Lab Manager and Research Assistant

UVA Health

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia seeks a Lab Manager and Research Assistant to work with Professors Gerald Higginbotham and Gabrielle (Gabe) Adams.
The Lab Manager will be responsible for day-to-day management of multiple research projects, splitting their time equally each week between two professors’ social psychology and behavioral science labs. This will involve administering behavioral studies in the lab and in field settings; preparing datasets and conducting preliminary analyses; and collaborating to produce and program experimental materials and stimuli. The Lab Manager will provide training and supervision of undergraduate research assistants and coordinate data collection. The Lab Manager will also be involved in lab administration tasks: tracking expenses, ordering equipment or materials for studies, leading lab meetings, and meeting with the principal investigators and graduate students weekly about progress and goal-setting and other duties as assigned.
The position is an excellent opportunity to gain multidisciplinary research experience in preparation for graduate study in social psychology, organizational behavior, or a related field. The ideal candidate will have an entrepreneurial mindset, ability to work independently, and a willingness to take initiative and find creative solutions to problems. They should be highly organized and attentive to detail. Start date is negotiable but will ideally begin in July 2026. This is not a remote position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in psychology, data science, public policy, or a related field by July 2026.
• Two years of behavioral laboratory experience or work as a research assistant; experience gained while a student will be considered.
• Familiarity with social psychology/behavioral science research methods and IRB management.
• Proficient in Excel and an additional statistical program such as R, SPSS, SAS, STATA
• Experience in (or willingness to independently learn) programming, e.g., Javascript, Python, JSON, and/or working with APIs.
• Experience administering studies in Qualtrics
• Desire to learn and implement best practices for recruiting participants, both online and in-person.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Able to occasionally work nonstandard hours (e.g., evenings, weekends), depending on data collection needs.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience with data science methods (e.g., web scraping, data cleaning and manipulation)

Responsibilities

• Administering behavioral studies in the lab and in field settings
• Preparing datasets and conducting preliminary analyses
• Collaborating to produce and program experimental materials and stimuli
• Providing training and supervision of undergraduate research assistants
• Coordinating data collection
• Tracking expenses
• Ordering equipment or materials for studies
• Leading lab meetings
• Meeting with the principal investigators and graduate students weekly about progress and goal-setting and other duties as assigned

Benefits

• This is a non-exempt level, benefited position.
• For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees