Assistant Research Scientist

Job Title

Assistant Research Scientist

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Public Policy Research Institute

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & identities.  Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.

Who We Are

Established by the Texas State Legislature in 1983 at Texas A&M University, the Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) serves as a leading interdisciplinary government and social policy research organization. Since inception, PPRI has secured external research contracts totaling $140 million for providing scientific research and evaluative services to more than 90 public and private sponsors engaged in formulating public policy. We invite you to explore our website to learn more. https://ppri.tamu.edu/

What We Want

The Assistant Research Scientist will perform specific duties pertaining to social science research involving a variety of criminal justice, public health, education and program evaluation issues. This position will conduct complex statistical analysis, participates in focus groups and interviews, and creates written reports, publications, grant proposals and graphic presentations. If this job description sounds interesting to you, we invite you to apply to be considered for this opportunity.

What You Need to Know

Salary Range: Compensation will be commensurate to selected hire’s experience.

Work Schedule: Ability to travel as needed

Required Education and Experience: 

•  Appropriate PhD and some relevant experience in social science or public policy research

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others

• Ability to communicate clearly both in writing and verbally

• Ability to be team oriented, helpful, approachable, and respectful

• Ability to build strong working relationships and a positive work environment

Preferred Education and Experience: 

• Doctorate degree in social sciences or related field (criminal justice, public health, education, statistics)

• Experience in public policy research, qualitative or quantitative data collection and analysis, project management, and focus group management

• Familiarity with writing and report preparation

• Strong knowledge of social science research methods, research design, data management, statistics skills and technical writing skills

• Ability to meet deadlines

• Knowledge of statistical software such as STATA, SAS, SPSS, or R

• Familiarity with qualitative data collection strategies.

• Familiarity with public health policy

Responsibilities:

• Implement Research Design: Participates in research projects as Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator or as Senior Researcher. Leads teams in research projects that involve multiple methods. Conducts qualitative research such as interviews and focus groups. Designs and interprets statistical analysis. Maintains knowledge of current data analysis tools and continues to develop qualitative and quantitative skills. Maintains integrity of qualitative and quantitative research data. Prepares research presentations and reports appropriate for various audiences with varying technical knowledge. Provides independent and collaborative roles in research support for project needs throughout the department. 

• Proposal Development & Report Writing: Identifies funding opportunities. Participates in building research teams. Develops, writes, and submits research proposals. Implements and maintains project time lines. Prepares and submits project deliverables. Communicates with the Office of Research Services. Obtains Institutional Review Board approval for projects.

• Research Design: Collaborates with research sponsors on study design. Acts as an independent or supervisory role in special research projects. Implements innovative use of technology to improve efficiencies and performs other duties as assigned.

Why Texas A&M University? 

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & identities.  Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration.  Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you.  Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes. 

• Health , dental , vision , life and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays 

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave  and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month

• Automatically enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas 

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning  training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more 

• Employee Tuition Assistance and Educational Release time   for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application. 

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.