Research Data Analyst II

Open Date 10/19/2026

Requisition Number PRN
46521B

Job Title Research Data Analysts

Working Title Research Data Analyst II

Career Progression Track P00

Track Level P2 - Developing

FLSA Code Administrative

Patient Sensitive Job Code? No

Standard Hours per Week 40

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Shift Day

Work schedule:

Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM. Travel, evenings, and weekends may occasionally be required.

VP Area Academic Affairs

Department 00162 - Educational Leadership&Policy

Location Campus

City Salt Lake City, UT

Type of Recruitment External Posting

Pay Rate Range $60,000

Close Date 10/26/2026

The Prison Education Action Research Lab ( PEARL ) at the College of Education at the University of Utah is the nation’s first center dedicated to advancing research, data, and leadership in postsecondary education in prison. PEARL leverages evidence‑based research to change systems and reduce barriers to postsecondary education for people directly impacted by the criminal legal system. PEARL’s anchor project, the Prison Education Research Initiative ( PERI ), is a first‑of‑its‑kind multi‑institutional longitudinal study spanning 22+ partner colleges and universities nationwide.

PEARL does research that advances educational justice for people and communities impacted by incarceration.

The Research Data Analyst II supports the secure acquisition, organization, cleaning, documentation, preparation, and analysis of complex multi‑site administrative, survey, and research data for PEARL’s national research portfolio. Working in close support of the project’s lead Research Data Analyst (Research Data Analyst III ) and the Senior Research Associate, Quantitative, this position contributes to PEARL’s national dataset, gains hands‑on experience with the Prison Education Research Initiative ( PERI ), and supports the lab’s qualitative research.

This position is ideal for a quantitative data professional who thrives in a collaborative academic research environment, enjoys transforming raw data into accurate, well‑documented, analysis‑ready files, and is eager to grow their skills in data management, reproducible analysis, and mixed‑methods research.

Working closely with research staff and Principal Investigators, the Research Data Analyst II will help maintain secure, well‑documented data workflows spanning administrative corrections, education, employment, and survey data from multiple institutions, agencies, and time periods, while ensuring compliance with data security, IRB , and data‑use agreement requirements.

The Research Data Analyst II will work under the supervision of project PIs Dr. Erin L. Castro and Dr. Jason Taylor at the University of Utah. We strongly encourage applications from individuals directly impacted by incarceration and punishment systems.

Effort is approximate and may shift with project needs:

National dataset (approximately 45%): lead and support the acquisition, cleaning, validation, documentation, and preparation of PEARL’s national administrative and survey data.

PERI (approximately 45%): contribute to the Prison Education Research Initiative, working alongside and learning from the senior Research Data Analyst and the quantitative research team.

Qualitative research (approximately 10%): support qualitative research activities, including assisting with interviews and contributing to qualitative data analysis.

This position will help build one of the most important national datasets on prison higher education and student outcomes. The successful candidate will grow as a research data professional while contributing to credible…