Social Science​/Humanities Research Associate III

Job Posting

Title:

Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III ---- Hiring Department:
Department of Psychology ---- Position Open To:
All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled

Hours:

40 ---- FLSA Status:
Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest

Start Date:

Sep 01, 2026 ---- Position Duration:
Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2027 ---
- Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS ---- Job Details:

Dr. Nicholas Duran, Associate Professor of Psychology at UT Austin, is building a new cognitive and behavioral data science lab and seeks a Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III to serve as the lab’s technical lead—designing, building, and maintaining the multimodal behavioral data-collection infrastructure and the computational pipelines that process audio, video, motion, physiological, and language data. This is a senior, hands-on technical role under the direct supervision of the Principal Investigator.

This is a one-year fixed term position.

Dr. Nicholas Duran, Associate Professor of Psychology at UT Austin, is building a new cognitive and behavioral data science lab and seeks a Social Science/Humanities Research Associate III to serve as the lab’s technical lead.

• Technical infrastructure and data pipelines. Design, build, configure, and maintain the lab’s multimodal behavior‑capture systems (motion capture, cameras, microphones, and multichannel recording hardware); develop, document, and maintain data‑processing and analysis pipelines for audio, video, motion, physiological, and language channels; and apply and integrate automated tools, including large language models, for transcription, annotation, and feature extraction.
• Data analysis and technical mentoring. Lead data quality assurance and reproducible analysis workflows under PI direction; write and maintain code and documentation in Python, R, or MATLAB; and provide technical guidance and training to undergraduate research assistants on data collection, coding, and pipeline use.
• Operations and data management. Maintain shared drives, code repositories, and datasets consistent with IRB and UT data‑management requirements; and support equipment procurement, inventory, and lab coordination in collaboration with the PI and the Psychology Business Office.

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated programming experience (e.g., Python, R, or MATLAB), including experience building or maintaining data‑processing or analysis pipelines.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to work independently, and excellent written and oral communication.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

• Two or more years of research‑laboratory, technical, or data‑engineering experience, including hands‑on experience with multimodal or multichannel behavior‑capture systems (motion capture such as Vicon, Opti Track, Qualisys, or Captury; eye‑tracking; physiological recording; or VR).
• Experience with machine‑learning or large‑language‑model tooling for transcription, annotation, or feature extraction, and with version control (e.g., Git) and reproducible research workflows.
• Interest in communication, behavioral dynamics, language and motion research, or behavioral data science more broadly.

Salary Range $45,000 - $55,000

Required Materials Resume/CV 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor Letter of interest

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.

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.

A criminal history background check…