About UMass Amherst
The flagship of the Commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land-grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450-acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued—and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, and 100 undergraduate majors. We believe every member of our university community can contribute to our ongoing success by striving for the highest level of excellence as we seek breakthrough solutions to mounting environmental, social, economic, and technological challenges in our world.
Job Description
The successful candidate will serve as a Research Fellow for an externally funded portfolio of community-engaged research studies. The Research Fellow will work closely with our interdisciplinary team to support the community engagement efforts of a robust portfolio of research studies that seek to improve access to quality mental healthcare.
Responsibilities of the Fellow will include to: (1) support the planning, development, and implementation of community engagement efforts, including both Advisory Council and Working Group meetings, (2) facilitate logistics and scheduling of community engagement initiatives, (3) implement systems of iterative and ongoing bi-directional communication between community partners and research team members and (4) support a process of ongoing and continuous quality improvement. As a team working within a training institute, the Research Fellow will also collaborate with and support the experiential pedagogical approach of our research team, providing “on the job” support and training in community engagement for student research assistants across various training stages. The successful candidate will also support related research activities and innovative engagement methods being employed by our research team. The candidate will be expected to work with a high level of independence, prioritize research and administrative activities with supervision, and self-initiate suggestions and approaches to optimize the team’s research efforts.
Our team values diverse perspectives recognizing that our differences bring unique perspectives, experiences, and skills to the table that foster creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. We encourage applications from individuals who arrive from diverse backgrounds.
Requirements
- Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively - verbally and in writing - with participants, staff, and supervisors.
- Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with team members and contacts who are internal and external to the university.
- Organizational skills to maintain records and coordinate complex and multi-faceted tasks.
- Skill in speaking and writing to persons of various social, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds.
- High level of independence and reliability.
- Experience with community engagement for research.
- Demonstrated knowledge of personal computers and relevant software programs (e.g., data entry, word processing, spreadsheets, qualitative data analysis software) such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint/Google Slides, Outlook, Dedoose, RedCap.
- Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sciences degree required.
- Skills to plan and schedule meetings and presentations both reliably and efficiently.
Salary: $52,000
Additional Information
This position will require the successful candidate to work full-time (40 hours per week). The work will typically occur from Monday-Friday 9am-5pm but may require occasional nighttime or weekend hours (approximately 3-4 hours per month) to facilitate community engagement meetings.
Hybrid in-person and remote.
Application Instructions
Interested candidates should submit the following application materials for priority consideration by May 2024. Position will remain open until filled.
- A cover letter that includes a statement of research experience and interests,
- A curriculum vitae,
- PDF copies of one recent publication or writing sample (longer than 10 pages),
- Contact information of three professional references.
UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.