Research Specialist - Psychology

University of Wisconsin Madison•Madison, WI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The laboratory of Dr. Brooke Ammerman, the ASSIST Lab, in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a full-time Research Specialist. The lab conducts research focused on nonsuicidal and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with an emphasis on understanding how risk develops and changes over time. The Research Specialist will primarily coordinate a longitudinal study examining the transition from nonsuicidal self-injury to suicidal behavior among adolescents ages 13 to 17. The study seeks to identify factors that may explain why some adolescents who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury later experience suicidal behavior, with a particular focus on intrapersonal distress, social connection, emotion regulation, and self-perception. The project uses clinical assessments, self-report measures, and novel research methods to evaluate nonsuicidal self-injury severity and related psychological processes across multiple time points. The project is based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is conducted in collaboration with investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital. The Research Specialist will oversee the day-to-day coordination and implementation of the study. Responsibilities will include recruiting, screening, and scheduling adolescent participants and their caregivers; coordinating study visits and follow-up assessments; administering or supporting research protocols; maintaining communication with participating families; monitoring participant retention, protocol adherence, and data quality; and maintaining study documentation and materials. The Research Specialist will also support Institutional Review Board and regulatory processes, coordinate project activities across investigators and collaborating institutions, and provide guidance to undergraduate research assistants involved in the study. The Research Specialist may also contribute to other research and operational activities within the lab. These responsibilities may include supporting additional studies, assisting with general lab coordination, supervising undergraduate research assistants, conducting literature reviews, preparing research materials, and contributing to presentations, manuscripts, and grant-related activities. This position is well suited for individuals planning to pursue graduate training in clinical psychology or a related field and seeking hands-on clinical research experience. The Research Specialist will gain experience in adolescent participant-facing research, longitudinal study coordination, suicide and self-injury assessment, multi-institutional collaboration, research ethics and regulatory processes, and the collection and management of complex clinical data.

Requirements

Minimum 1 year experience in a research lab setting
Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
Bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Prior research conducted within the field of self-injury/suicide research
Experience working with adolescents / families
Experience with overseeing a research study and associated recruitment
Familiarity with IRB application development and submission
Participant-facing interactions in the research setting

Responsibilities

Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project(s).
Collects data and monitors test results
Performs literature reviews and writes reports
Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and/or documents results for presentations and/or reporting to internal and external audiences
Participates in the development, interpretation, and implementation of research methodology and materials
Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers
Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of research equipment and research area.
Tracks inventory levels and places replenishment orders
Recruiting, screening, and scheduling adolescent participants and their caregivers
Coordinating study visits and follow-up assessments
Administering or supporting research protocols
Maintaining communication with participating families
Monitoring participant retention, protocol adherence, and data quality
Maintaining study documentation and materials
Support Institutional Review Board and regulatory processes
Coordinate project activities across investigators and collaborating institutions
Provide guidance to undergraduate research assistants involved in the study
Supporting additional studies
Assisting with general lab coordination
Supervising undergraduate research assistants
Preparing research materials
Contributing to presentations, manuscripts, and grant-related activities