Data & Insights Graduate Research Assistant

University of Texas at Austin

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Graduate Office of Career & Life Design (OCLD) supports graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in developing the skills, experiences, and materials they need to thrive across academic and professional pathways. The Data & Insights GRA will strengthen OCLD’s capacity to understand program impact, improve services, and communicate evidence-based insights across initiatives. Working as a data-minded collaborator and resource developer, the GRA will work with the OCLD team to support assessment strategy, data collection, analysis, reporting, and the development of sustainable data systems for programs, events, advising, and experiential learning initiatives. A key responsibility will be creating a database and building a reporting dashboard. Because Teaching and Academic Development is a new area within OCLD, the GRA will have the opportunity to design and implement a study exploring the relationship between teaching development and graduate student career development in preparation for careers in academia and beyond.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD students enrolled in at least 9 credit hours; in good academic standing with advisor approval
• Proficiency with Excel and survey software such as Qualtrics or Microsoft Forms.
• Experience with quantitative data analysis and relevant tools such as R, Python, SPSS, SAS, or similar platforms.
• Experience creating or maintaining databases, dashboards, or other data infrastructure.
• Experience using data visualization platforms such as Tableau and Power BI
• Ability to manage, clean, organize, and synthesize datasets from multiple sources.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a strong commitment to data integrity.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially for communicating findings to varied audiences.
• Ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and meet deadlines within a 20-hour/week appointment.
• Collaborative orientation and interest in supporting evidence-based decision-making in higher education.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Background in program evaluation, educational research, assessment, institutional research, learning analytics, or related fields.
• Experience with research design and IRB preparation.
• Experience with qualitative analysis tools (NVivo, ATLAS.ti, or Dedoose) and methods (coding, memoing, or thematic analysis).
• Experience translating technical or data-related processes into clear documentation, training, or guidance for non-technical audiences.
• Interest in career development, higher education, graduate education, postdoctoral scholar support, teaching development, or student success.

Responsibilities

• Help design, organize, and maintain sustainable data systems that bring programmatic information together in accessible and useful ways, including a centralized database for all OCLD programs.
• Design and implement program evaluation processes, surveys, feedback forms, and other data collection tools for events, advising sessions, experiential learning programs, and related OCLD initiatives to assess learning outcomes, establish meaningful feedback loops, and support evidence-based decision-making.
• Clean and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify patterns, trends, needs, and opportunities for program improvement.
• Create reports, Tableau dashboards, summaries, and visualizations that communicate findings clearly to internal and external stakeholders.
• Conduct literature reviews; manage data collection, analysis, and reporting for ongoing IRB studies; help design and implement a new study on the integration of teaching development into broader academic career development; and prepare IRB applications, protocols, and related documentation as needed.
• Develop documentation, guidance, and training materials to help OCLD staff use new data systems consistently and maintain shared data quality practices over time.

Benefits

• Expand your network by meeting alumni and professionals in various industries.
• Work with a team of advanced degree-focused professionals invested in your professional development.
• Enhance your teaching, writing, communication, presentation, administrative, and project management skills.
• Flexible work arrangement (50% in office).
• Students in this position may choose to enroll in the UTSaver voluntary retirement programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level