Research Assistant - WW

USNH Employees should apply within Workday through the Jobs Hub app

The Research Assistant (RA) will support an interdisciplinary research project in sustainable operations management focused on the economic and sustainability impacts of surplus food platforms (e.g., Xishi Magic Bag, Too Good To Go). This project examines how digital platforms for surplus food redistribution affect retailer behavior, pricing strategies, customer engagement, reputation, and long-term sustainability outcomes.

The RA will contribute to empirical data collection, data cleaning, coding, database construction, and preliminary analysis of platform-generated data, including retailer listings, product offerings, pricing, customer reviews, and engagement metrics. The position supports ongoing theoretical and empirical research that integrates operations management, sustainability, and data analytics, and contributes to academic publications and externally funded research projects.

The RA will work under the supervision of the faculty member.

Duties/Responsibilities

Empirical Data Collection & Management (40%)

• Collect data from surplus food platforms (e.g., Xishi Magic Bag)

• Maintain organized data repositories and documentation

• Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and version control

Data Processing & Coding (25%)

• Clean, code, and preprocess raw data for analysis

• Construct structured databases for longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis

• Support variable construction and classification tasks

Research Support & Analysis Preparation (20%)

• Assist with descriptive analysis and summary statistics

• Support preparation of figures, tables, and documentation

• Assist in preparing datasets for modeling and empirical analysis

Project Coordination & Research Administration (15%)

• Track data collection progress and milestones

• Support research documentation and reporting

• Assist with coordination among research team members

Requirements

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, operations management, data science, statistics, computer science, or a related field OR current graduate student status with relevant research experience

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong attention to detail and data accuracy

• Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets

• Familiarity with Python, R, SQL, or similar tools

• Strong organizational and documentation skills

• Ability to work independently and responsibly

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior research assistant experience

• Experience with web-based data collection

• Interest in sustainability, operations management, or platform economics

Applicant Instructions

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following documents when applying online within the Resume/Cover Letter section of your application:

• Resume/CV

Compensation Pay Range:

$40-$60/hour

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orienta