Research Assistant

Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm

To learn more about the pay band for this branch and role, please see the Career Banding rates spreadsheet.

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

Since 1966, researchers at the Carolina Population Center have pioneered data collection and research techniques that move population science forward by emphasizing life course approaches, longitudinal surveys, the integration of biological measurement into social surveys, and attention to context and environment. We are also at the forefront of creating interdisciplinary training programs that integrate approaches from the social and biological sciences, building research capacity and training the next generation of scholars. Our faculty fellows address pressing research questions about population dynamics, fertility, health, mortality, migration, and the environment. Faculty come from multiple disciplines, benefitting from the cross-pollination of ideas. Our dedicated research and programming staff support fellows at every stage of project development, from conception through data collection or acquisition, analysis and dissemination, and project administration. https://www.cpc.unc.edu/about/

The Carolina Population Center is a community of scholars and professionals collaborating on interdisciplinary research and methods that advance understanding of population issues. The Center extends its resources to path-breaking work across the US and in more than 50 other countries and makes its findings available to a global audience. A nationally recognized training program that educates the next generation of population scholars.

The Add Health Parent Study ( AHPS) is housed at the Carolina Population Center ( CPC). The Add Health Parent Study ( AHPS) is an innovative project in which a multiethnic/racial and interdisciplinary team of scientists will collect longitudinal cognitive, social, behavioral, and biological data on parents of the members of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). The proposed Phase 2 of AHPS will increase the samples of Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic parents in AHPS, consent and administer an Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ ADRD) Assessment, collect DNA, link longitudinal AHPS data to longitudinal Add Health data, harmonize cognitive measures across the two generations, assemble a multigenerational genomic database, and make these new data available to the scientific community of 50,000+ Add Health and AHPS users. This project will facilitate the study of racial/ethnic disparities in cognitive aging, caregiving, and AD/ ADRD risk across two generations with longitudinal, nationally representative data collected from adult children and their parents.

The Research Assistant will work under the supervision of one of the Add Health Parent Study Project Manager. The research assistant will help with overall daily tasks that include replying to emails, phone calls and following up participant requests, especially those that pertain to the AD/ ADRD assessment protocols. The research assistant will work closely with the AD/ ADRD Assessment project manager and programmer to assist them in close monitoring of the assessment data, trouble shoot data issues and prepare any updates to the protocols to the IRB for approval. The research assistant will also provide help in variable construction and descriptive analyses of AD/ ADRD data for validity checks by comparing prevalence estimates of the various cognitive assessments to data from other comparable national studies.

Bachelor's degree; or equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Demonstrated documentation skills and attention to detail; excellent oral and written communication skills; experience using Microsoft Office products, especially Excel and CsPro; and demonstrated experience working with a computer database or tracking system. Must have excellent communication and documentation skills, a clear speaking voice, and experience interacting with research subjects by phone, email, or mail. Requires a high level of accuracy when working within a tracking database. Excellent problem-solving skills: capacity to perform and meet deadlines under pressure. Demonstrated ability to rapidly adjust priorities in a high-paced, high-pressure environment while maintaining data quality.

Preference for candidate with social science research-based degree or in lieu of the social science research-based degree, previous work experience encompassing social science research activities; experience interacting with research subjects by phone, email, or mail. Knowledge/experience of human subjects and confidentiality issues related to research.

Not Applicable.

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to employment@unc.edu

Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

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.