Research Associate I

Application: Click here to apply for this job

Job Description

Application Materials and Process:

Please include a one-page cover letter as the first page of your resume. This cover letter should address your interest in this position, how the role contributes to your professional and educational aspirations, and connect relevant past experience and skills that will support your success in the position, as well as the total number of hours per week you are seeking.

We will review applications on a rolling basis and will invite top candidates to complete a short mixed-methods assessment. The third stage involves an interview. The anticipated start date is sometime before the end of Fall 2026.

Description:

At the ADVANCE Program, we aim to improve the University of Michigan's campus environment for faculty in four areas:

• Recruitment - development and use of equitable recruiting practices
• Workplace Climate - focused on the improvement of unit climate
• Retention - preemptive strategies to prevent the loss of valued faculty
• Leadership Development - skill and career development for faculty leaders at all levels

Our team does this through research and evaluation, programming, and administration efforts. The ADVANCE Research and Evaluation (R&E) team serves the entire University of Michigan campus through a comprehensive range of research, reporting, and program activities, compiling and assessing institutional, survey, and collected data; and providing evaluation support. You will be part of a team that collects, analyzes, and reports on data to support the mission of the ADVANCE Program. Reporting formally to our Senior Research Area Specialist, you will collaborate and receive input and guidance from full-time research staff members.

You will gain experience in the following areas:

• A deeper understanding of all phases of an applied research project
• Conducting literature reviews
• Testing and revising surveys
• Transcribing qualitative interview data
• Analyzing data through qualitative coding
• Finding emerging themes from qualitative data
• Cleaning quantitative data
• Analyzing quantitative data
• Designing figures or infographics
• Communicating findings in writing
• Balancing time between multiple, and sometimes conflicting, projects

We offer a flexible work schedule for 10-12 hours per week Monday through Friday, during business hours at our Central Campus location, with at least one day per week in the office.

You can find out more about the ADVANCE program at https://advance.umich.edu/

Work Location

The ADVANCE Program embraces hybrid work plans -- This position may work fully on-site on Ann Arbor Central Campus or hybrid (both on-site on Ann Arbor Central Campus and remote). This is not a fully remote position.

Job Requirements

We are looking for someone with (Required Qualifications):

Technical Skills

• Qualitative coding experience
• Experience with proofreading/copy editing and/or technical writing
• Prior research experience or coursework in qualitative and/or quantitative methods
• Statistical and data analytic coding experience in R/R Studio (e.g., cleaning data, creating visualizations, running statistical analyses)
• Proficient using Google Suite (Google Drive, Google Calendar, etc.)

General Skills

• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to work independently and follow directions
• Attention to detail
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Willingness to ask questions and to learn

? Willingness to contribute to goals related to the core values of the University of Michigan, and to the ADVANCE Program values.

Educational Value

Practical work experience in qualitative data analysis; report writing and review; project management; working on a team; time management; communication; and other interpersonal skills -- while working on a faculty-focused research program.