Social Science/Humanities Research Associate I.

University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 34,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Texas at Austin in Austin, TX seeks a Social Science/Humanities Research Associate I to assist with laboratory management and coordination of studies under Professor Lori Holt. The role involves data collection both online and in person and supports day-to-day lab operations for a federally funded project.

The position is a 2-year fixed-term appointment with a 40-hour work week and immediate start.

Qualifications

• BA/BS in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience or related field.
• Fluency in speaking and writing in English.
• Flexibility and an ability to learn quickly.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong initiative in meeting project goals.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Curiosity and willingness to learn new skills independently.
• Accuracy and high organization.

Responsibilities

• Assisting the PI with training laboratory members and maintaining lab documentation.
• Assisting with new experiment set-ups (hardware and software).
• Collecting in-person data.
• Summarizing data with supervision.
• Drafting and editing research reports with supervision.
• Coordinating Laboratory meetings.
• Searching and summarizing the literature.
• Assisting with grant reporting, ethics approvals, financial reconciliation, and laboratory record keeping.
• Coordinating, training and working with undergraduate research assistants.
• Lending research support to laboratory team members.
• Performs related duties as needed to advance the research project.

Skills

Fluency in English

Excellent interpersonal skills

Strong initiative

Independent worker

Attention to detail

Education

BA or BS in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience or related field

Job description

Job Posting Title

Social Science/Humanities Research Associate I.

Hiring Department

College of Liberal Arts

Position Open To

All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours

40

FLSA Status

Non-Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date

Immediately

Position Duration

Expected to Continue Until May 31, 2028

Location

UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details

General Notes Lori Holt, a Professor of Psychology at UT-Austin and Principal Investigator of the project, is seeking a Research Associate to assist with laboratory management and coordination of studies. The Research Associate will collaborate with team members and work closely with Professor Holt to coordinate day-to-day lab operations and research. Data collection occurs online and in person. This is a 2 year fixed-position.

Purpose

The primary research in the lab focuses on understanding the cognitive and neural bases of auditory processing, especially as it relates to speech, among adult participants. Under the direction of Professor Holt, the candidate will work on federally funded research to uncover the basis of listening behavior. Current projects focus on learning, selective attention, natural communication, and psychophysics. Laboratory studies include collecting multimodal behavioral data, eye tracking, computational modeling, and electroencephalography data.

Responsibilities

• Assisting the PI with training laboratory members and maintaining lab documentation.
• Assisting with new experiment set‑ups (hardware and software).
• Collecting in‑person data.
• Summarizing data with supervision.
• Drafting and editing research reports, with supervision.
• Coordinating Laboratory meetings.
• Searching and summarizing the literature.
• Assisting with grant reporting, ethics approvals, financial reconciliation, and laboratory record keeping.
• Coordinating, training and working with undergraduate research assistants.
• Lending research support to laboratory team members.
• Performs related duties as needed to advance the research project.

Required Qualifications

• BA or BS in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience or related field
• Fluency in speaking and writing in English
• Flexibility and an ability to learn quickly
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong initiative in consistently and creatively meeting project goals
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a scientific team
• Curiosity and a willingness to learn new skills independently
• Accuracy and attention to detail and high levels of organization

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior research experience
• Coding experience (Python, R, Matlab, e.g.)
• Statistics training
• Previous exposure to auditory cognitive neuroscience or a strong interest in perception, learning, cognition, or related fields

Salary Range

$40,000 annually

Working Conditions

The position will involve working in standard office environment, with the potential for repetitive use of keyboard at a workstation

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Employment Eligibility

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.