights Lab publishes clear, independent analysis of human rights, law, and conflict. Most research and policy outlets want you after you already have the credential. We're the place to do the work first, with editing, a byline, and a real research team behind you.
The Lab is in its founding stages. Fellows write policy briefs, longer research, and commentary on human rights, law, and conflict, all free to read. We focus on the legal and accountability questions that sit underneath the headlines and often get rushed treatment elsewhere.
We're nonpartisan and editorially independent. We take positions on law and evidence, not on parties or candidates. Every piece is edited and fact-checked before it publishes, because working from open sources on conflict means getting the facts right is the whole job.
Join Our Founding Cohort
We're recruiting the first cohort of fellows now. If you're early in your career in law, human rights, policy, or a related field, and you can write, we want to read your application. The role is unpaid and remote, and asks about four hours a week across the term.
Two ways to contribute
Volunteer
The volunteer track is for anyone who wants to contribute on their own schedule, whether or not they are currently a student or affiliated with an institution. Volunteers can author research notes, policy briefs, blog posts, or commentary; assist on existing research or writing projects; or propose and lead a new project of their own. There is no minimum time commitment. Volunteers retain copyright in their work and grant the Lab a non-exclusive license to publish it.
Intern
The internship is an unpaid educational track designed primarily for the benefit of the intern. It is open to anyone who wants to develop their skills, whether they are a current student, a recent graduate, a career changer, or someone exploring a new field. Interns develop skills in human rights research methodology, policy analysis, editorial review, and collaborative project work, with mentorship from the Founder and feedback from other contributors.
The term is three months, with the option to extend in three-month increments. The expected commitment is approximately five hours per month, one written piece per month, and attendance at monthly group meetings when available. Current students may pursue academic credit through their institution where available.
Both roles
Both roles are unpaid and remote. Both are open to anyone passionate about human rights, at any career stage and from any background, anywhere in the world. No academic credentials or institutional affiliation are required.
Founder
Skylar Strudwick
Founder & Director
Skylar founded the Policy & Rights Lab to build the platform she wanted as a student: a place to do real human rights research and get it published without waiting for a traditional institution to open the door.
She's a human rights researcher based in East Java, Indonesia, working on conflict theory, animal welfare, and human rights research. Her interests span animal law, conflict policy, and literature. Skylar's intent with the lab is to create a space for young professionals and students to break into the world of written human rights analysis and advocacy.