Social Science Researcher

Texas State University; San Marcos (TX); On-site; USD 51,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

The Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University invites applications for a Social Science Researcher. This fully‑affiliated role focuses on scholarly research in school safety and security, supporting projects from study design to dissemination to diverse stakeholders.

The successful candidate will use quantitative and qualitative methods, contribute to reports, articles, and grant proposals, and collaborate with internal teams and external partners to advance safe learning environments

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in criminology, education, psychology, sociology, public policy, or related field.
• At least 3 years of professional experience conducting applied social science or educational research.
• Experience designing and applying social science research methodologies.
• Experience developing data collection instruments (surveys, interviews, rubrics) and managing surveys with Qualtrics.
• Experience applying quantitative techniques (regression, ANOVA) using SPSS.
• Experience with qualitative analysis and NVivo.
• Strong attention to detail and organization.

Responsibilities

• Design methodologies to address topics related to school safety and security.
• Conduct literature reviews on topics related to school safety and security.
• Design and administer data collection procedures including surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
• Conduct rigorous mixed-methods analysis, combining quantitative and qualitative data.
• Stay current on innovative social science research methodologies and data collection strategies.
• Disseminate information clearly to researchers and practitioners.
• Develop reports, grant proposals, and scholarly articles for stakeholders.
• Organize project materials with detailed documentation.
• Provide training and support on qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques.
• Assist in survey administration, sample design, and dataset curation.

Skills

Attention to detail

Quantitative methods

Qualitative analysis

Data collection design

Applied social science research

Education

Master's Degree in criminology, education, psychology, sociology, public policy, or related field.

Tools

Qualtrics

SPSS

NVivo

Job description

San Marcos, TX

Texas State University

Social Science Researcher

Posting Number: 2026757

Location: San Marcos

Department: Texas School Safety Center

Recruitment Type: Open Recruiting

Job Type: Full-Time

Monthly Salary: $4,250-$6,117

Job Category: Exempt

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree in criminology, education, psychology,sociology, public policy, or related field.
• A minimum of three (3) years of professional experienceconducting applied social science research or educationalresearch.
• Demonstrated experience designing and applying social scienceresearch methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience developing data collection instrumentsfor social sciences (e.g., surveys, interview protocols, orrubrics, etc.), including managing surveys with standard surveysoftware (e.g., Qualtrics).
• Demonstrated experience applying quantitative social sciencetechniques (e.g., regression, ANOVA, etc.) using software packages(e.g., SPSS).
• Demonstrated experience with qualitative analysis techniquesand software packages (e.g., NVivo).
• Highly attentive to detail and organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience conducting research directly related toeducational environments.
• Five (5) or more years of professional experience conductingapplied social science research or educational research.
• Documented educational training or research experience relatedto one or more of the following fields: mental health inschool-aged children, youth involvement in school safety,school-based law enforcement, or behavioral threatassessments.
• Demonstrated experience in technical, public policy, and/orlegislative writing (outside of work related to academicdegree).
• Demonstrated experience with one or more of the followingtechniques: meta-analysis, advanced statistical sampling, andsurvey validation.
• Experience navigating Institutional Review Board (IRB)processes and human subjects protection protocols in educational orcommunity settings.
• Documented authorship in peer-reviewed journal(s).
• Documented experience writing grant proposals.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Chapter 37 of the Texas EducationCode.
• Demonstrated experience working with external collaboratorsand/or research participants on projects not associated with coursework.

Job Description

The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is an officialuniversity-level research center at Texas State University. TheTxSSC is tasked in Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code and theGovernor's Homeland Security Strategic Plan with key school safetyinitiatives and mandates. The TxSSC serves as the clearinghouse forthe dissemination of safety and security information throughresearch, training, and technical assistance for K-12 schools andjunior colleges throughout the state of Texas. As a result, Texashas become a national leader in school safety practices and isrelied upon for assistance and guidance from jurisdictionsthroughout the nation.The TxSSC welcomes highly qualifiedcandidates to apply for a Social Science Researcherposition in the Research and Evaluation (R&E) Division. Theprimary responsibility of this position is to conduct scholarlyresearch focused on school safety and security. The R&EDivision is currently involved in projects connected to leadershipand incident command during emergency situations, securitypersonnel on school campuses, emergency planning for students, gunstorage practices, teacher victimization, and school behavioralthreat assessment.The successful candidate will expand thecapabilities of the TxSSC and have the unique opportunity to bepart of a collaborative team who support each other in projectconceptualization, study design, field implementation(quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods), analysis, anddissemination of research and evaluation findings to variousstakeholder groups. All research and evaluation efforts aimto ensure that schools and communities across Texas are safe,secure, and healthy learning environments.

Job Duties

• Design appropriate methodologies to address topics related toschool safety and security.
• Conduct literature reviews on topics related to school safetyand security.
• Design and administer data collection procedures includingsurveys, focus groups, and interview protocols, as well as otherappropriate data collection procedures.
• Conduct rigorous mixed-methods analysis, synthesizingquantitative survey results with qualitative narrative data.
• Stay current on innovative social science researchmethodologies and field-based data collection strategies.
• Disseminate information clearly and concisely in verbal andwritten formats to a variety of stakeholders including researchersand practitioners.
• Develop and contribute to written reports for internal andexternal stakeholders, scholarly articles for peer-reviewedjournals, grant proposals for private and government entities,scholarly presentations for national and state conferences, andother research-related products.
• Organize project materials by keeping detailed records toensure research activities are well-documented.
• Provide training and support for other team members onqualitative and quantitative analysis techniques.
• Assist in survey administration, sample design, and datasetcuration for annual statewide surveys and TxSSC trainings andevents as needed; assist with training evaluations and yearlyassessments of programs and activities as needed.
• Provide technical support to school stakeholders and internalstaff in a professional manner.
• Work collaboratively and professionally with all divisions ofthe TxSSC.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional Information to Applicants

• This position is an office-based role in San Marcos,Texas.
• Occasional travel for data collection, conferences, and/ormeetings required.
• If selected for an interview, it will be conducted in person.During the interview process, you will be required to independentlycomplete tasks involving writing and the application of knowledgeabout research methodologies, project design, and/or analyticalstrategies.

Job Open Date: 08/26/2026

Job Close Date: 09/20/2026

Open Until Filled: No

Normal Work Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,Friday

Normal Work Hours Start: 8:00AM

Normal Work Hours End: 5:00PM

Legal and Required Notices

Texas State University is committed to a policy ofnon-discrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardlessof race, sex, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age,marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other basisprotected by federal or state law in employment, educationalprograms, and activities and admissions.

Employment with Texas State University is contingent upon theoutcome of record checks and verifications including, but notlimited to, criminal history, driving records, education records,employment verifications, reference checks, and employmenteligibility verifications.

In accordance with federal law, all new employees must complete theForm I-9 and provide acceptable documentation verifying their identity andauthorization to work in the United States. Texas State Universityparticipates in E-Verify, and employment is contingent upon thesuccessful verification of work authorization. Employees arerequired to maintain valid work authorization to satisfy theconditions of Form I9 at all times during their employment and theuniversity makes no implicit or explicit promises to financiallysupport visa or permanent residency applications.

About Texas State and San Marcos

Texas State University is a emerging research institution locatedin the burgeoning Austin-San Antonio corridor and in the beautifulTexas Hill Country. It is the largest of eight campuses in theTexas State University System and one of the 75 largestuniversities in the country, with over 38,000 students andapproximately 4,000 faculty and staff

Texas State is located in San Marcos, a growing community of over50,000 people located about half way between Austin and SanAntonio. Texas State enjoys a setting that is unique among Texasuniversities. The beauty of the crystal-clear San Marcos River andthe stately cypress and pecan trees on the campus add to the charmof the university's picturesque setting. Our location on the banksof the San Marcos River provides outdoor recreational activitiesthroughout the year.

Why work @ Texas State?

• Amazing health insurance: various coverage options starting yourfirst day of employment for full-time employees with Texas Statepaying 100% of the employee premium and 50% for yourdependents!
• Generous paid time off: vacation, holidays, sick days and manymore!
• Excellent work life balance resources: mother and family-friendlyresources in addition to a comprehensive FREE wellnessprogram
• Great professional development opportunities: choose from avariety of workshops, training, online learning and even accesseducational leave opportunities and reimbursement for academiccourses
• An inclusive Bobcat community: join our many social networksoffered on and off-campus
• Retirement peace of mind: TRS pension, retirement plans andvoluntary saving options with generous employer contributions

By joining the Texas State Bobcat team, you'll be a part of one ofthe most beautiful, diverse, and growing universities in thenation.