RIAS Research Associate - Human Performance

Salary/Position Classification

• 28.84 hourly, Non-Exempt (Eligible for overtime)
• 40 hours per week for up to five (5) months
• 100% Remote Work Availability: No
• Hybrid Work Availability (requires some time on campus): No

Purpose of Position

The University of North Dakota invites applications for a Research Associate position focused on Human Factors Psychology. The Research Associate will be involved in current funded research by Dr. F. Richard Ferraro and Dr. Dmitri Poltavski. The goal of the work experience will be to integrate the Research Associate into independent and collaborative research programs within the department and across UND’s College of Arts and Science, College of Engineering and Mines, and John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, through research executed by UND’s Research Institute for Autonomous Systems (RIAS) (https://und.edu/research/rias/). A special continued concentration for this Research Associate will be the execution and expansion of UND’s National Security Initiative associated human factors psychology research.

Research Associate work includes developing experiments and performing human subject testing in realistic scenarios; quantifying improved mission capabilities with and without Augmented Reality (AR) systems; making recommendations based on study outcomes to improve the AR experience and optimally present information to system users; and formulate study findings into a report for future publication in a peer reviewed journal or conference proceedings. Part of the work includes thorough evaluation of appropriate equipment, sensors, and software supporting human factor experiments. Research Associate deliverables associated with this project include intermediate study findings and final project phase reports quantifying the expected improved mission capability for several diverse scenarios replicating system use by military personnel. The physiological measurement tools currently used include eye-tracking systems (glasses-based, screen-based, and in-vehicle installed), facial emotion recognition, and electroencephalography (EEG).

Duties & Responsibilities

• The successful applicant will help advance UND’s capacity to conduct research in human factors psychology with a focus on the execution and expansion of UND’s National Security Initiative research efforts. While receiving formal mentorship, the Research Associate will be engaged in the following three interrelated tasks:
  • Collect and analyze data related to Human Factors Psychology, leading to publications and presentations.
  • Contribute to ongoing projects as well as develop ideas for new collaborations and research initiatives in Human Factors Psychology.
  • Develop and submit collaborative external funding proposals focused on Human Factors Psychology.
• Essential functions of the position include but are not limited to:
  • Management, coordination, and implementation of ongoing and new research studies
  • Grant preparation and grant report writing
  • Dissemination of research findings (e.g., manuscript preparation)
  • Data management and analysis of quantitative and qualitative experimental data
  • Develop protocols and manage IRB submissions
  • Review and maintain study protocols and data collection surveys
  • Assist with other research and administrative responsibilities to support the lab, RIAS, and National Security related activities
  • Positive and effective interactions with system developers, suppliers, and partners for system training, maintenance, and support
  • Positive and effective interactions with lab support, TAK team, and program management personnel
  • Positive and effective interactions with research partners
  • Travel to support in-field research, technology demonstrations, conferences, etc. 

Required Competencies

• Demonstrated publication contributions and/or conference presentations
• Prior experience with electroencephalogram (EEG) data collection during human subject experiments
• Prior experience with heart rate variability (HRV) data collection during human subject experiments
• Strong foundation in research practice and experiment design
• Strong foundation in statistical analysis, including using applicable software programs
• Strong mentorship and team talent development abilities
• Ability to work independently and with a team to set strategically aligned goals, objectives, and milestones to meet project requirements, timelines, and budgets
• Strong interpersonal skills to successfully work as part of a cross-functional team of engineering and operations researchers and subject matter experts
• Ability to integrate, coope