Research Assistant sought for fall semester 2018 for a qualitative research project that is part of a University-wide Institutional Transformation (IT) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE program. The purpose of NSF ADVANCE is to increase the participation and advancement of women faculty in science and engineering. The RA will work under the supervision of Professor Laurel Smith-Doerr, Director of the Institute for Social Science Research and Managing co-PI for the ADVANCE grant.
The position will require experience with ethnographic data collection and analysis. The RA will need to be able to collect relevant social science literature, develop annotated bibliographies and assist with literature reviews, conduct ethnographic observations and interviews, write up and code field notes, and work collaboratively with Smith-Doerr and other members of the ADVANCE project team. Candidates must have proven qualitative research skills, and also be able to work on a collaborative research team. The position will pay the GEO minimum salary for 10-20 hours per week. Because of the lateness of the position opening, it is expected that this will not necessarily be the primary job of the RA during the fall term (i.e., will be a 10 hour position in addition to a TA position). If the candidate is available for a 20 hour position, that should be stated in the cover letter. The start date will be no later than Sept 30, 2018 and end date no earlier than Jan 12, 2019. There is a possibility that the RA-ship may be continued in the 2019 spring term for 20 hours per week.
There is a strong preference for doctoral student applicants for this RA position. The ideal candidate must have writing and literature reviewing skills, ethnographic data analytic skills, and organizational skills for working with a team, and be able to take the initiative and work independently. Familiarity with common qualitative analysis software (such as NVivo) is desirable; preference is for candidates whose research experience and goals align with the proposal project; familiarity with a range of social science methods for analyzing the literature is required.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter outlining relevant research training and experience, desired number of hours for the appointment, and a CV with the names of 2 faculty references to: lsmithdoerr@soc.umass.edu. Questions may also be directed to Prof. Smith-Doerr at the same address.
Applications will be reviewed starting September 10, 2018, and will continue until the position is filled.
