Research Assistant Position @ the University of Denver

Research Assistant, Department of Psychology

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Job no: 496909
Work type: Staff Full-Time, Postdoc / Research / Fellow
Location: Denver, CO
Categories: Research
Division: Arts & Humanities/Social Sciences

Located where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, the University of Denver embodies the spirit of exploration and discovery that defines our region and our history. DU is a private institution built on exploration through research and collaboration among educators, students, and local and global communities. With nationally recognized academic programs, a history of widespread influence, a forward-looking vision for a 21^st-century education, and a deep commitment to promoting inclusion, we open a world of opportunity to students and empower them to make a difference around the world. Through learning, scholarship and practice, students gain the experience, knowledge, and courage they need to tackle big challenges in the real world and guide diverse communities and organizations.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Denver is research-oriented, valuing a collaborative and integrative approach to psychological science that fosters intellectual curiosity and innovation and invests in people in a supportive and inclusive environment. Our mission is to advance psychological science by generating and sharing new knowledge through collaborative scholarship, educating and mentoring student scholars, and contributing to the public good.

The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Psychology department are strongly committed to building a diverse and inclusive educational environment, which is in full accord with the value that DU places on its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates must demonstrate ability to integrate content and issues relating to, and to work effectively with, ethnically/racially diverse populations. The University of Denver endeavors to be a great university dedicated to the public good and to uphold the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. The University recognizes that its success is dependent on how well it lives these values, including how we engage, support, and champion members both at DU and in the greater community. DU is situated in the Denver metro area, a vibrant urban center in the Rocky Mountain region, home to more than 3 million people. Our metropolitan location supports collaboration across local universities. DU is  

comprised of 6000+ undergraduates (700+ psychology majors), 7000+ graduate students (50+ Psychology graduate students), and 700+ full-time faculty.  The University recently received recognition as an R1 by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Position Summary

The Research Assistant will assist with a grant-funded research project investigating the development and treatment of anxiety in children with learning disabilities. This research is timely given that there is increasing recognition about the importance of mental health in children with learning disabilities and yet very little guidance for clinicians and educators about best practices. This project aims to develop recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety in children with learning disabilities. Specific duties include recruiting and scheduling participants, making phone calls, assisting with research study visits, collection of neuropsychological and mental health data, managing graduate and undergraduate student teams, participating as a co-facilitator of group therapy sessions, project management, data management, IRB and clinical trials documentation and management, and community outreach to recruit participants and disseminate results.

The Research Assistant will work very closely with other project staff and participants, and therefore must have excellent interpersonal skills. This project is a collaboration between the Learn Lab (https://liberalarts.du.edu/psychology/learn-lab) and the Brave Lab (https://liberalarts.du.edu/psychology/brave) at the University of Denver with the Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder (http://ibgwww.colorado.edu/cldrc/).  Given the number of projects involved in this research center, this individual must have excellent organizational and management skills. In addition, the research assistant will have the opportunity to substantially contribute to these research projects, including over time developing research questions to answer; the depth and breadth of this involvement will be in accordance with the employee’s long-term career goals and skills.

This is a full-time position (i.e., 37.5-40 hours per week) that comes with DU’s full benefits package, and the funding for this position is contingent on grant funding. The schedule requires daytime hours and evening/weekend availability. This position requires an in-person schedule with occasional evening and weekend availability required to accommodate participant study visits.

Essential Functions

Under the direct supervision of the Principal Investigators (Lauren McGrath & Michelle Rozenman), the research assistant will assist with these primary responsibilities: 

• 40% - Project management of two research projects: one project that involves the collection of neuropsychological and mental health data from youth and caregivers and one project that will test a new group intervention for children with anxiety and learning disabilities. The research assistant will assist with coordinating data collection including identifying eligible participants, developing workflows to communicate with eligible participants and tracking participation over time, longitudinal follow-up of participants, prioritizing and managing multiple tasks across the two projects, and management of IRB protocols and clinical trials protocols.
• 30% - Working with human subjects: data collection of neuropsychological and mental health data (tasks and questionnaires) from children and caregivers both in-person and remotely; recruitment, screening, scheduling of participant appointments via phone, email, text communications as preferred by the family; behavioral management and support during research visits; interacting with families to support research goals and successful research visits.
• 15% - Team Management: Engage collaboratively with and coordinate a team of graduate and undergraduate students working on the research project including communicating and coordinating study visits, establishing workflows beginning with recruitment and ending with completion of study visits; participation as a member of the research team; various meetings with study team members and investigators; assisting with interviewing of new team members.
• 10% - Administration: Preparation of subject data, assisting with data entry, data back-up, photocopies, filing, etc.
• 5% - Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong problem-solving ability
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong ability to manage personnel teams
• Strong organizational skills related to delegating project tasks, scheduling, and managing multiple research priorities

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in related field
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organization and detail-oriented administrative skills to include scheduling, data/file management, word processing (MS Word), spreadsheets (Excel), copying, phone skills and data entry, following protocols
• Critical thinking skills along with the ability to identify, discuss, and solve problems and issues that may arise
• English proficiency.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience coordinating research projects
• Experience in research with youth
• Strong interpersonal skills for in-person and telephone interactions with staff and prospective participants/parents
• Prior experience in research or clinical settings with youth with neurodevelopmental and/or mental health symptoms
• Prior or current participation in a research lab where duties involved active engagement in the research process with human subjects (e.g., running experiments with participants, recruiting participants for a study, and/or managing a dataset)
• Bilingual in English and Spanish (with proficiency in both languages).

Working Environment

1. Standard office environment.
2. Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

1. Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period.
2. Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.

Work Schedule

The University’s administrative offices are open Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Work schedule may vary. The schedule is 37.5 - 40 hours per week.

Application Deadline

For best consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) November 17, 2023.

Applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled.  This position has an expected start date of January 8, 2024.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number:

The salary grade for the position is 06.

Hourly Range

The hourly range for this position is $20.00-$25.00.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. Cover letter (one page)
2. Resume or curriculum vitae
3. Contact information for three references: Please provide three references who can speak to the applicant’s research and organization skills. References will be checked.

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. The University of Denver prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; Equal Pay Act; Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers' Rights (" POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non-Discrimination Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.

Statement of Other Duties Disclaimer

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Statement of Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Denver is committed to enhancing the diversity of its faculty and staff and encourages applications from women, minorities, members of the LBGT community, people with disabilities and veterans. The University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Advertised: October 26, 2023
Applications close: Open until filled