Linguistics Department

Bulletin Board

Full Time Project Coordinator (Lab Manager)

Project Coordinator (Term-Exempt) - (1902358)

Description

This is a full-time, exempt, term position. 

Under the supervision of Dr. Brown-Schmidt, the Project Coordinator is part of the Conversation Laboratory in Psychology and Human Development Department at Vanderbilt University and is responsible for coordinating laboratory research. The Project Coordinator will assist in stimulus development, experimental design, data collection and analysis, initial interpretation of results, and preparation of publications. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for making sure the equipment in the lab is up to date and running correctly and will assist in coordination with the Dr. Duff lab (at VUMC) once experiments have been prepared for running on patients and comparisons. The coordinator is a key contributor responsible for every aspect of research in the lab including recruiting participants, running participants, coding and analyzing data, supervising undergraduate assistants, and purchasing and maintaining lab equipment.

The Peabody Department of Psychology and Human Development is a group of scholars who work to increase understanding of basic psychological functioning and neuropsychological development in family, school, and other social contexts.

Several programs, which are included in the Psychological Sciences major offered jointly with the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Science, include clinical science, cognitive and cognitive neuroscience, developmental science, neuroscience, and quantitative methods and evaluation.

The department also is the home of Master of Education programs in Child Studies, Clinical Psychological Assessment and Quantitative Methods as well as undergraduate majors in Child Development, Cognitive Studies, and Child Studies. The research efforts of the department are focused on increasing understanding of basic psychological processes and applying this knowledge of infant, adolescent, and adult functioning, emphasizing the family, school, and other social contexts that influence development.

Department faculty are accomplished and nationally known. Many serve as editors of psychological journals, members of national review panels, and leaders in national organizations. All are authors of numerous scientific articles and chapters. While faculty members in Psychology share a common interest in psychological processes and their development, our specific interests and expertise are diverse. Some are committed to increasing understanding of basic psychological processes, while others emphasize implications for clinical, social, and educational issues. All are committed to building a diverse and inclusive department.

The Conversation Lab in the Department of Psychology and Human Development investigates the cognitive and neural underpinnings of everyday language use including ongoing projects on conversation, language, perspective-taking, and the impact of brain damage on these processes. The lab uses a variety of methods, including referential communication tasks, eye-tracking and visual world paradigms, research with patient populations, brain imaging, and reading experiments.

Duties and Responsibilities

• PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT AND OUTREACH:
  • Publicizing study, scheduling and consenting participants, attending various events in the community to disseminate our work.
• ADMINISTERING COGNITIVE TESTING:
  • Administering experiments as well as standardized cognitive tests.
  • May require the development of assessments with specialized computer software.
• COLLECTING NEUROIMAGING DATA:
  • Coordinating with Duff lab at VUMC to run participants in neuroimaging experiments and collecting MRI data at imaging center.
• DATA MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS:
  • Data scoring and entry, data management, analyzing behavioral performance, and data quality checks.
• SUPERVISING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS:
  • Hiring new assistants, training and coordinating assistants that aid in various lab duties, such as administering experiments and coding.
• VARIOUS ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES:
  • Maintaining information technology, website, purchasing, cash advances and bookkeeping, coordinating visitors, facilitating and attending research assistant and lab meetings.
• ASSISTING WITH REPORTS:
  • Helping with periodic review reports for Institutional Review Board and for granting agencies.
  • Participating in formulating research papers for presentation and publication.
  • Recruiting and running participants for studies in the lab.
  • Coding and analyzing data
  • Supervising undergraduate assistants
  • Purchasing and maintaining lab equipment.
• Organizing lab resources including:
  • Managing research assistant hours, lab meetings and the laboratory experimental schedule.
  • Managing IRB compliance forms and consent form paperwork.
  • Helping to design studies and prepare stimuli.
  • Assisting in grant and manuscript preparation.
  • Keeping inventory of supplies and computer equipment.

Supervisory Relationships

This position has supervisory responsibility managing undergraduate students who work in the lab. This position reports administratively to the Business Manager and functionally to Sarah Brown-Schmidt and Melissa Duff at VUMC.

NOTE: A Term position is a staff position that exists for a period longer than six months but is not expected to last beyond one year. Although a position may exist for a specified or indefinite period, staff who accept term positions are not guaranteed employment for the entire period; they are employed for indefinite periods within the limit of the appointment. There are no guarantees of continued employment, either within the term or when the term ends.

Profile of an Ideal Candidate 

• A Bachelor’s degree in Psychology or a related field from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary.
• Experience in coordinating behavioral research studies is necessary.
• Experience with computer software including media, office, database and basic statistical applications is necessary.
• Experience supervising research assistants is preferred.
• Experience in institutional review board processes is preferred.
• Experience overseeing personnel, excellent organizational and interpersonal skills is preferred.
• Experience working in a Psychology research lab and skills in computer programming are strongly preferred.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Vanderbilt University is committed to achieving the goal of a diverse and inclusive academic community of faculty, staff, and students. We seek individuals who are committed to this goal and our campus values.

Qualifications

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Bulletin Board is for informational purposes only. The Linguistics Department does not explicitly endorse any of the particular events or opportunities listed here.