Research Specialist A

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Posted Job Title

Research Specialist A

Job Profile Title

Research Specialist A

Job Description Summary

The research lab of Dr. John Trueswell is hiring a full-time research specialist (i.e., lab manager/coordinator) to help conduct language learning studies with children and adults. Some of these studies will involve eye-tracking studies of participants as they respond to spoken instructions. The successful candidate will have frequent interactions with postdocs, graduate students, research assistants, and will have plenty of opportunities for scientific involvement in all aspects of research projects including journal articles and conference presentations. Thus this position is an excellent stepping stone for someone planning to go to graduate school in psycholinguistics — individuals previously employed in this position are now star graduate students, postdocs and even professors within psychology and linguistics.
This is a one year term appointment position.

Job Description

Primary responsibilities include:

-       Assisting lab members and the PIs in the running of experiments

-       Designing, running and analyzing experiments with infants, children, and adults

-       Developing experimental materials, and data management/analysis

-       Recruiting participants

-       Coordinating and training undergraduate research assistants

-       Assisting in planning lab events and meetings

-       Additional duties include management of human subject information, assisting in the reporting of information to funding institutions and Penn’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), and lab scheduling
 

Essential qualifications:
-       A Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Linguistics, Computer Science, or Cognitive Science 
-       0-1 year of research experience, preferably with children or infants (an equivalent combination of education and experience can be considered).
-       Excellent organizational and communication skills (especially with young children and families).
-       Be detail-oriented, motivated, creative, organized, and able to work independently
-       Experience is required in Microsoft Excel and statistical analysis software (preferably R, SPSS and/or MatLab). 
-       Be able to jump from low- to high-level amount of work smoothly and work under pressure when deadlines are approaching
 
Preferred qualifications:
-       Prior experience in psychology research and/or computational modeling.
-       Proficient programming skills, ideally in Javascript, Python, and/or R.
-       Flexible work availability is desirable.
 

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Arts and Sciences

Pay Range

$36,368.00 - $44,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile. 

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Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements 
Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

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• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

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• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

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• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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