Lab Manager and Research Assistant

The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia seeks a Lab Manager and Research Assistant to work with Professors Gerald Higginbotham and Gabrielle (Gabe) Adams.

The Lab Manager will be responsible for day-to-day management of multiple research projects, splitting their time equally each week between two professors’ social psychology and behavioral science labs. This will involve administering behavioral studies in the lab and in field settings; preparing datasets and conducting preliminary analyses; and collaborating to produce and program experimental materials and stimuli. The Lab Manager will provide training and supervision of undergraduate research assistants and coordinate data collection. The Lab Manager will also be involved in lab administration tasks: tracking expenses, ordering equipment or materials for studies, leading lab meetings, and meeting with the principal investigators and graduate students weekly about progress and goal-setting and other duties as assigned.

The position is an excellent opportunity to gain multidisciplinary research experience in preparation for graduate study in social psychology, organizational behavior, or a related field. The ideal candidate will have an entrepreneurial mindset, ability to work independently, and a willingness to take initiative and find creative solutions to problems. They should be highly organized and attentive to detail. Start date is negotiable but will ideally begin in July 2026. This is not a remote position.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in psychology, data science, public policy, or a related field by July 2026.

• Two years of behavioral laboratory experience or work as a research assistant; experience gained while a student will be considered.

• Familiarity with social psychology/behavioral science research methods and IRB management.

• Proficient in Excel and an additional statistical program such as R, SPSS, SAS, STATA

• Experience in (or willingness to independently learn) programming, e.g., Javascript, Python, JSON, and/or working with APIs.

• Experience administering studies in Qualtrics

• Desire to learn and implement best practices for recruiting participants, both online and in-person.

• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.

• Able to occasionally work nonstandard hours (e.g., evenings, weekends), depending on data collection needs.

Preferred qualifications:

• Prior experience with data science methods (e.g., web scraping, data cleaning and manipulation)

This position will remain open until filled and anticipated start date is July 1, 2026. This is a non-exempt level, benefited position. For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits.

This position is a restricted position and is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance. This position is located in Charlottesville, VA.

The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

Application Process:

Please apply online, and search for R0082283. Internal applicants may search and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website. Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV/Resume

• Cover Letter

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all the required documents will not receive full consideration. This position is open until filled.

References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process SkillSurvey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process. A minimum of three are required.

For information regarding the position or the application process, please contact Jessica Speth, Academic Recruiter, js9rk@virginia.edu.