RA: Research Assistant, Department of Human Development

Posting Summary:
The Department of Human Development is seeking a Research Assistant (RA).

Job Summary/Basic Function:
The Department of Human Development is seeking a Research Assistant who will work under the supervision of [Supervisor Name], conducting research-specific scholarly projects relevant to the academic program and assisting with a variety of non-administrative tasks. This position requires a commitment of a minimum of 20 hours/week.

Position Duties/Responsibilities
The RA will be responsible for conducting experiments, interviewing subjects, preparing resources, equipment, and materials for research, conducting statistical analysis, performing library work, and a number of other minor and major related tasks in support of research activities, including but not limited to:

The Research Assistant will lead the identification and processing of public-use datasets, perform advanced data cleaning and coding on large-scale data, and align new datasets with existing project data for sophisticated analyses. Additionally, the candidate will take a key role in authoring academic manuscripts, conducting comprehensive literature reviews, managing project documentation, and preparing high-level research materials.

Key Responsibilities
- Author and co-author empirical academic manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
- Identify, acquire, and document relevant public-use datasets.
- Clean, merge, and manage complex, large-scale educational data files.
- Code and organize measures to align with existing project datasets.
- Conduct in-depth literature reviews and synthesize empirical findings.
- Support the preparation of research materials, conference presentations, and grant-related products.

Documents required for consideration:
- Resume
- Cover letter
*Applications with missing documents will not be considered


Please note:
*Both U.S. Citizens and international students are eligible for this position.
*This position is eligible for 3 tuition points per semester.

Scheduling
Student work schedules are based on the needs of the department and the student’s academic schedule. Students should discuss their schedules with the hiring manager/supervisor during the interview process. Hiring managers/supervisors will make every attempt to accommodate students’ needs.

Work Limitations
During the academic year, students may not hold appointments or any combination of appointments totaling more than 27 hours per week (International students may work up to 20 hours).

Student Learning Outcomes
Student employees will have the opportunity to develop and/or build on the following competencies while working in this position:
- Career and Self-Development
- Leadership
- Professionalism
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Critical Thinking
- Technology (Software or equipment)

Minimum Qualifications:
- Must be a TC student currently enrolled in a degree program and taking at least 5 credits during the fall/spring semesters
- Must be able to abide by Teachers College academic and personnel policies and guidelines, including FERPA, Student Confidentiality Agreement, and the Student Privacy Requirements
- A minimum commitment of Fall 2026 semesters
- Ability to apply sound research techniques, methodology, and logical critical analysis
- Ability to learn new software and research techniques as needed
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and Social Media
- Strong interpersonal, collaborative, and communication skills
- Strong presentation skills
- Excellent time management and organizational skills
- Strong computer, research, and presentation skills
- Current doctoral (PhD) student in psychology, education, public policy, quantitative methods, or a related field.
- Strong track record or demonstrated interest in academic writing and manuscript preparation.
- Advanced proficiency in data cleaning, management, and statistical analysis (e.g., Stata, R, or similar software).
- Excellent organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and ability to lead research tasks independently.
- Deep interest in early childhood education, program evaluation, or developmental research.

Preferred Qualifications:
- Must be able to organize work, collect and analyze data, make calculations, prepare reports, and keep records
- Ability to apply sound research techniques, methodology, and logical critical analysis
- Ability to learn new software and research techniques as needed
- Proficiency in analyzing complex data sets using statistical software or programming languages.

Salary Range:

$9,000

Work Modality:

Student Employee - Onsite