Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III

The University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 50,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III in the Population Research Center at UT Main Campus. The role combines hands‑on research support with administrative leadership, coordinating data collection, coding procedures, and day‑to‑day center operations.

You will work with Dr. Legare and a team to lead interdisciplinary projects spanning health, education, cognitive science, and international development, with responsibilities in data

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline.
• 4+ years of experience in a research lab with human subjects.
• Data science background with statistical software and data infrastructure experience.
• Experience with scheduling, record keeping, purchasing, or compliance in research administration.
• Strong organizational and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Familiarize with Center for Applied Cognitive Science projects and datasets.
• Develop SOPs for data collection, coding, and quality assurance across projects.
• Conduct data analysis and prepare results for reports and publications.
• Train and supervise undergraduate researchers with graduate students.
• Coordinate the research team and manage timelines.
• Oversee day‑to‑day administrative operations and communications.
• Manage IRB submissions and compliance for domestic and international sites.
• Assist with grant and budget administration and reimbursements.
• Onboard and offboard personnel and maintain documentation.
• Serve as liaison to collaborators and funders and attend project meetings.

Skills

Leadership

Organization

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

R

Python

SPSS

Stata

Job description

Job Posting Title: Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III

Hiring Department: Population Research Center

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date: Immediately

Position Duration: Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2027

Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details

General Notes: This position is currently funded for 1 year from start date.

The university offers an impressive benefits package. For more details on benefits, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards.

For more information about the College of Liberal Arts, please visit: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/.

Our college seeks to build a supportive, growth-mind‑d community and cultivate outstanding and courageous leaders. For more information on the college staff leadership academy, please visit: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/resources-for-faculty-staff/staff-leadership-academy/.

For more information on college staff professional development, please visit: https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/larc/Staff+Professional+Development+Fund.

Purpose

The Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III will work with Dr. Legare and a team of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate research assistants to lead the research and administrative operations of the Center for Applied Cognitive Science (CACS). CACS is a multi-disciplinary center that advances global cognitive science by connecting researchers in the biological, cognitive, social, and educational sciences with practitioners, designers, and community partners, harnessing insights about how the mind works to advance the science of learning and design more effective behavioral and social change interventions.

The Center conducts interdisciplinary, comparative research using mixed methodologies that emphasize community engagement and international development. Its work spans public health, education, cognitive science, and child development, and includes projects such as Learning to Innovate (jointly funded by UKRI/ESRC and NSF), the NSF AccelNet-funded Cultures of Learning global network, ed tech collaborations, and museum-university-community research partnerships.

The position combines hands-on research support with administrative leadership. The Coordinator will develop standardized procedures for data collection, coding, quality control, and management; conduct data analysis for ongoing studies; and run the Center’s day‑to‑day operations, coordinating personnel, timelines, budgets, compliance, and communications with domestic and international collaborators, funders, and community partners. Candidates must have a demonstrated interest in human subjects research and a background in both data science and research administration.

Responsibilities

• Become deeply familiar with the design and data of the Center’s research projects, including Learning to Innovate, the Cultures of Learning network, and ed tech collaborations
• Develop and implement standard operating procedures for data collection, coding, file management, and quality assurance across projects, including cross-cultural and community-based studies
• Conduct data analysis for ongoing studies, from data cleaning through descriptive and inferential statistics, and prepare results for reports, presentations, and publications
• Train and supervise undergraduate research assistants, in collaboration with graduate students, in coding observational and behavioral data (e.g., video of parent-child interactions)
• Coordinate the research team, delegating tasks and setting deadlines to keep projects on track
• Manage day-to-day administrative operations, including scheduling, record keeping, and internal and external communications
• Manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol submissions, amendments, renewals, and compliance, including for international research sites
• Support grant and budget administration with department staff, including purchasing, reimbursements, and expense tracking
• Onboard and offboard personnel and maintain Center documentation, shared resources, and website content
• Serve as primary liaison to collaborators and funders—including museum, school, health, ed tech, and international partners—providing progress updates and attending project meetings

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Psychology, Education, Cognitive Science, Data Science, Information Science, Public Health, Computer Science)
• At least 4 years of experience in a research lab (Psychology, Education, or related), including conducting human subjects research
• Background in data science, including quantitative analysis with statistical software (e.g., R, Python, SPSS, or Stata) and building and maintaining data infrastructure
• Background in research administration, such as scheduling, record keeping, purchasing, or compliance
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with experience leading a team

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Psychology, Education, Cognitive Science, Public Health, Data Science, Information Science, Computer Science) with 2 years of related experience
• Experience with cross-cultural, community-based, or international research
• Experience preparing IRB protocols and managing research compliance
• Experience with grant administration or budget tracking in a university setting
• Advanced proficiency in statistical programming (e.g., R and/or Python), including data pipelines and reproducible analysis workflows

Salary Range

• $50,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Typical Office/Lab Environment
• Occasional work will be done at community partner sites (e.g., museums and schools)

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) and . 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.