Junior Specialist - Cube Lab

University of California - Davis; Davis (CA); On-site; USD 66,491,241 - 89,960,035; Full time

Job summary

The Cube Lab at UC Davis is seeking a junior specialist to assist in qualitative or quantitative engineering education research. The role includes recruiting subjects, data collection, and data management per the lab's plan.

You may work on a qualitative project involving interviews and NVIVO coding, or a quantitative project involving assessment development and validation with R or SPSS. IRB considerations and authorship are potential outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering, engineering, psychology, education, or related field.
• Applicants must possess a bachelor's degree to be eligible for appointment.
• Experience with qualitative interviews and/or assessment development is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assist in recruiting subjects and collecting data in qualitative or quantitative studies.
• Read and review literature pertinent to the studies.
• Conduct or coordinate interviews and thematic coding using NVIVO (license provided).
• Assist in development, coordination of expert panels, and initial pilot studies in statistics (R/SPSS).
• Present results at lab meetings and contribute to writing for journals and conferences.
• Ensure safety and rigor in human subjects research and support education improvement efforts.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Literature review

Team collaboration

Research planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering, engineering, psychology, education, or related field

Tools

NVIVO

Dedoose

Atlas.ti

R

SPSS

Job description

Position overview

Salary range: This position will pay $27.30 an hour.

Application Window

Open date: July 24, 2026

Next review date: Saturday, Aug 8, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Saturday, Aug 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Cube Lab at UC Davis (PI: Dr. Xianglong Wang) is looking for a junior specialist to assist in qualitative or quantitative engineering educational research, depending on the candidate's qualifications.

The candidate will be working on either a qualitative study for the formation of engineering identity in first-year students or development and quantitative validation of a novel oral assessment for biomedical engineering skills. Most engineering educational projects in the lab are classified as human subject research and are subject to IRB rules. The candidate will assist in recruiting subjects, collect research data (including scheduling interviews for qualitative research), manage data according to the lab's data management plan, issue gift cards to subjects, keep track of the gift card inventory, and perform quantitative or qualitative analysis. For certain projects, the candidate may need to assist in generating the protocol for IRB determination and serve as a point of contact for IRB.

The candidate's significant and meaningful contributions described above will lead to authorship or acknowledgement of published work, according to the criteria set in the lab handbook.

MAJOR RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITIES (85% EFFORT)

• The candidate will assist the PI and other lab personnel in performing the research task best suited for the candidate's qualifications.
• The candidate will be responsible for reading and reviewing literature pertinent to the studies.
• For the qualitative project, we expect around 30-60 interviews lasting 45 minutes each over the next year. The candidate is expected to split these interviews with other undergraduate researchers in the lab and thematically code these interviews in NVIVO (license provided). For the quantitative project, you will assist in assessment development, coordination of expert-review panels, and conduct early pilot rounds to facilitate a small-scale statistical validation in R or SPSS.
• In addition to successfully collaborating with other research personnel in the lab and communicating scientific information, the candidate will be responsible for presenting research results during lab meetings. The candidate will demonstrate strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to effectively engage others in the planning and conduct of research activities.
• The candidate will be responsible for assisting the PI and other lab personnel in writing and disseminating the results in journals and conferences. The candidate will be an integral part of the peer-review process during these submissions.
• The candidate will have a clear commitment to safety of human subjects in human subject research, a clear commitment to experimental rigor, and a strong motivation in improving education at UC Davis College of Engineering, especially the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (10% EFFORT)

• The candidate will participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations.
• In consultation with the PI, the candidate will have the potential to attend local and/or national scholarly conferences. The candidate will collaborate with researchers in the lab and will help to produce data presented at conferences.

UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (5% EFFORT)

• The candidate may maintain liaison and respond to the needs of various industry organizations, state and federal agencies, and other external groups on issues related to area of expertise.
• The candidate may participate in activities of committees within the department, college, campus and other University entities, as deemed appropriate by the PI.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications

Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering, engineering, psychology, education, or related field, or related discipline.

Additional qualifications

Applicants must possess a bachelor's degree to be eligible for appointment.

Preferred qualifications

• Candidates seeking to work on the quantitative project should have experience working or volunteering in a clinical environment. A bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering or bioengineering is strongly preferred. An ability to perform assessment development and validation in R is strongly recommended.
• Candidates seeking to work on the qualitative project be able to perform qualitative interviews and thematic analysis with QDA software such as NVIVO (preferred), Dedoose, or Atlas.ti. Educational research experience with Grade 11, 12, and first-year college students will be beneficial. Thematic analysis experience in multi-coder settings preferred.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Authorization to Release Information Form - This form is required for all applicants applying to academic recruitments. Please see the Employment Disclosure Requirements webpage for more information. Download, complete, sign, and upload the form.

Help contact: [e-mail]

About UC Davis

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affi

To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled, "Authorization to Release Information" into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check.

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees and students. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service are embodied by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values. A variety of resources and programs are available to academics, staff, and students that reflect the core values reflected in our strategic plan: "To Boldly Go," our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs' Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400.

UC Davis is also a national leader in inclusive practice. There are numerous links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our administration, campus rankings, locations, campus safety, sustainability, visiting UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

The University of California and UC Davis are committed to offering a wide variety of benefits for employees. The University of California Employee benefits and UC Davis New Employee benefits webpages have additional information.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

Job location

Davis, CA