Research Assistant

Job Title

Research Assistant

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Psychology

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Here’s a Glimpse of the Job

The Department of Psychology is looking for a Research Assistant to support the management and execution of research projects in Dr. MacNamara’s Multimethod Affect and Cognition Lab (MAClab; http://maclab.sites.tamu.edu). The lab investigates emotion and cognition in both healthy individuals and those with psychiatric conditions and is expanding its work in treatment-focused research.

Responsibilities include recruiting and screening participants (including conducting phone interviews with individuals experiencing anxiety and/or depression), running participants in electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, processing and entering data, supervising undergraduate students and volunteers, preparing IRB and grant documents, and performing additional tasks as needed to support ongoing research.

Opportunities to Contribute

• Collect psychophysiological and fMRI data from human participants and supervise undergraduate research assistants involved in data collection.

• Phone‑screen potential participants to verify eligibility based on clinical and study‑specific criteria.

• Perform administrative tasks related to grants and lab projects, including preparing IRB submissions and reports for funders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, Biology, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience is not required; training will be provided.

• Ability to travel independently in employee-owned vehicle to MRI scanner on campus (10 minute drive from main campus).

A well-qualified candidate for this position will also possess:

• Master’s degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, Biology, or related field (completed by Fall 2026) or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Prior experience working in psychology, psychiatry (or related field) research lab.

• Prior experience with emotion-focused psychophysiology research.

• Statistical expertise.

• Ability to work independently, multitask and work cooperatively with others.

• Strong organizational skills.

• Ability to effectively communicate both orally and in writing.

• Ability to positively and professionally interact with research participants and other lab members.

• Working knowledge of office software; strong computer skills.

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate based on the selected candidate's education and experience.

Please note: This position is grant funded; future employment may be contingent upon future funding.

What you need to do

Apply! Submitting a cover letter, resume’/CV to assist us with the review process. You may upload these documents on the application under CV/Resume.

Why Texas A&M University?

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experiences. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values (https://www.tamu.edu/about/coreValues.html) which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is engaged in research that falls into all five graduate areas of specialization:

• Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience

• Clinical Psychology

• Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology

• Social & Personality Psychology

In addition to the Department of Psychological and Brain Science’s 5 areas of specialization, we have overlapping research interests that bridge traditional areas of psychology. These primary research themes include Affective Science; Neuroscience; Personality and Individual Differences. To learn more please visit our site at https://artsci.tamu.edu/psychological-brain-sciences/index.html

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration. Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you. Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.

• Medical, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/medical/) prescription drug, dental, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/dental/) vision, life and AD&D, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/life-add/) flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/long-term-disability/) with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

• 12-15 days (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/index.html) of annual paid holidays

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/sick.html) and at least eight hours of paid vacation (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/vacation.html) each month

• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (https://www.trs.texas.gov/Pages/Homepage.aspx)

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time (https://flourish.tamu.edu/wellness-release-time/)

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning (https://linkedinlearning.tamu.edu/) training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more

• Educational release time and tuition assistance (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/employee-tuition-assistance) for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee

• Living Well, (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/) a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered, or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to prepopulate the online application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.