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Employment Type: Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)

Vacancy ID: NF0009363

Salary Range: Dependent upon experience and qualifications

Position Summary/Description:

The Research Associate will work in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Rice, Gordon Berg and Martha Beach Distinguished Professor at the School of Social Work at UNC Chapel Hill. Dr. Rice is an internationally recognized scholar and leader in developing innovative, data-driven solutions to address homelessness, health inequities, and other complex social problems. His research focuses on youth experiencing homelessness, where he has transformed the field’s understanding of how social networks shape health and well-being. This position will provide support in all areas of the research process, including for active projects (i.e., suicide prevention among active-duty soldiers, substance use prevention among adolescents, assessing post-disaster community resilience, designing appropriate tools for housing and homelessness) and in scoping future research directions (e.g., testing generalizability, implementing findings in the real world).

The Research Associate will contribute to the development of research questions and study design, interventions and data collection, data management and analysis, manuscript preparation and publication, dissemination of findings, and collaboration with academic, community, and policy partners. Day-to-day responsibilities include coordinating with research team members and external partners on project management, planning and participating in team meetings, and drafting and editing manuscripts, IRB submissions, project proposals, and grant applications. The role will also involve developing ideas for future projects, conducting literature reviews, analyzing data using multiple software programs, and preparing white papers, presentations, trainings, and conference materials. The Research Associate will be encouraged to present at conferences and trainings, while also participating in professional development opportunities to support continued learning.

Primary research topics and populations of interest include promoting positive health behaviors and preventing suicide among persons experiencing homelessness, college students, active duty military members, and veterans, and the successful candidate will bring prior experience in conducting primary research with at least one of the aforementioned populations and/or in the research topic areas (i.e., suicide prevention, health behavior). The Research Associate is expected to contribute high-quality work, demonstrate initiative in supporting the research program, and work collaboratively to advance the team’s mission of producing rigorous, equity-focused research that improves outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Education and Experience:

Preferred qualifications include competencies in professional knowledge, project design, data analysis and management, and manuscript composition.. Prior industry experience in designing questionnaires, conducting participant interviews and focus groups particularly with vulnerable populations, organizing a multimember research team, and writing peer-reviewed journal articles are preferred. A master’s degree in sociology, social work, public health, data science, or other relevant field is preferred.

Essential Skills:

The successful candidate must have excellent communication skills and be creative, highly motivated and able to work independently, with demonstrated strong experience in managing complex research studies (e.g., multisite, longitudinal, large-scale), adhering to study timeline, and abiding by study protocols. The preferred candidate has demonstrated prior project leadership and excellent communication and verbal skills to lead and execute high-level research projects The candidate must have the interest in and ability to collaborate with other researchers and must be willing to proactively write and publish manuscripts and help with grant submissions. The candidate must have the ability to manage the day-to-day of research projects, interview participants, implement defined program management strategy, coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, collect and analyze data, and follow protocols and guidelines.

AA/EEO Statement:

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.