PAC Research Assistant

Overview

Salary range for this position is $17.75 – $22.00 per hour depending upon qualifications and is non-negotiable. SDSU Research Foundation (SDSURF) was established in 1943. Its mission is to support the research objectives of San Diego State University by helping faculty and staff find, obtain, and administer funding for their research and sponsored programs. SDSU achieved its strategic plan goal of becoming an R1, premier public research university in early 2025, furthering discoveries, interventions, and solutions that improve communities and change the world.

SDSURF provides the full life cycle of grants services to faculty and staff to further their important work. Our vision is to foster a culture of creativity and collaboration with integrity and respect for individuals that results in the delivery of superior service to support the university’s strategic aspirations.
Our core values: Service, Collaboration, Innovation, Respect, Integrity. Prison Arts Collective (PAC) works to expand access to the transformative power of the arts through collaboration and mutual learning that supports the development of self-expression, reflection, communication, and empathy through providing multidisciplinary arts programming in correctional institutions. PAC currently facilitates weekly multidisciplinary arts programming and art facilitator training programs in 14 prisons throughout California.

PAC is based at San Diego State University and has partnerships with Humboldt State University and California State University, San Bernardino. The Research Assistant position supports the Prison Arts Collective (PAC) research program, including support with organization and analysis of collected data, remaining in compliance with university and state IRB, supervision of research interns, and helping to communicate about PAC research within the university and academic community.

The Research Assistant assists the PAC leadership team to guide and support the research portion of the project in alignment with PAC’s mission and vision.

• Research Support & Data Management 95%
• Maintain accurate records, safeguarding the confidentiality of participants, as necessary
• Organize survey data in the PAC office and the Google Drive, including digitizing documents and securely managing and effectively organizing data and other materials
• Track completion of pre and post programming surveys for all facilities
• Review physical copies in the PAC office to digitize, record and shred as needed
• Conduct analyses as directed by research faculty and staff
• Support in summarizing results and generating papers and conference presentations
• Collaborate with research faculty and staff on research products and ideas
• Attend research-related bi-monthly meetings
• Pro-actively maintain regular email communication with research team to share progress and updates
• Ensure that the project remains in alignment with state IRB protocols
• Collaborate with all members of the research team
• Other Duties as Assigned 5%

• Knowledge and Abilities:
• Must live in a commutable distance from San Diego State University at the time of hire
• Flexibility, patience, positivity, problem solving skills, self-starter
• Willingness to learn
• Willingness to work as part of a team
• Passion for the mission and work of the program

Undergraduate Student Assistant:
Current enrollment as an undergraduate student duate Student Assistant:
Equivalent to completion of a bachelor’s degree and registration in an SDSU graduate degree program.

Preferred Qualifications and Special

Skills:

• Experience with Google Suite products such as Sheets, Drive, Gmail, and Calendar
• Experience with Microsoft products such as Excel and Word
• Statistics Software such as SPSS
• Experience scanning documents to a computer
• Research experience in similar or related field

• Candidate must reside in California and live within a commutable distance from SDSU at time of hire
• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on background check results (including a criminal record check)
• SDSU Research Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent…