Research Assistant

Primary Purpose of the Organizational Unit The Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service regarding human development and close relationships, especially marital and family relationships, across the lifespan. Our objectives are to educate the next generation of HDFS professionals and scholars, to generate new knowledge and to foster the well‑being of individuals and families in their everyday lives. iGrowUp is a new grant designed to follow the 299 mother‑child dyads from iGrow (Infant Growth and Development Study) plus an additional cohort of 50 or more children from age 3.5 to 5 years. Key aims are to determine if child appetite and self‑regulation constructs are distinct vs. overlapping in preschool and to test a comprehensive biopsychosocial model of predictors (assessed at age 3) of childhood obesity risk at age 5. Position Summary In addition to collecting data—administering questionnaires and observational protocols, collecting child urine, weighing and measuring participants—the Research Assistant will be the main point of contact for the mothers enrolled in the study and the key person responsible for re‑enrolling mothers in the follow‑up study and retention efforts. The Research Assistant will also assist the Recruitment Coordinator with additional duties as needed. The role requires good interpersonal skills with individuals of diverse socio‑economic and cultural backgrounds, comfort interacting with young children, reliable transportation, and a willingness to work a flexible schedule that includes some evenings and weekends. The Research Assistant will be closely supervised by the Senior Research Assistant, Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator, and Co‑Investigators. Minimum Qualifications Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, Psychology, or a related field and at least one year of prior research experience. Strong oral presentation skills, good interpersonal skills with a diverse population, reliable transportation, and willingness to work evenings and weekends. Key Responsibilities Data Collection (20%) – Build and maintain participant datasets; collect child urine samples; weigh and measure children and mothers; administer standardized observational tasks; administer questionnaires. Recruitment/Scheduling Participants (10%) – Assist the Recruitment Coordinator; serve as a secondary point of contact; visit local recruitment sites (Women’s Hospital, Public Health Department Clinic, WIC breastfeeding classes, local obstetric practices); deliver verbal project summaries to small‑to‑moderate sized groups and occasionally call potential participants. Coding (15%) – Help code behavioral data collected from observations. Oversee Retention Efforts (10%) – Serve as the main contact to participants; call, text, email, or use social media to describe the follow‑up study and re‑enroll participants; use the same methods to schedule appointments; send appointment reminders; mail or email needed materials before visits; follow up after visits to secure additional required information. Scoring Questionnaires and Writing Measure Descriptions (10%) – Score questionnaire data from waves 3 and 5; write measure descriptions for scored data to aid dissemination efforts. Physical Effort Hand movement—repetitive motions (O), hand movement—grasping (R), holding (R), reading (F), writing (R), eye‑hand coordination (R), hearing (O), talking (F), standing (O), sitting (O), walking (O), lifting 0–30 lbs. (R), pushing/pulling (R), climbing stairs (R), bending (R), crawling (R). Work Environment Inside (F), Outside (R). #J-18808-Ljbffr University of North Carolina at Greensboro