Research Associate

Are you looking to grow your skills as a researcher by supporting and contributing to high-quality research? Do you love working to improve higher education access, inclusivity, and reach? Then apply today for this part-time Research Associate opportunity

EdPlus at ASU is a dynamic unit of Arizona State University focused on the design and scalable delivery of digital teaching and learning models to increase student success and reduce barriers to achievement in higher education. We advance the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of the local, national, and international communities served by ASU.

Action Lab is a learning laboratory within EdPlus that provides data-driven strategies and research findings to enhance our learning and transformational project portfolios; we aim to make changes at ASU through data and scholarship. With an emphasis on online learning, our predictive and evaluative analyses support student success and persistence from curiosity to graduation. Our research is actionable and operationally oriented, and we support and coordinate with high-level university stakeholders to improve student learning, motivation, and persistence and to increase equity across the university. We are a fast-paced unit that gets stuff done, makes a difference in the lives of our ASU students to drive change, and bolsters successes grounded in data and research.

Want to know more about working at EdPlus? Click here

We are seeking a motivated and skilled part-time (20 hours/week) Research Associate to join our high-performing, interdisciplinary research team at Action Lab. Every day you will make a difference in the lives of others by directly contributing to the scholarly research and general data analysis for a variety of projects, many of which are innovative, highly visible, and enterprise level.

You will design surveys to assess educational interventions, conduct interviews, surveys, and classroom observations, and learn to organize large datasets with research software. Additionally, your research support will include conducting literature reviews to summarize findings on educational innovations, managing participant recruitment and coordination, and staying updated on educational research trends. You will support ethical compliance, handle participant consent, and ensure all activities meet Institutional Review Board (IRB) guidelines.

Action Lab is a matrixed organization, so depending on a given project or phase, you may report through different work streams. While you will officially report to a highly qualified researcher on the team, you will work closely with wide range of colleagues and leadership who contribute to scholarly research efforts and project development. You will work collaboratively with other Action Lab researchers, staff, and faculty to co-manage the efforts through the execution of research protocols and to analyze, coordinate, and maintain research information.

Essential Duties:

Manage and organize large datasets, including cleaning, coding, and data entry into statistical software or databases.
Conduct literature reviews to support ongoing projects or proposals, summarizing findings on educational innovation, learning outcomes, and pedagogical methods.
Support the recruitment of and schedule for study participants (e.g., students, instructors) and manage participant consent and confidentiality.
Coordinate project timelines, schedule meetings, and communicate with team members to support principal investigators (PIs) and researchers.
Maintain accurate records of research protocols, IRB applications, and progress reports in our Google Drive space and other virtual databases.
Ensure all research activities comply with ethical guidelines and university policies, particularly Institutional Review Board (IRB) standards for human subjects research.
Manage a high volume of research files; track, prioritize, and report daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.
Assist with Research Management ecosystem (Zotero).
Support the execution of gift card distributions and other stipend distributions to participants.
Contribute to workshop materials, research reports, conference presentations, and publications by preparing drafts, formatting documents, editing for writing format (such as APA), and generating graphs and tables.
Assist in designing and implementing surveys, experiments, and observational studies to assess educational interventions as needed.
Collect data through interviews, surveys, focus groups, classroom observations, and learning management systems (LMS).
Assist in analyzing qualitative data using qualitative analysis tools (e.g., Dedoose, ).
Assist with interpreting results and preparing data visualizations or summaries for reporting purposes.
Assume other duties or projects as assigned.

NOTE: This is not a fully remote position. Must be able to reliably commute to Scottsdale, AZ, several times per week.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and three (3) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.

Desired Qualifications:

Ideal for doctoral candidates or Master's students seeking applied research experience.
Demonstrated skills in data management and statistical analysis, as well as an ability to learn.
Evidence of familiarity and experience with qualitative data and analysis tools (e.g., Dedoose, ).
Demonstrated knowledge of executing research designs to elicit defensible and co-informed research findings.
Experience with IRB and related training and is CITI certified.
Experience managing various data files (e.g., audio, R, Excel).
Evidence of flawless command of English in both written and verbal formats.
Demonstrated broad experience/interests in various statistical abilities and interest in developing skills to match needs in these areas.
Evidence of effective communication and collaboration skills.
Demonstrated ability and willingness to work in a highly matrixed and team environment.
Experience in higher education research and practice preferred.

NOTE: Please answer the following questions in your cover letter:
Are you IRB – Social & Behavioral Research (Group 2) CITI trained?
Describe how many surveys you have built and interviews you have completed.

Salary & Benefits:

$20 - $22 per hour, DOE (20 hours/week)

ASU offers a total compensation package that includes valuable employee benefits. Click here to explore options.
Healthcare
Financial Security
Retirement
Family Resources
Tuition Reduction (Eligible ASU Employee, their dependents and spouse.)
Discounts

Working Environment:

Your desk will be in the beautiful, cutting-edge, and collaborative workspace at SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. The Center houses a diverse business community that links technology, research, education, and entrepreneurship to position ASU and Greater Phoenix as global leaders in the knowledge economy.

EdPlus at ASU supports flexible work options, ranging from alternate work schedules to hybrid remote work schedules, subject to approvals per ASU policy. (This is NOT a fully remote position.)

Applicant must be eligible to work in the United States. EdPlus at ASU will not be a sponsor for this position.

Department Statement:

EdPlus defines itself through a culture of curiosity, risk-taking and refusing to accept the status quo. As a central enterprise unit for ASU focused on the design and scalable delivery of digital teaching and learning models to increase student success and reduce barriers to achievement in higher education, our commitments support the University charter. ASU is a national service university and aspires to accelerate positive social outcomes through the seamless integration of cutting-edge technological innovation and scalability.

EdPlus employees are valued, respected, and encouraged to be their unique selves. We know that our ability to deliver high-quality services and educational experiences is strengthened by our culture of inclusion. Our innovative approach drives outcomes through serving learners, achieving milestones, striving for excellence, solving problems, embracing urgency, and being bold.

EdPlus at ASU

Apply by 11:59 pm Arizona time: Thursday, March 12, 2026.