General Summary: 

The Research Assistant, within the Psychology Department, will be responsible for assisting with the administration of two research studies. The first examines the effectiveness of treatments for toddlers with social communication delays and early signs of autism spectrum disorder. The Research Assistant will participate in multiple phases of the study, including screening and longitudinal assessment of children and families. The Research Assistant will also be involved in the clinical implementation of developmental and diagnostic visits, facilitate home visits that involve delivering digital technology for data acquisition, and as well as assisting in data preparation and analysis, and contributing to national and international meeting presentations and manuscript preparation. The Research Assistant may also coordinate meetings with early intervention providers and Directors of Early Intervention programs in the Greater Boston area, assist with data collection from early intervention providers; review and score recorded intervention sessions for intervention fidelity and code recorded parent-child interactions for parent responsivity, manage and administer participant incentives, and manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions. Finally, the research assistant may oversee and monitor the workflow of a team of undergraduate students. The second project is a follow-up of children who participated in a randomized clinical trial of family navigation or who were diagnosed with autism after they were three years old. Responsibilities will include consenting and interviewing parents about their children and family life, and both in-person and remote assessments of children, delivering technology to homes, coordinating undergraduate students who will assist with interviews and delivery of technology. All children involved in this study will be 6- to 11-years old.

Examples of Duties: 

• Participate in the implementation of research, developmental, and diagnostic assessments.
• Coordinate delivering technology to parent homes for acquisition of naturalistic language samples as well as delivering technology and materials to conduct remote experimental, developmental, and diagnostic assessments.
• Reviewing digital tapes and scoring videos for assessment and intervention fidelity and parent-child interactions.
• Complete baseline and follow-up interviews with families.
• Conduct baseline and follow-up parent interviews (e.g., Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale).
• Administer child assessments (cognitive, academic testing, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule).
• Communicate with families and interventionists to coordinate delivering technology and data collection.
• Perform data management and data cleaning tasks including preparing datasets for analysis and conducting data analyses.
• Collaborate with investigative teams at other sites as well as with the data manager.
• Participate in staff meetings.
• Schedule Data Safety and Monitoring Board meetings.
• Engage in clerical and administrative tasks to help in the overall running of the project.
• Some weekend assessments and delivery of technology required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

Bachelor’s degree in psychology or closely related field, with significant Psychology course work, some research experience. Must have a valid driver's license, a good driving record and the ability to transport items to/from the university and the Greater Boston area. Driver’s license must remain valid throughout the duration of employment in the position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Additional clinical or research experience, including working with toddlers and their parents or working with children with autism or developmental disabilities, is strongly preferred.
• Previous experience with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Mullen Scales of Early Learning or ADOS (autism diagnosis tool) preferred.
• Bilingual in Spanish/English preferred.
• Two-year commitment preferred.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite.
• Knowledge of and experience with entering and summarizing data.
• Familiarity with statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, STAT A, R).
• Ability to work as a member of team in a manner supportive of the department and College procedures, policies and goals.
• Ability to protect confidentiality of participant information.
• Ability to provide leadership to others through example and sharing of knowledge and skills.
• Ability to establish effective relationships with internal team members, team members at other study sites, research participants and      community members.
• Ability to communicate with others in a courteous and helpful manner.
• Excellent organizational and oral and written communication skills.
• Strong commitment to research ethics.
• Strong commitment to customer service.

Application Instructions: 

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date. 

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting.  All other candidates will be considered after that period. 

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link: 

Grade: 25              

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position. This is a grant funded position with a current end date of July 31, 2025, subject to renewal contingent on funding and university needs.

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HRDirect@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.