Research Specialist - Psychology

UW-Madison College of Letters & Science; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 46,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous vacation/leave

Insurance and savings accounts

Retirement benefits

Job summary

The University of Wisconsin–Madison's ASSIST Lab in the Department of Psychology is seeking a full-time Research Specialist to coordinate a longitudinal study examining the transition from nonsuicidal self-injury to suicidal behavior among adolescents aged 13 to 17.

The role includes recruitment, screening, scheduling, data management, and coordination with investigators across institutions, with strong emphasis on ethics and participant confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1 year experience in a research lab setting.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Conduces research experiments according to established protocols; collects data and monitors results.
• Performs literature reviews and writes reports.
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and documents results for presentations/reports.
• Participates in development and implementation of research methodology and materials.
• Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers.
• Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of research equipment and research area; tracks inventory and orders replenishments.

Skills

Research experience

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in psychology or related field

Job description

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Research Specialist

Job Summary:

The laboratory of Dr. Brooke Ammerman, the ASSIST Lab, in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a full-time Research Specialist. The lab conducts research focused on nonsuicidal and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with an emphasis on understanding how risk develops and changes over time. The Research Specialist will primarily coordinate a longitudinal study examining the transition from nonsuicidal self-injury to suicidal behavior among adolescents ages 13 to 17. The study seeks to identify factors that may explain why some adolescents who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury later experience suicidal behavior, with a particular focus on intrapersonal distress, social connection, emotion regulation, and self-perception. The project uses clinical assessments, self-report measures, and novel research methods to evaluate nonsuicidal self-injury severity and related psychological processes across multiple time points. The project is based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is conducted in collaboration with investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital. The Research Specialist will oversee the day-to-day coordination and implementation of the study. Responsibilities will include recruiting, screening, and scheduling adolescent participants and their caregivers; coordinating study visits and follow-up assessments; administering or supporting research protocols; maintaining communication with participating families; monitoring participant retention, protocol adherence, and data quality; and maintaining study documentation and materials. The Research Specialist will also support Institutional Review Board and regulatory processes, coordinate project activities across investigators and collaborating institutions, and provide guidance to undergraduate research assistants involved in the study. The Research Specialist may also contribute to other research and operational activities within the lab. These responsibilities may include supporting additional studies, assisting with general lab coordination, supervising undergraduate research assistants, conducting literature reviews, preparing research materials, and contributing to presentations, manuscripts, and grant-related activities. This position is well suited for individuals planning to pursue graduate training in clinical psychology or a related field and seeking hands-on clinical research experience. The Research Specialist will gain experience in adolescent participant-facing research, longitudinal study coordination, suicide and self-injury assessment, multi-institutional collaboration, research ethics and regulatory processes, and the collection and management of complex clinical data.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project(s). Collects data and monitors test results
• Performs literature reviews and writes reports
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and/or documents results for presentations and/or reporting to internal and external audiences
• Participates in the development, interpretation, and implementation of research methodology and materials
• Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers
• Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of research equipment and research area. Tracks inventory levels and places replenishment orders

Department:

College of Letters & Science, Department of Psychology

Compensation:

The expected salary range for this position is $45,879 - $65,608 for highly experienced candidates. Actual pay within this range will depend on experience, qualifications, and FTE.

• generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• competitive insurances and savings accounts
• retirement benefits

Please review the summary of benefits for more information.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 1 year experience in a research lab setting
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior research conducted within the field of self-injury/suicide research
• Experience working with adolescents / families
• Experience with overseeing a research study and associated recruitment, familiarity with IRB application development and submission, and participant-facing interactions in the research setting

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field.

Contact Information:

Brooke Ammerman, [e-mail]

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

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Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

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The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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