Job location: Charlottesville, VA

The Motivate Lab is looking for a Research Specialist who can begin immediately. Research Specialists help to develop, design, and conduct one or more small to moderately complex research projects in line with plans. They report to one or more faculty members or senior research personnel, operate with a degree of independence, and help improve our research approach and methods based on knowledge and experience.

Key Responsibilities
Currently Motivate Lab is working on several major projects to help faculty and administrators across higher education build more motivationally-supportive learning contexts for students. Our data sets include both quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of sources, including randomized controlled trials, administrative data, student and faculty surveys, student and faculty focus groups and interviews, and faculty artifacts (e.g., syllabi). The Research Specialist will be responsible for the management and analyses of the qualitative data, along with coordinating projects and communications.

Qualitative Data Management and Analysis

• Complete qualitative coding from surveys, focus groups, interviews, and artifacts
• Review and create coding systems for different qualitative data sources
• Help develop protocol and criteria, determine interview procedures, and approve protocols
• Support the development of qualitative data coding tools
• Prepare and create structures for training qualitative coders
• Conduct training sessions on qualitative coding structures for the team

Project Coordination

• Support the onboarding and training of undergraduate research assistants
• Lead a team of undergraduate research assistants in qualitative coding efforts
• Work closely with project managers to maintain project timelines and deliverables
• Provide administrative support to senior research personnel
• Create and test surveys in Qualtrics
• Participation in all lab-wide meetings

Communications

• Support with formal and informal report writing
• Draft internal and external reports to stakeholders including, but not limited to, current funders, school partners, and future funders

As projects grow and develop at Motivate Lab, new and unforeseen responsibilities will likely appear. The ideal candidate will exhibit adaptability and flexibility with the changing responsibilities.

Qualifications and Skills/Experiences
The ideal candidate will have a background and interest in psychology, education, and equity research. This person will have a passion for shaping how schools serve students and for creating equitable spaces for students from historically marginalized and minoritized populations. Requirements include:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Education, Sociology, or a related discipline
• Minimum one year of experience in social science research involving data collection and/or statistical analysis.
• Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and multitasking
• Coding and synthesizing qualitative data
• Experience administering surveys via an online platform (e.g., Qualtrics)
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to interact effectively with a diverse team of internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and demonstrate good judgment

We know there are great candidates who might not check all of these boxes or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

How to Apply
Complete an online application through UVA’s application portal and attach a CV/resume and answers to the following questions in lieu of a cover letter (Each response should be no more than 300 words):
1- What about Motivate Lab, and the Research Specialist role in particular, is most intriguing to you?
2- What skills and experiences make you a uniquely qualified candidate for this role?
3- How you intend to bring a focus on practices that promote justice, equity, and inclusion to this role?

The position will remain open until filled.

Target start date: July 5, 2021
Note: this is a restricted position and continuation beyond a year is dependent upon the availability of funding and satisfactory performance.

Compensation
Competitive salary is commensurate with individual’s experience and skills. All full-time employees receive a comprehensive benefits package.

About Motivate Lab
The mission of the Motivate Lab is to improve people's lives through rigorous motivation research. Led by two professors at the University of Virginia, Motivate Lab's annual operating budget of over $2.2M is completely supported through external grants and contracts. Our current five-year strategic plan has ambitious goals of growing the size, scope, and impact of our work in education and beyond, including sports and workforce settings. The majority of work in our organization focuses on research and development activities that develop tools to infuse learning-mindset supportive practices into educational and policy contexts, with a particular focus on supporting students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in higher education. We utilize our rigorous methods to design translational activities, including professional development, training, and dissemination, for both researchers and practitioners. We aim to change both the fields of practice and research through our innovative and agile methods of developing evidence-based practices.

Commitment to Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Motivate Lab is committed to:

• Recruiting talented and diverse staff.
• Recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce, and providing an inclusive and supportive environment in which staff and faculty are recognized as integral to the success of our work.
• Promoting a culture of integrity, mutual respect, excellence, collaboration and innovation.

Application process
Motivate Lab is an equal opportunity employer and encourages a diverse pool of candidates to apply. The position will remain open until filled. For more information, please send an email to Alison Lubin or Margaret Weeks, Academic Recruiter.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.