Undergraduate Research Assistant - Student Service

Purdue University; West Lafayette (IN); Remote; USD 372,000 - 441,000; Part time

Job summary

Purdue University’s Listening Lab within IDA+A is seeking an Undergraduate Research Assistant to support qualitative data collection and dissemination. The role runs 5 hours/week for 4 weeks with a remote work arrangement, starting Oct 19, 2026 and ending Nov 13, 2026, at a base rate of $13.62 per hour.

The position involves assisting with recruitment, focus groups, and interviews, plus dissemination to the Purdue community. Strong organizational and communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience of human research, with a valid CITI certification (or the ability to complete the CITI certification shortly after your start date).
• Handling of confidential information with discretion.
• Experience in qualitative data collection - methodology and/or analysis.
• Experience planning the logistics of and conducting interviews and focus groups.
• Excellent communication skills (written, oral, interpersonal, deliberation, dialog, etc.).
• Ability to work independently, as well as with diverse groups and individuals.
• Extensive use of Microsoft Office Suite.

Responsibilities

• Dedicate 5 hours of work each week, for 4 weeks - with all working hours being dedicated to regular working hours (Monday – Friday; 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM; remote ) to attend to team and project meetings or similar ‘synchronous’ duties.
• Ensure that all four principles of ensuring reliability and validity of qualitative methods are met with high degrees of integrity.
• Assist in the development, testing, and implementation of data collection methodology, such as participant recruitment, focus groups, and interviews.
• Assist with communication and dissemination of the Listening Lab to the broader Purdue community and public.

Skills

CITI certification

Qualitative data collection

Interviews & focus groups

Microsoft Office

Excellent communication

Independent work

Self-motivation

Data analysis experience

Tools

NVivo 14

Dedoose

ATLAS.ti

Otter.ai

Teams transcription

Zoom transcription

Job description

Undergraduate Research Assistant - Student Service By continuing to use and navigate this website, you are agreeing to the use of cookies.

Job Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant - Student Service City: West Lafayette

About IDATA

As part of the Office of the Provost, Institutional Data, Analytics, + Assessment (IDA+A, pronounced eye-data) utilizes mixed methodologies to produce well-defined, high-quality data. Broadly, IDA+A disseminates institutional insights to the leaders and decision makers at Purdue, while working in collaboration with campus partners.

About the Listening Lab at Purdue University

Housed within IDA+A, the Assessment team is home to the Listening Lab at Purdue (Listening Lab). Broadly, the goal of the Listening Lab is to disseminate qualitative findings, offering data-driven insights for policy and programmatic enhancements. The Listening Lab strives to listen, share, and support efforts to improve the Boilermaker experience. At Purdue, the Listening Lab serves as a qualitative hub to develop, test, and implement human-centered research.

You will gain insights into:

• The processes and support that inform decision-making in higher education.
• The leadership and management structures within higher education.
• Best practices within qualitative methodology.
• A role in institutionalizing new practices across Purdue University.
• Insight into the development and administration of a qualitative research lab.
• Training and experience hosting focus groups.

Job Duties

• Dedicate 5 hours of work each week, for 4 weeks - with all working hours being dedicated to regular working hours (Monday – Friday; 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM; remote ) to attend to team and project meetings or similar ‘synchronous’ duties.
• Ensure that all four principles of ensuring reliability and validity of qualitative methods (credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability) are met with high degrees of integrity.
• Assist in the development, testing, and implementation of data collection methodology, such as participant recruitment, focus groups, and interviews.
• Assist with communication and dissemination of the Listening Lab to the broader Purdue community and public.

Required Skills

• Knowledge and experience of human research, with a valid CITI certification (or the ability to complete the CITI certification shortly after your start date).
• The handling of confidential information with discretion. IDATA has a zero-tolerance policy for disclosure of information. Unauthorized disclosure of information will result in immediate termination.
• Experience in qualitative data collection - methodology and/or analysis.
• Experience planning the logistics of and conducting interviews and focus groups.
• Being able to self-motivate through mundane tasks, while consistently providing quality output.
• Successfully self-monitoring while navigating multiple tasks or projects. Being able to identify barriers (e.g., unclear task, approaching a bottleneck) and connect with necessary parties to proactively navigate slowdowns
• Excellent communication skills (written, oral, interpersonal, deliberation, dialog, etc.).
• The ability to work independently, as well as with diverse groups and individuals.
• Excellent professionalism (i.e., arriving to meetings prepared on time, and ready to report out to supervisors or clients).
• Extensive use of Microsoft Office Suite.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge and/or experience with qualitative methods, analysis (including bracketing, journaling, member checking, thematic coding, etc.) and reporting.
• Knowledge and/or experience with analytical software, such as NVivo 14, Dedoose, or ATLAS.ti
• Knowledge and/or experience with transcription software (e.g., Otter.ai, Teams transcription, Zoom transcription) and transcript cleaning.
• Experience working in a laboratory within a university setting.
• Analyze data from qualitative sources, including content analysis, thematic coding, grounded theory, or natural language processing models (e.g., topic modeling, sentiment analysis).

Employment and Compensation Information

Start Date: Monday, October 19, 2026

End Date: Friday, November 13, 2026

Contract Term: This appointment is expected to extend throughout Friday, November 13th, with the possibility of renewal based on performance. It is preferred that applicants are sophomores, juniors, or seniors.

Compensation: The base salary for this position is $13.62 per hour. This is appointment is for 5 hours per week, extending for 4 weeks. Compensation is funded through Purdue University (i.e. it is contingent upon current or future soft funding [e.g., grants]). For more information on the terms and conditions of employment for graduate student staff please visit this link: https://www.purdue.edu/vpec/policies/human-resources/vif11/

Materials to Submit (all must be included, otherwise the application will be considered incomplete):

• Please submit a brief letter of interest (1-page, single spaced, connecting your knowledge, skills, and abilities to the information shared above).
• Up-to-date resume or CV, and a document containing a list of 3 professional references (which may include professors and previous supervisors). The list of references must include their name, current job title and place of employment, plus a phone number and email address.
• A copy of your availability, including course schedule (PDF).

FLSA Status

Non-Exempt

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