Undergraduate Research Assistant

Job Posting Title:

Research Recruitment Student Associate

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Hiring Department:

Department of Neuroscience

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

20

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt from FLSA

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Earliest Start Date:

May 04, 2026

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Dec 31, 2026

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Location:

AUSTIN, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Preston Memory Lab is seeking a motivated, conscientious, highly organized Research Recruitment Student Associate with a start date as early as Spring 2026. The lab uses behavioral and brain imaging techniques to explore how children, adolescents, and adults form new memories, remember past events, and how their memory for the past influences what they learn in the present.

The purpose of the Research Recruitment Student Associate position is to assist in the effective recruitment of participants for research studies by supporting outreach, screening, and enrollment activities. This role ensures that research projects meet participant goals while maintaining ethical standards and data integrity. Training for all lab specific protocols will be provided to selected candidates upon hiring. Candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If you have any questions about the position or the application, please contact Sara Abbas (saabbas@austin.utexas.edu). For more information about the lab: https://preston.clm.utexas.edu/

Purpose

To provide research support to the Preston Lab in the Department of Neuroscience.

Responsibilities

Strategic management of participant recruitment:

• Oversee Preston Lab’s use of participant databases shared across research labs. Assessing lab enrollment needs and strategically reserving records of eligible child and adult volunteers to contact with study opportunities.

• Rigorously log all database activity in adherence with established protocols to maintain comprehensive records of participant recruitment and ensure seamless collaboration across research labs.

• Harness software tools to customize and execute targeted mass recruitment email campaigns.

• Employ tracking mechanisms to monitor and report enrollment metrics and demographic statistics for diverse behavioral and neuroimaging studies.

Professional communication and coordination:

• Correspond with adult participants and parents of child participants through and email to coordinate in-person visits.

• Conduct phone screenings to ensure MRI safety and eligibility before neuroimaging research sessions.

Promotional material development and dissemination:

• Create and distribute engaging promotional materials, both in print and through social media channels.

• Expand developmental and adult recruitment pools through effective advertising strategies.

Facilitation of collaboration with external partners:

• Serve as a liaison to the Children’s Research Center (CRC) at UT Austin, a group of 11 individual labs currently conducting research on infant and child development.

• Coordinate lab member participation in CRC community outreach events to enhance exposure and participation.

Required Qualifications

• Well-developed organizational and time management skills to oversee recruitment and scheduling for multiple studies at any given time.

• Excellence and professionalism in written and verbal communications and interpersonal skills to work with UT Austin community members and Austin-area families.

• Ability to self-direct and work independently as well as on a team of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

• Availability to promptly respond to emails on weekdays.

• Must have flexibility in evening and weekend availability for outreach events and time-sensitive communications.

• Available to commit to a minimum of one year.

• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

• Federal Work/Study award not required, but if you are work study, please include verification of work study award with your application.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience in an administrative, customer service, or communications role, or experience working in a research setting.

• Experience with database management or software tools such as RedCap and Qualtrics.

• Advanced Excel skills.

Hourly Rate

$15.00

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

Students in this position may choose to enroll in the UTSaver voluntary retirement programs.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.