Campus/Virtual/Pop-up Lab Manager

Lab Manager

The Roman Family Center for Decision Research (RFCDR) is devoted to the study of how individuals form judgments and make decisions. Researchers at the RFCDR examine the processes by which intuition, reasoning, and social interaction produce beliefs, judgments, and choices. The Lab Manager provides managerial and administrative support within the RFCDR Labs' research operations. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Responsibilities

• Manages recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, approving hours, and overseeing RF-CDR Labs research assistants, providing ongoing oversight of research assistant interaction with Lab visitors and support of research assistant professional development activities. Coordinates with University partners including the Career Services office staff in recruiting and supporting student research assistant staff.
• Oversees recruitment initiatives for visitors to the Campus, Virtual and Pop-Up Labs as well as in support of overall RF-CDR lab operations, including recruiting of Mindworks visitors and for other RF-CDR programming initiatives. Coordinates with RF-CDR Communications team members in developing and delivering recruitment content and strategy.
• Provides oversight and project management for research conducted in the RFCDR Labs by affiliated faculty and graduate students, overseeing the full life-cycle of each research study from research request submission through final delivery of collected data, across RFCDR Lab sites (Campus Lab, Virtual Lab, and Pop-up Lab locations).
• Maintains current training in research ethics, including the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program), and assists in training and overseeing the RF-CDR Labs research assistants as they engage with participants, as well as maintaining documentation of RF-CDR team member's ethics training.
• Manages the operational IRB protocol records in support of research lab operations, updating team member and ethics training records as needed.
• Manages and analyzes operational datasets, providing descriptive and statistical analysis of operational and accounting records maintained for the Labs.
• Optimizes lab operations in the RFCDR Labs, by maintaining and reviewing operational records for the Labs, supporting ongoing operational initiatives, and conducting and presenting data analysis as needed from these records, such as for quarterly meetings).
• Oversees procurement and management of inventory. Maintains and tracks all materials, equipment, logs, and any other items required to conduct faculty research projects carried out in the CDR Labs. Manages procurement of study-related supplies and materials.
• Manages and reconciles expenses using UChicago systems (GEMS, etc). Assists in maintaining budget and accounting regards related to participant payments, and assists with production of research chargeback records and reporting.
• Attends and assists in managing RFCDR Center and Labs team meetings. Assists the RFCDR Administrative Office on projects and events as needed.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Maintains recruiting and scheduling research subjects; assisting with developing or amending study protocols; assisting with developing data collection tools; assisting with building databases; and providing general administrative support. Has general awareness in research techniques or methods, regulatory policies and procedures, and relevant scientific field
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in the areas of psychology, organizational behavior, marketing, other behavioral science discipline.
• Master's degree.

Experience:

• Background managing research assistants and research operations within in-person and/or online behavioral research labs.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

Preferred Competencies

• Demonstrated familiarity with social science research methods.
• Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills.
• Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
• Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, attention to detail, analytical, and persuasion skills.
• Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, including in person, email, and phone.
• Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service-oriented approach.

Working Conditions

• This position is expected to work in the office.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.