Research Associate

This position is available beginning July 15th, 2026 with flexibility in the starting date and is funded for 1 year. The role is expected to continue until August 31, 2027, with a 40-hour weekly schedule and is exempt from FLSA.

About the Role

The Research Associate will work on research projects related to higher education policy and social stratification in higher education. The role requires in-depth experience with state administrative data and other large-scale education datasets, including cleaning and merging raw data files, and producing research findings for policymakers, practitioners, and academic audiences.

Responsibilities

• Data cleaning and management
• Data analysis and research design
• Produce scholarly research, including articles, research reports, and presentations
• Project management and organization, including collaborating with the research team and directing the efforts of junior team members
• Collaborate on grant writing
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Education, Social Sciences, or related field
• 3 years of experience working with state administrative data, including cleaning and producing derived data files from raw data files
• Research experience using a variety of statistical methods to examine effects of education policy and practices
• Strong programming skills in Stata
• Experience publishing quantitative research in education and/or social science journals

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience using Texas Education Research Center data (state administrative data from Texas)
• Demonstrated expertise and/or credentials in statistics and data sciences
• Demonstrated expertise in higher education policy

Benefits

The university offers an impressive benefits package. For more details, visit UT Austin Benefits and My Total Rewards.

The College of Liberal Arts provides additional resources, including a Staff Leadership Academy and Staff Professional Development Fund.

Pay

$80,000+ depending on qualifications.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with contact information (at least one from a supervisor; finalists will need three professional reference letters, with a minimum of two external to UT Austin)
• Letter of interest
• Example Stata code (do file) for cleaning large-scale administrative data
• Writing sample: Example scholarly publication, preferably published in a peer-reviewed education or social science journal