Research Professional

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS in developmental psychology plus at least fours years of relevant experience or a combination of related education and work experience to equal eight years.
• Evidence of strong scholarship in the form of publications in peer-reviewed journals and a history of conference presentations.
• Excellence in written and oral communication
• Experience working in a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with people from a variety of communities, backgrounds, and identities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters in developmental psychology or a combination of related education and work experience to equal two years
• Prior training in epidemiology or population studies
• At least three years of research experience in a laboratory setting
• Experience with a standard stress paradigm such as the Trier Social Stress Test.
• Comfort with standard computer resources, including email, web searching, document and spreadsheet software, PDF files, and web-based calendars
• Prior experience using REDCap and Zoom software
• Ability to manage multiple tasks on a daily basis
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, including attention to detail and documentation of work
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, including communication with study faculty, junior and senior research staff, and individual families and children

Position Overview
The Gunnar Laboratory for Developmental Psychobiology Research at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota is hiring a research professional to support the lab’s research. We are seeking someone with knowledge of child development theory and research who has sufficient research experience to be able to conduct rigorous statistical analyses, prepare manuscripts for publication, and mentor and advise undergraduate and graduate students. Successful applicants will have experience in research related to social determinants of health (e.g., neighborhood effects) and psychobiology.

Job Responsibilities

Data Collection and Management (25%)

• In coordination with the Principal Investigator, work with in-house data sets.
• Create data files, code data, clean data, and deal with missing values, create and label variables, and run descriptive statistics.
• Create codebooks and documents to record the variable creation process.

Data Analysis (25%)

• Utilize several in-house data sets (e.g., Share the Load Study), to hypothesize relationships between variables.
• Design and collaborate on the design of analyses according to appropriate theory to explore the hypothesized relationships.
• Prepare data files for analysis and perform quantitative analyses using software such as R, Stata, and SPSS.

Research and Dissemination (40%)

• In coordination with the Principal Investigator, write reports, papers, and policy briefs about the data analyses, instruments used, and/or key issues in the field.
• Research literature and written reviews to be included in reports, which are occasionally submitted as proposals for research conferences or for publication in journals.
• Create slide presentations and present research findings at conferences and at meetings with school districts and funders.
• Write portions of grant reports, which are often required on a yearly basis.

Student Research Assistant Supervision (10%)

• Coordinate and supervise undergraduate and graduate research assistants in the completion of project-related research tasks, including participant tracking and data coding and cleaning.
• Prepare tasks and data files for the assistants and train them to proficiently complete the various tasks.

Department Overview

The Institute of Child Development (ICD) at the University of Minnesota has long been a premier center for scholarship, teaching, and outreach devoted to the understanding and fostering of child development. Founded in 1925, the Institute is one of the oldest departments studying children’s development in the United States.

College Overview

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the University's third largest college, contributes to a just and sustainable future through engagement with the local and global communities to enhance human learning and development.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail [email protected] or call (612) 624-8647.