Undergrad Research Coordinator

About The Job

Please note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

Summary

This position contributes to the operation of OUR (100%) and also includes maintaining and developing OUR’s InfoReady database infrastructure for the efficient administration of UROP and RISE competitions, developing the new Undergraduate Research System-wide Analytics (URSA) to track undergraduate research participation across the University system, managing OUR communications including the Undergrad Research Connection monthly newsletter and OUR Instagram account, maintaining the OUR website, updating the Undergraduate Research Ethics Canvas training module, advising and connecting students with potential research advisors, staffing at University events to encourage students to participate in OUR programs, supervision of undergraduate student workers, and participation in OUR strategic planning. This position reports to the OUR Associate Director and works closely with the OUR Faculty Director for OUR, and other staff within OUE and across campus on a variety of projects, initiatives, and committee assignments.

Essential Functions

• 50% Administration of UROP and RISE programs

  • This position has shared responsibility with the OUR Associate Director for routine operational support of the UROP and RISE programs, including overseeing maintenance and development of OUR’s InfoReady database infrastructure, coordinating the review process of >700 applications per academic year with collegiate representatives across all five UMN campuses, and communicating the outcomes of the review process to student applicants. In some instances, this work will also involve directly evaluating the academic merit of research proposals. Both UROP and RISE have funding competitions three times a year.

• 15% Organization of Undergraduate Research Symposiums

  • The Coordinator works independently and in collaboration with the OUR Associate Director and Faculty Director, OUR student employees, OUE marketing, UMN Libraries, and UMN Honors Program to organize the Fall semester virtual and Spring semester (Great Hall of Coffman Student Union) Undergraduate Research Symposiums for students to disseminate their research to the broader UMN community. The Coordinator leads the logistics (space reservations, catering, poster printing), and planning (including program preparation and grouping of student presentations by common disciplines), recruitment strategy, website development (including production of hundreds of unique web pages with text, photos, and video), and storage of poster files in the UMN Digital Conservancy.

• 15% Student and Faculty Support & Advising

  • The Coordinator advises individual students and groups to help refine research interests, find willing mentors, identify research opportunities, and recruit new research applications for the UROP and RISE programs as well as other non-OUR opportunities. This may involve providing feedback on draft student research grant applications across all disciplines and colleges for content and coherency. This role provides support to faculty who are looking for adequately trained students to help advance their research and the development of student-faculty connectivity tools through the UMN’s Handshake platform. The Coordinator also contributes to advising through OUR’s monthly newsletter, which goes out to all students who have previously participated in OUR programs, through our social media accounts, and through the continuous updating of the OUR website. The coordinator also designs and participates in workshops and outreach activities associated with events like Think Like a Researcher, Welcome Week, and admissions and class functions. The Coordinator works in collaboration with the OUR Associate Director to supervise undergraduate student workers in maintaining social media and data entry.

• 15% OUR Innovation and Outreach

  • Collaboration among the OUR Faculty Director, Associate Director, and Coordinator is crucial for developing new programs and services that expand research opportunities for students and improve OUR’s ability to track participation. This function may occasionally involve proposal preparation. Examples of this function between 2024-2026 include: The development of and rollout of the RISE program, the creation of the Undergraduate Research Ethics Canvas training module in collaboration with the UMN Libraries and Faculty Senate Committee on Research Ethics. The construction of the new InfoReady database and funding software. Brainstorming potential new programmatic elements like Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs), Curriculum-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), the Research Enhanced Curriculum (REC) program, and a virtual assistant to help answer common student research questions. Co-organizing the 2025 Big Ten+ Academic Alliance Meeting at the University of Minnesota, e. Representing OUR at external disciplinary-specific conferences, such as the annual meeting of the Council for Undergraduate Research (ConnectUR).

• 5% Perform Various Other Duties

  • This position involves management of payments and expenses associated with the UROP and RISE programs and close coordination with departmental accountants.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree plus at least four years of relevant experience, or a master’s degree plus at least two years of relevant experience.
• Master’s or Doctoral/advanced degree
• Familiarity with OUR and University undergraduate research programs, databases, and financial systems is preferred.
• Prior experience with research conventions across disciplines.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with attention to detail. Excellent interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative environment.
• Sensitive to the needs and barriers faced by first generation undergraduate student populations.