Research Data Specialist

Job Summary

The Bergelson Lab, part of the Psychology Department at Harvard University, is seeking a full-time Research Data Specialist. Research in the lab investigates the language development of infants and children, exploring topics such as language input, sound and meaning representations of words, and relationships between language and sensory experience. This position focuses on the technical and computational aspects of the lab's operations, including maintaining codebases, creating scripts to support lab operations, facilitating and documenting workflows, and managing experimental and naturalistic data.

This staff member will report to the P.I., an Associate Professor of Psychology, and work closely with other lab members. This role provides opportunities to contribute to and lead projects, assist with data analysis, and support ongoing research initiatives.

Position Description

• Manage mixed-media (audio, video, text-based annotations, etc.) corpora used in the lab.
• Maintain and update the lab's code (Python package blabpy, R package blabr, assortment of bash/R/Python scripts).
• Create, document, and manage scripts for data management and preprocessing.
• Provide support for data processing and analysis for experimental and observational datasets.
• Collaborate with lab members to ensure high-quality data management and computational reproducibility (i.e. code reviews, comment creation)
• Participate in lab meetings, contributing to discussions on project development, methodology, and analysis.
• Support lab members on coding and data management workflows.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in cognitive science, computer science, data science, or a related field
• At least one year of experience in psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, computer science or a related field in a research context required (not just coursework)
• At least two years of combined experience (incl. coursework) with at least 2 of the following: Python, R, bash.
• At least one year of experience with Git/Github.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Experience with behavioral/eyetracking/EEG/observation data is highly desirable.
• Experience with audio, video, and image processing is an asset.
• Familiarity with online research tools (e.g., OSF) is an asset.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required.
• Must be highly detail-oriented, organized, and capable of working independently

Additional Information

This is a one-year position with renewal dependent upon performance and continued funding availability. The position offers a salary range of $60,000-$70,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. There are opportunities for attending relevant conferences and workshops, with costs covered on a case-by-case basis.

All formal offers will be made by FAS Human Resources.

We regret that we will not be able to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Work Format Details

This position is based primarily on-campus, in Massachusetts. This may include in-person during emergency situations (if applicable). Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Benefits

We invite you to visit Harvard's Total Rewards website ( ) to learn more about our outstanding benefits package, which may include:

• Paid Time Off: 3-4 weeks of accrued vacation time per year (3 weeks for support staff and 4 weeks for administrative/professional staff), 12 accrued sick days per year, 12.5 holidays plus a Winter Recess in December/January, 3 personal days per year (prorated based on date of hire), and up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents who are primary care givers.
• Health and Welfare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, disability and life insurance programs, along with voluntary benefits. Most coverage begins as of your start date.
• Work/Life and Wellness: Child and elder/adult care resources including on campus childcare centers, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs related to stress management, nutrition, meditation, and more.
• Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with contributions from 5% to 15% of eligible compensation, based on age and earnings with full vesting after 3 years of service.
• Tuition Assistance Program: Competitive program including $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and reduced tuition through other participating Harvard graduate schools.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Program that provides 75% to 90% reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible courses taken at other accredited institutions.
• Professional Development: Programs and classes at little or no cost, including through the Harvard Center for Workplace Development and LinkedIn Learning.
• Commuting and Transportation: Various commuter options handled through the Parking Office, including discounted parking, half-priced public transportation passes and pre-tax transit passes, biking benefits, and more.
• Harvard Facilities Access, Discounts and Perks: Access to Harvard athletic and fitness facilities, libraries, campus events, credit union, and more, as well as discounts to various types of services (legal, financial, etc.) and cultural and leisure activities throughout metro-Boston.