Social Science/Humanities Research Associate II

Job Posting Title: Social Science/Humanities Research Associate II ---- Hiring Department: Department of Psychology ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Non-Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Immediately ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue Until May 05, 2027 ---- Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS ---- Job Details: General Notes This is a fixed-term, one-year position. Purpose Social Science/Humanities Research Associate II will coordinate an NIMH-funed research study. Job Description The Mood Disorders Laboratory, part of the Institute for Mental Health Research, is hiring a Social Science/Humanities Research Associate II to coordinate an NIMH-funded research study. The mission of the Mood Disorders Laboratory (MDL) is to advance our understanding of mood disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder, through scientific research. The current project builds on our prior work in the area of cognitive bias modification for depression. This project is a large scale clinical trial designed to examine the efficacy of traditional, gamified, and placebo attention bias modification for adults with depression. As a key member of the research team, the research associate will be primarily responsible for coordinating the day-to-day activities of the research project. This includes communicating with the internal review board, recruitment of participants into the research study, conducting psychophysiological research (eye-tracking in particular), onboarding subjects into the online intervention arms, conducting diagnostic clinical interviews, and assisting with scientific publications and conference submissions, among other duties. More detail about job responsibilities is provided below. Read more about our research on our lab website: the Mood Disorders Lab. Responsibilities Coordinate day-to-day study operations, including participant recruitment and screening, onboarding participants into online intervention arms, scheduling and conducting study visits, reserving study space and resources, administering diagnostic clinical interviews, conducting psychophysiological assessments such as eye-tracking, and troubleshooting participant-facing technical issues related to study participation. Manage study data, technical workflows, and research infrastructure, including overseeing data collection procedures, maintaining study documentation and protocols, monitoring data quality, preparing datasets for analysis, and providing technical support related to study dashboards, APIs, scripts, and other data systems. Coordinate research communication, compliance, and team processes, including facilitating study meetings related to recruitment/advertising, interrater reliability, and clinical supervision, and maintaining regulatory documentation and submissions for IRB and NIH requirements. Supervise and train undergraduate research assistants, including oversight of participant tracking, data entry, and other study support activities, as well as mentoring students in research methods, data management, and foundational computational skills. Contribute to scholarly and grant-related products, including assistance with scientific manuscripts, conference presentations, and grant materials. Other duties as assigned. Required Qualifications BA in psychology or other related area with at least two years of research experience. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate. Preferred Qualifications MS in Psychology or a related field and two or more years of full-time research experience. Experience conducting psychological research involving structured or diagnostic clinical interviews. Demonstrated experience with research data management and quantitative analysis using statistical or data science tools (e.g., REDCap, R/RStudio). Training or coursework in quantitative methods, statistics, or data science for the social sciences. Experience using research project management or documentation platforms (e.g., Notion). Salary Range $45,000-$50,000 Working Conditions May work around standard office conditions Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation Required Materials Resume/CV 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor Letter of interest Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes. Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above. ---- Employment Eligibility: Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval. ---- Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. ---- Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position. ---- Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. ---- Pay Transparency: The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractors legal duty to furnish information. ---- Employment Eligibility Verification: If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university. ---- E-Verify: The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The universitys company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following: E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF] ---- Compliance: Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031. The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701. Start Here, Change the World At The University of Texas at Austin, tradition meets innovation in the heart of a city that frequents lists of the best places to live and work. Named by Forbes as one of America's Best Large Employers for the sixth year in a row in 2025, UT offers both a dynamic work environment and a gateway to vibrant local culture. Whether you're at the forefront of the student experience, conducting world-changing research or supporting the engine that drives Texas flagship university, working at UT means making a lasting impact on our city, our state and our world. Our more than 20,000 faculty and staff empower 55,000+ students to challenge ideas, pursue passions and shape their futures. Joining UT, youll become part of a community dedicated to making a meaningful impact on campus and throughout the world. Looking for a student job? Please see our Student Employment site. Comments and Inquiries: Email comments to hrsc@austin.utexas.edu. For questions or concerns regarding equal opportunity only, contact Equal Opportunity Services. Additional information for applicants can be found on the Human Resources web page: Applying for Employment. For more job information, call the Human Resource Service Center at (512) 471-4772, or toll-free at (800) 687-4178. UT Austin is a Tobacco-free Campus