Research Specialist - Psychology

University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 46,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

The laboratory of Dr. Brooke Ammerman, the ASSIST Lab, in theDepartment of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison isseeking a full-time Research Specialist.

The lab conducts researchfocused on nonsuicidal and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with anemphasis on understanding how risk develops and changes overtime. The Research Specialist will primarily coordinate a longitudinalstudy examining the transition from nonsuicidal self-injury tosuicidal behavior among adolescents ages 13 to

Qualifications

• Minimum 1 year experience in a research lab setting.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with overseeing a research study and recruitment, IRB familiarity, and participant interactions.
• Experience with adolescent/ family research.

Responsibilities

• Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project. 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

Skills

Research lab experience

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Adolescent research experience

IRB experience

Recruitment experience

Participant-facing interactions

Education

Bachelor's degree in psychology

Job description

Salary

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category

Academic Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

Research Specialist

Job Summary

The laboratory of Dr. Brooke Ammerman, the ASSIST Lab, in theDepartment of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison isseeking a full-time Research Specialist. The lab conducts researchfocused on nonsuicidal and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with anemphasis on understanding how risk develops and changes overtime.

The Research Specialist will primarily coordinate a longitudinalstudy examining the transition from nonsuicidal self-injury tosuicidal behavior among adolescents ages 13 to 17. The study seeksto identify factors that may explain why some adolescents whoengage in nonsuicidal self-injury later experience suicidalbehavior, with a particular focus on intrapersonal distress, socialconnection, emotion regulation, and self-perception. The projectuses clinical assessments, self-report measures, and novel researchmethods to evaluate nonsuicidal self-injury severity and relatedpsychological processes across multiple time points.

The project is based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and isconducted in collaboration with investigators at MassachusettsGeneral Hospital.

The Research Specialist will oversee the day-to-day coordinationand implementation of the study. Responsibilities will includerecruiting, screening, and scheduling adolescent participants andtheir caregivers; coordinating study visits and follow-upassessments; administering or supporting research protocols; maintaining communication with participating families; monitoringparticipant retention, protocol adherence, and data quality; andmaintaining study documentation and materials. The ResearchSpecialist will also support Institutional Review Board andregulatory processes, coordinate project activities acrossinvestigators and collaborating institutions, and provide guidanceto undergraduate research assistants involved in the study.

The Research Specialist may also contribute to other research andoperational activities within the lab. These responsibilities mayinclude supporting additional studies, assisting with general labcoordination, supervising undergraduate research assistants,conducting literature reviews, preparing research materials, andcontributing to presentations, manuscripts, and grant-relatedactivities.

This position is well suited for individuals planning to pursuegraduate training in clinical psychology or a related field andseeking hands-on clinical research experience. The ResearchSpecialist will gain experience in adolescent participant-facing research, longitudinal study coordination, suicide and self-injuryassessment, multi-institutional collaboration, research ethics andregulatory processes, and the collection and management of complexclinical data.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Conducts research experiments according to established researchprotocols with moderate impact to the project(s). Collects data andmonitors test results

• Performs literature reviews and writes reports

• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and/or documents resultsfor presentations and/or reporting to internal and externalaudiences

• Participates in the development, interpretation, andimplementation of research methodology and materials

• Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unitor program staff and/or student workers

• Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of researchequipment and research area. Tracks inventory levels and placesreplenishment 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 rangewill depend on experience, qualifications, and FTE.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such asgenerous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurancesand 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 ofself-injury/suicide research

• Experience working with adolescents / families

• Experience with overseeing a research study and associatedrecruitment, familiarity with IRB application development andsubmission, and participant-facing interactions in the researchsetting

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.

Institutional Statement on Diversity

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

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission bycreating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from everybackground - people who as students, faculty, and staff serveWisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal OpportunityEmployer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employmentwithout 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 asdefined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promoteexcellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from allbackgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. Formore information regarding applicant and employee rights and toview federal and state required postings, visit the HumanResources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for anystep in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview,pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division youare applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible tohelp the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may alsorequire your references to answer questions regarding misconduct,including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

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

The AnnualSecurity and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safetyand disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policiesand fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madisonwill provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin PoliceDepartment.