Undergraduate Research Assistant – Paydarfar Lab

Job Posting Title:

Undergraduate Research Assistant – Paydarfar Lab

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Hiring Department:

Department of Neurology

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

30

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

May 16, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 15, 2025

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

Summer 2025 semester (5/16/25 -8/15/25); could be continued into the next academic semester based on funding, performance and/or business need.  This position is on-site M-F, with some possibility for hybrid work.

Purpose

We are looking for an Undergraduate Research Assistant to help work on a research study with the Physiological Laboratories that aims to investigate the underlying autonomic nervous system’s response to acute stressors during VR gaming by identifying novel biomarker thresholds for cardiorespiratory systems during gaming, exercise, and dual tasking (gaming and exercise). The URA can work 30 hours per week for the summer semester on the project 5/15-8/15 (full-time). 

Responsibilities

• Lead recruitment efforts by identifying, contacting, and enrolling eligible study participants.

• Schedule and attend data collection appointments and maintain communication with participants.

• Administer questionnaires, surveys, and other research instruments to study participants.

• Conduct data collection in accordance with study protocols.

• Accurately perform data entry and maintain organized records of collected data.

• Assist with preliminary data cleaning and perform data analysis under the supervision of the research team.

• Communicate and coordinate with other research assistants and project leadership as needed.

• Attend team meetings and provide updates on assigned tasks and project progress.

• Perform other research-related duties as assigned by the project leadership.

Required Qualifications

UT Austin undergraduate student enrolled for the summer 2025 semester.

• Undergraduate student status at UT Austin.

• Interest in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, physiology, healthcare, or other related fields.

• Detail-oriented and self-motivated.

• Strong communication skills.

• Ability to maintain a regular and consistent schedule and demonstrate professional demeanor.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Statistics and programming knowledge is preferred (MATLAB, Excel, etc).

• Prior office or research experience preferred.

Hourly Rate

$15.00

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Use of manual dexterity

• Field work as necessary

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

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 r