Research Fellow

Research Fellow Job no: 505134 Work type: Senior/Research Fellow (Amherst Only) Location: UMass Amherst Department: Health Promotion & Policy Union: Non-Unit Exempt Categories: Research About UMass ... Read more

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Description

Under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI), the candidate will perform activities on multiple research projects. The candidate will be expected to work with a high level of independence, prioritize all aspects of research activities with minimal supervision, and self-initiate suggestions and approaches to research efforts. Research populations will include: people with opioid and other substance use disorders, criminal offenders, incarcerated individuals, mentally ill individuals, and state- and county-level administrators in the fields of public health, medicine and health care delivery, criminal justice, and public policy. The candidate will conduct interviews with research participants, facilitate focus groups for research purposes, coordinate training events, ensure that research projects meet regulatory requirements, and perform other research-related tasks.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sciences degree required.
• Skill in speaking and writing to persons of various social, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds.
• Driver's license and car for field interviews.
• Willingness and ability to maintain confidentiality of participants interviewed.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively, verbally, and in writing, with participants, staff, and supervisors.
• Experience with teaching or training, preferably in contexts that serve vulnerable and marginalized populations (people with opioid use disorder, people involved with the criminal justice system).
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with staff who are internal and external to the university.
• Organizational skills to maintain records and coordinate other tasks as required.
• Ability to question participants about sensitive behavioral issues, including drug use and criminal behavior, and frequency of high-risk sex behaviors.
• Ability to review, recall, and assess interview forms for completeness, accuracy, and internal consistency.
• Ability to think logically.
• Skill in simple mathematics.
• Experience with data collection, including expertise in re-contact methods and interviewing, with similar populations. Preferred.
• Knowledge of the Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse.
• Experience with coordinating and assisting with data collection via focus groups and 1:1 interviews. Preferred.
• 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, and Outlook.
• Competency with Atlas.ti, Filemaker Pro, STATA, and LexisNexis. Preferred.
• Spanish speaker preferred.
• Ability to travel (able to fly, rent and drive a car, stay overnight when needed).
• Organizational skills to plan and schedule meetings and presentations.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends.
• Can pass criminal history background check to enter jails and prisons.
• Possesses CITI certification for the conduct of research with Human Subjects, particularly prisoner populations. Preferred.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information 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.