Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III

University of Texas at Austin

11d • $50,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III will work with Dr. Legare and a team of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate research assistants to lead the research and administrative operations of the Center for Applied Cognitive Science (CACS). CACS is a multi-disciplinary center that advances global cognitive science by connecting researchers in the biological, cognitive, social, and educational sciences with practitioners, designers, and community partners, harnessing insights about how the mind works to advance the science of learning and design more effective behavioral and social change interventions. The Center conducts interdisciplinary, comparative research using mixed methodologies that emphasize community engagement and international development. Its work spans public health, education, cognitive science, and child development, and includes projects such as Learning to Innovate (jointly funded by UKRI/ESRC and NSF), the NSF AccelNet-funded Cultures of Learning global network, ed tech collaborations, and museum-university-community research partnerships. The position combines hands-on research support with administrative leadership. The Coordinator will develop standardized procedures for data collection, coding, quality control, and management; conduct data analysis for ongoing studies; and run the Center’s day-to-day operations, coordinating personnel, timelines, budgets, compliance, and communications with domestic and international collaborators, funders, and community partners. Candidates must have a demonstrated interest in human subjects research and a background in both data science and research administration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Psychology, Education, Cognitive Science, Data Science, Information Science, Public Health, Computer Science)
• At least 4 years of experience in a research lab (Psychology, Education, or related), including conducting human subjects research
• Background in data science, including quantitative analysis with statistical software (e.g., R, Python, SPSS, or Stata) and building and maintaining data infrastructure
• Background in research administration, such as scheduling, record keeping, purchasing, or compliance
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with experience leading a team
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Psychology, Education, Cognitive Science, Public Health, Data Science, Information Science, Computer Science) with 2 years of related experience
• Experience with cross-cultural, community-based, or international research
• Experience preparing IRB protocols and managing research compliance
• Experience with grant administration or budget tracking in a university setting
• Advanced proficiency in statistical programming (e.g., R and/or Python), including data pipelines and reproducible analysis workflows

Responsibilities

• Become deeply familiar with the design and data of the Center’s research projects, including Learning to Innovate, the Cultures of Learning network, and ed tech collaborations
• Develop and implement standard operating procedures for data collection, coding, file management, and quality assurance across projects, including cross-cultural and community-based studies
• Conduct data analysis for ongoing studies, from data cleaning through descriptive and inferential statistics, and prepare results for reports, presentations, and publications
• Train and supervise undergraduate research assistants, in collaboration with graduate students, in coding observational and behavioral data (e.g., video of parent-child interactions)
• Coordinate the research team, delegating tasks and setting deadlines to keep projects on track
• Manage day-to-day administrative operations, including scheduling, record keeping, and internal and external communications
• Manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol submissions, amendments, renewals, and compliance, including for international research sites
• Support grant and budget administration with department staff, including purchasing, reimbursements, and expense tracking
• Onboard and offboard personnel and maintain Center documentation, shared resources, and website content
• Serve as primary liaison to collaborators and funders—including museum, school, health, ed tech, and international partners—providing progress updates and attending project meetings

Benefits

• Impressive benefits package
• Retirement plan for positions at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length (Teacher Retirement System of Texas - TRS)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level