Research Specialist

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary 
The research specialist will be responsible for assisting in designing and conducting guided research in the Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disparities (BMED) Lab. Under the guidance of the lab manager and/or project coordinator, s/he will assist with running participant visits, and maintain study material, individual participant files, and standard operating procedures for the research projects. The position will handle sensitive and confidential information which must be secured, and s/he must be able to ensure private information of study participants remains confidential. 

This position is funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Workplace Requirement

On campus position: This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 1+ years of experience in research work
  • In lieu of the education and experience requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted

Skills

• Listening, verbal and written communication, analytical, and research skills
• Good scientific and numerical skills with meticulous attention to details and accuracy
• Ability to work in a team environment, to participate actively, to collaborate and to motivate others in the lab
• Critical thinking, technical, data collection and interviewing skills
• Ability to maintain quality, safety and / or infection control standards
• Ability to plan and schedule effectively

Preferences

• Related psychological laboratory and/or research experience
• Able to keep sensitive and confidential information private

Essential Functions

• Conducts specialized research and experiments
• Collects, tracks and analyzes data using spreadsheets and databases
• May assist in the administration of research project
• Performs all other duties as assigned 

Additional Functions

• Run participant study visit 
• Recruit and screen potential study participants