E3 Alliance UT Graduate Research Assistant

The University of Texas at Austin•Austin, UT

23d•Hybrid

About The Position

E3 Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming education for Texas students. Founded in 2006, E3 Alliance uses data to improve educational outcomes from early childhood through career. They collaborate with leaders in schools, communities, and businesses to build a strong education pipeline and create systemic change. E3 Alliance values both remote and in-person collaboration, offering flexibility with some required in-person meetings. This role is a partnership between E3 Alliance and the University of Texas at Austin, seeking a Graduate Research Assistant to support research projects through data analysis, literature review, and reporting. The GRA will work with E3 Alliance research staff to prepare data, review evidence, create summaries and visuals, and communicate findings to various audiences.

Requirements

Enrolled in UT-Austin Graduate Program (Eligible for Graduate Research Assistant positions through UT)
Demonstrated experience cleaning, transforming, analyzing, and documenting quantitative data for research, evaluation, policy, or programmatic purposes.
Proficiency using R to create reproducible analytic workflows, including clear scripts, code comments, and organized outputs.
Ability to interpret research questions, define appropriate analytic approaches, and produce accurate tables, figures, and written summaries.
Experience conducting literature reviews, including identifying credible sources, extracting key findings, and synthesizing evidence.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical findings into clear narratives for technical and non-technical audiences.
Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data quality, documentation, and confidentiality.
Ability to collaborate effectively with research staff, participate in regular check-ins, incorporate feedback, manage work across project-based assignments, and complete deliverables in a timely fashion.
Knowledge of and ability to adhere to FERPA, HIPAA, and Human Subjects Research requirements, policies, and best practices for sensitive, confidential, and protected data and materials.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with administrative datasets, public datasets, longitudinal data, cohort definition and creation, subgroup analyses, and data validation methods.
Experience creating polished data visualizations, dashboards, slide content, or report-ready graphics that follow organizational style and accessibility expectations.
Knowledge of statistical modeling, program evaluation, or applied research methods relevant to education, policy, or systems-level analysis.
Experience working with Texas education data, specifically work in the Texas Education Research Center (ERC)
Comfort working independently in a project-based role and maintaining clear communication about progress, assumptions, questions, and risks.

Responsibilities

Clean, organize, validate, and document data from approved sources.
Create and maintain reproducible analytic scripts and workflows.
Analyze data and produce clear tables, figures, and other outputs.
Follow data security, confidentiality, version control, and quality assurance practices.
Work with E3 Alliance staff to clarify project goals, research questions, timelines, and deliverables.
Conduct literature reviews, research scans, and evidence syntheses aligned to project needs.
Identify credible sources, track citations, and extract key findings.
Summarize themes, limitations, implications, and practical takeaways.
Prepare annotated bibliographies, evidence maps, memos, or short narrative summaries.
Draft research memos and summaries, research report sections, slide content, and technical notes.
Create or update charts, tables, graphics, and other report-ready visuals.
Translate technical findings into clear language for technical and non-technical audiences.
Participate in check-ins, share progress, raise questions, and incorporate feedback.