Clinical Researcher - Psychology

University of Houston; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 38,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Houston invites applications for a Clinical Researcher to support a longitudinal study on language and development in young children. The role involves direct research assessment with children and their caregivers in English and Spanish, using standardized measures.

This one-year position, with renewal potential, emphasizes accurate data collection, transcription and coding of language samples, and close collaboration with the research team to ensure protocols are followed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Fluent English and Spanish with strong oral Spanish to administer assessments.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with young children and families.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; follow standardized protocols.
• Willingness to learn and administer standardized language assessments.
• Flexible schedule, including some late-afternoon or evening testing.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research assessment visits with young children and their caregivers.
• Administer language and developmental assessments in English and Spanish according to standardized protocols.
• Collect and review caregiver-report measures and questionnaires.
• Conduct and record structured and naturalistic parent-child interaction activities.
• Transcribe child and parent language samples using established conventions.
• Code and analyze language samples and maintain transcription reliability.
• Prepare testing materials and study protocols for visits.
• Enter, organize, code, and conduct quality-control checks on research data.
• Participate in training and maintain reliability in data-collection procedures.
• Follow study protocols and applicable human-subjects research requirements.
• Participate in research team meetings and communicate effectively with investigators.
• Assist with other research activities as needed.

Skills

Bilingual: English & Spanish

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Follow standardized protocols

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Department: Psychology Salary: 38,100 - 42,850

Description

The Clinical Researcher will support a longitudinal research project examining language and development in young children. The primary responsibility of this position is direct research assessment with young children and their caregivers in both English and Spanish. The Clinical Researcher will be trained to administer study measures and will work closely with the research team to ensure that assessments and other research procedures are completed accurately and consistently according to study protocols. The position will also involve processing and analyzing language data collected as part of the study. This position is for one year with the possibility for renewal, as this is a multi-year grant.

Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct research assessment visits with young children and their caregivers.
• Administer language and developmental assessments in English and Spanish according to standardized research protocols.
• Collect and review caregiver-report measures and questionnaires.
• Conduct and record structured and naturalistic parent-child interaction activities.
• Transcribe child and parent language samples using established study conventions and protocols.
• Code and analyze language samples for specified linguistic measures and maintain reliability in transcription and coding procedures.
• Prepare testing materials and research protocols for study visits.
• Enter, organize, code, and conduct quality-control checks on research data and maintain accurate study records and documentation.
• Participate in training and establish and maintain reliability in assessment, language transcription, coding, and other data-collection procedures.
• Follow study protocols and applicable human-subjects research requirements.
• Participate in research team meetings and communicate effectively with investigators and other research staff.
• Assist with other research activities as needed to support the objectives of the project.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Fluency in English and Spanish, with strong oral Spanish-language skills sufficient to independently administer research assessments and communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking children and caregivers.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish rapport and work effectively with young children and families.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to follow standardized research protocols consistently.
• Ability and willingness to learn and administer standardized language and developmental assessments.
• Schedule flexibility to accommodate family testing needs, including some late-afternoon or evening testing. The employee’s overall work schedule will be adjusted accordingly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous research experience, particularly research involving human participants.
• Previous experience working directly with young children and families.
• Experience administering standardized assessments or collecting behavioral or developmental research data.
• Experience with language sampling, transcription, linguistic coding, or analysis of child language data.
• Academic background in communication sciences and disorders, linguistics, psychology, child development, education, or a related field.

Provides expertise in support of physical or mental health research projects. Typically works out of a clinic or other health care facility and may travel to homes, schools or residential facilities to collect data. Performs advanced testing procedures, data collection, and analysis. Typically works directly with human subjects. Ensures experiments are performed according to specifications. May make recommendations to changes in procedure, processes, or experimental design. May prepare and/or edit research papers, grant proposals and reports.

Duties: Work is varied and somewhat difficult. May assist in advanced functions as part of training.

Supervision: Receives direct supervision but is expected to learn how to select from a variety of standard procedures to complete tasks.

MQ: Bachelor's Degree with 0 years of experience

All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.

The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.