Senior Professional Research Assistant

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

39d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a professional research assistant to contribute to our vibrant research and education programs at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities (CBH). At CBH, we are committed to conducting world-class empirical, policy-relevant research on topics at the intersection of bioethics and health policy and to offering high quality educational offerings in bioethics and the health humanities. Nature of Work This position is responsible for supporting coordination and execution of research and evaluation projects and supporting our growing educational mission. Competitive candidates will be detail-oriented, innately curious, and highly motivated to excel in a dynamic team environment. Professional Field This position is in the field of bioethics. Examples of Work Performed The primary responsibility of the position will support research, evaluation, and education project coordination such as: participant recruitment & retention, regulatory compliance, data collection & management, communications management, resource procurement and cost & schedule monitoring, grant application support, new course review and quality assurance, and educational project coordination. This position will be asked to support qualitative and/or quantitative methodologic specialties.

Requirements

Master's degree or equivalent experience
4 years experience in bioethics research with demonstrated success in peer-reviewed publication
Significant experience with quantitative research in bioethics
Significant experience with qualitative research in bioethics
Significant experience with project management
Significant experience as a teaching assistant
Significant experience in grant preparation
Significant experience in R
Significant experience in Atlas.ti
Experience as a teaching assistant

Nice To Haves

Ability and willingness to supervise junior project members, including onboarding and training
Capability to draft initial IRB applications and IRB amendments
Ability to manage multiple research projects as necessary, including managing increasingly complex research projects (such as R01s)
Demonstrated independence and proficiency with instrument creation and data collection such that they can train others (qualitative OR quantitative)
Experience with independently completing manuscripts as first author, which includes:
o Formulating the main idea to be presented in the manuscript and defining its scope
o Identifying, understanding, and citing the relevant existing literature
o Writing the first draft of the completed manuscript
o Managing the editing process with collaborators
o Identifying target journals and managing all aspects of submission including formatting and communication with reviewers/ journal editors
Ability to contribute to grant revisions and new proposals
Demonstrated independence with basic data analysis, and ability to train others, such as:
o Quantitative analysis, e.g. descriptive statistics from survey data, creating basic data visuals such as bar graphs using Excel or other software, OR
o Qualitative analysis, e.g. coding qualitative interviews using Atlas.ti, Excel, or other software, creating a qualitative codebook with limited supervision and guidance, OR
o Systematic reviews/meta-analyses, e.g. Searching for and summarizing literature from a variety of fields, reference management programs (e.g. EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, etc.)
Experience with higher-level analysis, such as:
o Quantitative analysis:
§ Proficiency in statistical software such as R, Stata, or other statistical programming software
§ Proven ability to work independently on coding and data-related challenges
§ Experience in data cleaning and management, including cleaning and organizing datasets from varied sources; addressing missing data issues using appropriate imputation techniques or analytic strategies; ensure data reliability, replicability, and proper documentation for future use.
§ Data collection and integration, including merging, transforming, and integrating variables from diverse datasets to create comprehensive and usable research files and handling longitudinal datasets including panel data or cross-sectional data, to support analyses
§ Analysis and coding, including data visualization, statistical modeling, and hypothesis testing, OR
o Qualitative analysis:
§ Familiarity with qualitative research approaches and methods (such as grounded theory, phenomenology, rapid qualitative analysis, basic content analysis, etc.) and ability to implement the best approach for a given research project
§ Ability to lead codebook development and direct coding strategy
§ Formulate analytical plan based on a thorough understanding of the chosen qualitative method and/or underpinning theoretical framework for the research
§ Synthesize findings from qualitative data and present findings through the creation of outputs including conceptual models, theories, or quote tables, OR
o Systematic reviews/meta-analyses:
§ Collaboration with library staff on search strategy and reference management, including defining search terms, selecting databases, and refining searches
§ Collecting quantitative and qualitative data, including performing title and abstract screenings, data extraction, and content analysis
§ Writing review methods for manuscript
§ Analysis of quantitative results and results from content analysis, including descriptive statistics, synthesis of data from content analysis into analytic memos, and data visualization (e.g. through alluvial diagrams, heatmaps, etc.)

Responsibilities

Assist in creating research methods, including designing study recruitment protocols, and collaborating with the study team for recruitment strategies.
Participate in the development of data collection instruments under the guidance of experts or a team, with a focus on qualitative data collection materials.
Contribute to data collection efforts, including administering surveys, conducting observations, and facilitating qualitative interviews or focus groups.
Support both quantitative and qualitative data analysis efforts.
Analyze quantitative data using software like SAS or R.
Lead the qualitative coding process and generate reports/queries in Atlas TI.
Collaborate with the Core lead to develop analytic plans for both qualitative and quantitative data.
Summarize study findings and contribute to the communication of results through reports or presentations.
Take a leading role in the development of publications, including abstract writing and manuscript preparation.
Apply project management skills to oversee and ensure the successful execution of research and education activities, including coordinating team tasks and deadlines.
Assist Dr. Baugh with key activities associated with the certificate program.
Assist class instructors as needed on selected tasks.
Coordinate meetings as needed.
Assist in curriculum development.
Oversee course and program evaluations.
Assist in preparing new grant applications.