Staff Research Associate, Linguistics

At the University of California, Berkeley , we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and MacArthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond. Together, we change the world.

At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth . We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups.

The Department of Linguistics, within the Social Sciences Division of the College of Letters and Science, is highly regarded in the linguistics community. Our faculty and students have close contacts with other departments and programs on campus, including Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Education, Native American Studies, Philosophy, Psychology, and many language and literature departments. We are home to several laboratories and a language archive. The department consists of 25 faculty members, including emeritae, approximately 35 graduate students, and 100+ undergraduate majors. We also host postdocs, visiting scholars, researchers, and 6 staff FTE.

Position Summary

The Staff Research Associate supports the UC Berkeley site of a multi-site, NIH-funded research project (R01DC021849; lead site: Northwestern University) examining pragmatic language and social communication in autism across two typologically distinct languages, English and Mandarin Chinese. The Berkeley site, directed by the Principal Investigator (Prof. Alan Yu, Department of Linguistics), is responsible for enrolling and testing Mandarin-speaking participants.

Under close technical supervision by the PI and the postdoctoral researcher, the position exists to carry out participant recruitment and data collection with Mandarin-speaking autistic individuals, their family members, and non-autistic comparison participants, and to ensure that all assessments, language samples, and neurophysiological (EEG) data collected at Berkeley are obtained, managed, and transferred according to the shared multi-site protocol so that they can be combined with data collected at Northwestern University.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is November 13, 2026. For full consideration, please apply by the first review date.

Responsibilities

Participant Testing and Data Collection - 50%

• Under close technical supervision and following established procedures, administers the study's standardized testing battery, primarily in Mandarin and in English where required, to autistic individuals, their family members, and non-autistic comparison participants, including minors. The battery includes clinical-behavioral characterization measures, cognitive IQ and standardized language tests, narrative and conversational language elicitation tasks, electroencephalography EEG experiments, and questionnaires.
• Obtains informed consent and assent; prepares testing rooms, materials, and equipment; fits EEG caps and electrodes, monitors signal quality, and runs computerized experiments; audio- and video-records sessions; and scores assessments according to test manuals and study protocol after training to study standards.
• End Result: Complete, valid, protocol-consistent data from every session that are comparable with data collected at the lead site, and a safe, respectful, and well-paced experience for each participant and family.

Recruitment, Screening, and Scheduling - 25%

• Conducts outreach to Mandarin-speaking families through community organizations, autism service providers, parent networks, and occasional community events; responds to inquiries; and conducts eligibility screening by phone or online in Mandarin and English.
• Schedules research visits, including visits involving multiple members of the same family; sends reminders and visit instructions; and maintains an accurate recruitment and enrollment tracking log.
• End Result: Steady enrollment that meets site recruitment targets, with accurate and up-to-date records of participant contact, eligibility, and visit status.

Data Management and Quality Control - 15%

• Enters and verifies assessment and questionnaire data in secure study databases; organizes, labels, and de-identifies audio, video, and EEG files; performs initial quality checks on collected data; and transfers data to the lead site through approved secure platforms.
• End Result: An accurate, secure, and analysis-ready Berkeley site dataset that is fully aligned with the multi-site data structure.

Regulatory Compliance and Project Coordination - 10%

• Maintains IRB documentation, consent records, and protocol training logs; documents and reports protocol deviations to the PI; attends regular meetings with the Northwestern research team; prepares progress summaries for the PI; and maintains testing equipment and supply inventory.
• End result: Site operations that remain in compliance with IRB-approved procedures and University policy and stay closely aligned with lead-site procedures and timelines.

The SRA is not expected to adapt methods or independently resolve technical problems. All duties are largely routine, and the SRA is expected to develop proficiency in administering the tasks outlined above.

Required Qualifications

• Native proficiency in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese and professional proficiency in spoken and written English, sufficient to administer standardized tests, obtain informed consent, and communicate with participants and families in both languages.
• Ability to learn and follow detailed, standardized research protocols, including clinical-behavioral, cognitive, and language assessments and EEG procedures, with accuracy and consistency.
• Interpersonal skills to work respectfully and effectively with autistic individuals, minors, and families from diverse backgrounds.
• Organizational and time-management skills to coordinate participant scheduling and manage multiple concurrent tasks.
• Attention to detail in data collection, data entry, and record-keeping.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive participant information and follow data security procedures.
• Proficiency with standard computer applications and ability to learn research software and EEG recording equipment.
• Ability to work independently on assigned tasks and as part of a multi-site research team.
• Completion of human subjects research protection training (e.g., CITI) and study-specific protocol training is required upon hire.
• Bachelor's degree in any field and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with autistic individuals or other clinical populations, or experience in language research.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $30.12 - $35.93, Step 1 - Step 9.

• This is a non-exempt, bi-weekly paid position.
• This is an 18-month, full-time, Limited [temporary] position that is eligible for UC benefits.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.
• The automatic conversion to career status, as provided in Section B.2. above, will not occur when: c. The funding for the position is “one time” funding, of eighteen (18) months or less.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Mandated Reporter

This position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter required to report the observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, or elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon completion of signed statements acknowledging the responsibilities of a Mandated Reporter.

Misconduct

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

“Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.