Predoctoral Researcher

Job Posting Title:

Predoctoral Researcher

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Hiring Department:

Media Engagement, Center for

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2025

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

This position is fixed term with an end date of 8/31/2025. It may or may not continue depending on the availability of funding.

Purpose

As a Research Associate II, you will be an integral part of our research team, working on research related to social media and politics. This position is ideal for individuals who have recently completed or are completing their undergraduate studies or relevant master’s program and are looking to gain research experience before pursuing a Ph.D.

Responsibilities

• Produce original research using large scale data and computational methods.

• Conduct literature reviews and background research.

• Write reports and peer-reviewed articles on research produced.

• Collect datasets of social media and legacy media.

• Manage coordination of time on projects, onboarding and day-to-day communication.

• Assist in managing of graduate and undergraduate students.

• Assist with grant writing, NSF submissions and reporting.

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Computational Social Science, Communication Studies, Political Science or a related field OR Bachelor’s degree with at least 2 years of related experience.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in a related discipline.

• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python (Preferred) or R.

• Experience in data analysis, machine learning, deep learning and statistical modeling.

• Experience using deep learning libraries such as TensorFlow or PyTorch.

• Experience with data manipulation and analysis using SQL.

• Track record of research productivity, including published articles in peer-reviewed journals or conferences.

• Passionate about working on large scale computational models to study political discourse on social and mainstream media.

• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

• Effective communication skills to convey complex findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Salary Range

$60,000

Working Conditions

• Typical Office Environment

• Flexible Work Arrangements, or hybrid work options, are available

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

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

• Letter of interest

• Transcripts of masters/undergraduate coursework (unofficial copies are acceptable)

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:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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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) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (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.