Lab Manager; Part-time

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The Department of Psychology is a large, complex department within the College of Letters and Science (Division of Social Sciences). It comprises nearly 40 active faculty members, 16 career staff, 3 continuing Lecturers, a number of Visiting Scholars and Postdocs each year, as well as a large cadre of Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate Student researchers. The fundamental missions of the University - teaching, research, and community service - are all met by the Department.

Our teaching program is quite large. Psychology has nearly 800 undergraduates, and department courses serve approximately 4,000 students each semester, as well as a large summer session each year. The Department has approximately 90 graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in five specialized sub-fields. In research, the Department supports the work of a large number of life science labs in work with both human and animal subjects, as well as an off-site Field Station.

Psychology is closely linked with several major research institutes/ORUs on campus:
The Institute of Human Development, the Institute of Personality and Social Research, the Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and works in collaboration with their administration to meet the needs of our faculty. The Department also collaborates closely with the Department of Neuroscience, as many of our faculty hold joint appointments and pursue related research.

Our outpatient clinic serves the surrounding community by providing vital psychiatric treatment.

In short, the Department of Psychology is a large and varied unit that requires considerable skill in terms of its overall administration.

This role serves as a key coordinator for the Social Origins Lab led by Professor Jan Engelmann, managing research personnel, including post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduate assistants, while organizing lab meetings and supporting the lab's general administrative and social needs. This position provides essential support for laboratory research by conducting experiments, interpreting data, and assisting with scientific writing and grant protocols.

The First Review Date for this job is June 10, 2026. For full consideration, please apply by the first review date.

• Under close supervision, the Staff Research Associate (SRA) will provide research assistance.
• Incumbent will assist in overseeing research experiments from start to finish, including (but not limited to) recruitment, scheduling subjects, preparing and running experiments, and accurately collecting and recording data.
• Gather experimental data by running behavioral and EEG experiments.
• Assist with data analysis.
• Maintain and organize the collected data (both digital and paper) in accordance with laboratory standards.

• Organizing lab meetings and other occasional lab social events.
• Provide assistance with training undergraduate research assistants on laboratory tasks and techniques, such as (but not limited to) EEG and data analyses.
• Assist with coordinating undergraduate research assistants' lab tasks.
• Ensures regulatory compliance regarding safety in small to medium or single facilities; provides staff training on equipment use and safety protocols.
• Collaboratively write and/or edit IRB protocols, grants, and other scientific reports as needed.
• May contribute towards articles for publication in scientific journals or for presentations at conferences or symposiums.
• Consults with academic supervisors or professional researchers on the nature and objectives of the research project or instructional design goals.

• Ensure proper operation and maintenance of the laboratory, such as purchase, receive, store, organize, and distribute supplies for laboratory research projects, as well as software…