Undergraduate Research Assistant

Position Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Appointment: Part-time, academic year and summer (Years 1–3 of the project)

Compensation: $23.25/hour, approximately 10 hours per week during both academic terms (30 weeks) and summer terms (12 weeks).

Overview:
We are seeking four motivated undergraduate students pursuing degrees in psychology, neuroscience, biology, public health, or closely related fields to serve as Research Assistants (RAs) on a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded research study. This multi-year project is focused on exploring the potential for health vending machines to engage people at high risk of acquiring HIV into the HIV continuum of care, as well as to promote engagement in health promotion behaviors and services. RAs will gain hands-on experience in participant recruitment, human subjects research, and data collection, while contributing to an interdisciplinary team advancing behavioral and health sciences.

Key Responsibilities:

• Recruitment & Scheduling: Assist with participant recruitment, in-person and phone screenings, and scheduling of participants for qualitative interviews and follow-up sessions.
• Participant Support: Help participants register for HR vending machines, complete cross-sectional surveys, and attend semi-structured interview appointments.
• Study Operations: Manage and monitor HR vending machine inventory and utilization, support data collection activities, and maintain organized study records.
• Team Engagement: Participate in weekly research team meetings to discuss study progress, troubleshoot challenges, and review preliminary results.
• Data Management & Compliance: Support data entry, organization, and secure storage; assist with data quality checks; and ensure adherence to study protocols and ethical standards in human subjects research.

Qualifications:

• Current undergraduate student pursuing a degree in psychology, neuroscience, biology, public health, or a closely related field.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Interest in behavioral health, substance use research, HIV prevention, and working with diverse participants.
• Ability to commit approximately 10 hours per week during both academic and summer terms.

Learning Opportunities & Benefits:

• Hands-on training in participant recruitment and qualitative research methods.
• Exposure to interdisciplinary behavioral and health sciences research.
• Mentorship and collaboration with faculty and graduate research staff.
• Opportunities to collaborate as co-presenters at conferences and co-authors on publications arising from the project.
• Experience contributing to a federally funded NIDA study focused on innovative HIV prevention and health promotion strategies.
• Professional development opportunities through regular research team meetings.

Note: This position requires U.S. Work Authorization or F-1 Visa status