Research Assistant

General Summary:

The Research Assistant will join the UMass Boston team of an Institute of Education Sciences-funded, Initial Efficacy study, which is a two-site study located at UMass Boston and the University of California Riverside. The study's goals including implementing an autism-focused professional development program for early elementary, general education teachers and evaluating the program's efficacy in a randomized controlled trial design. This professional development program, called Smooth Sailing, was designed with close consultation from teachers and autistic consultants, provides neurodiversity-affirming information about autism, and equips teachers with strategies for fostering strong student-teacher relationships with their young autistic students.

The Research Assistant will assist with multiple phases of the study, including recruiting, screening, and enrolling teachers and families; implementing an autism-focused professional development program for teachers; collecting data on program outcomes through surveys, observations, and interviews; and working with our advisory board members to consult on aspects of the study and program. The Research Assistant will be involved in coordinating study activities, communicating with teachers, parents, and school staff, conducting classroom observations and child interviews, assisting in data preparation and analysis, administrative tasks, and assisting with manuscript preparation. The Research Assistant will implement and maintain participant tracking databases and other databases; manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions; assist with data collection; and assist with the analyses and summary of findings. This is a one-year, grant-funded position with the possibility of renewal for an additional one to two years.

Examples of Duties:

• Communicate with interested and enrolled teachers and caregivers about study requirements.
• Keep records of participant communication and create additional record-keeping databases as needed.
• Collaborate with staff across the two study sites, including the Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PIs, post-doctoral fellows, undergraduate students, and doctoral students (primarily Clinical Psychology, School Psychology, and Special Education Ph.D. students) in the program.
• Communicate with staff to coordinate and conduct data collection, program-related coaching sessions, and internal meetings.
• Assist PIs and post-docs in supervising undergraduate students.
• Conduct data cleaning and other data analysis, coordinate the data preparation process, and train other team members in the data preparation steps.
• Assist in conducting descriptive data analyses around program feasibility, enrollment, demographics, efficacy, and implementation.

• Participate in staff meetings.
• Keep meeting notes and agendas.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Psychology or closely related field with significant Psychology course work from an accredited institution required by the position start date. Additional clinical or research experience, including working with teachers, children, and caregivers, is strongly preferred. This also includes previous experience conducting research with teachers and students or in similar contexts. Some experience managing and summarizing data is expected.

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite;
• Familiarity with statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, R)
• Ability to work as a member of team in a manner supportive of the department and College procedures, policies and goals;
• Ability to protect confidentiality of participant information;
• Ability to provide leadership to others through example and sharing of knowledge and skills;
• Ability to establish effective relationships with internal team members, research participants and community members;
• Ability to communicate with others in a courteous and helpful manner;
• Excellent organizational and oral and written communication skills;
• Strong commitment to research ethics;
• Strong commitment to customer service.

Application Instructions:

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link:

Grade: 25

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position. This is a grant funded position with a current end date of June 30, 2028, subject to renewal contingent on funding and university needs.