Research Analyst I

Special Instructions to Applicants : Please attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application. Please make sure to include employment dates on the resume in Month/ Year format.

Position Summary

OpenStax (part of Rice University) is a non-profit textbook publisher, learning software producer, and platform for learning research. Our mission is to provide every student and instructor with free access to high-quality teaching and learning resources that help them succeed. We have created a library of more than 50 free and openly licensed college textbooks that have served millions of students across the globe, resulting in over one billion dollars in savings. We have created additional software and course materials to help college students read with more engagement and practice more effectively, incorporating our research team’s expertise in cognitive science and machine learning.

We are embarking on an ambitious and exciting strategic initiative to hone in on learning research to support the OpenStax experience for the learners and faculty that use our textbooks and learning tools. We are creating a compelling student experience for our entire library that generates meaningful data that we can use to improve student performance and learning. This new platform will also serve as the hub for learning research, where we can discover what learning strategies best serve students given their individual differences and then turn those discoveries into practical benefits for students.

OpenStax is seeking a talented and experienced Research Analyst I. The Research Analyst I will work with the product manager, researchers, UX designer, and team developers to architect, design, implement, and maintain OpenStax’s research platform. This team is driving change at a pivotal phase of our evolution, as we develop a new research platform that will help researchers better understand how students learn in a digital learning environment and optimize the learning experience to meet the individual needs of the students. The Research Analyst I will focus on broadening learner reach on the platform and increasing learner engagement with research.

The Research Analyst I will contribute towards the design and implementation of a greenfield system which will serve as the foundation for an exciting new initiative. The individual will help build a gamified reward system experience on the research platform that will serve higher education students, learning researchers, and educators, with the goal of supporting tens of thousands of active users in an accelerated time frame.
We celebrate diversity of all kinds and we are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment. We seek to hire, develop, and retain talented people from all backgrounds. We are part of a private university, but our team comes from a variety of backgrounds and includes people who attended universities and community colleges, as well as people who did not graduate from college.

Ideal candidates should have knowledge of modern research principles, learner engagement, and marketing research expertise and be able to work with minimal supervision.

Essential Functions

• Participates in the design, planning and implementation of research projects and data analysis
• Oversees student engagement on the research platform including crafting social media messages, creating interventions to increase engagement
• Identifies, locates and obtains data/information
• Utilizes statistical software to quantify data
• Designs database models
• Builds automated reporting solutions
• Manipulates and cleans-up data
• Completes data analysis
• Reports research findings
• Ensures information presented is valid and accurate
• Develops presentations and reports
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Assists with research and development of OpenStax products. This individual will work with other OpenStax researchers on a program of research that will guide product development and enhance the state of knowledge about incorporating cognitive science and machine learning strategies for higher education learners to enhance learning in the online setting.
• Works with a team of product managers, engineers and external partners to set the strategy, develop algorithms, and create and enhance new systems and products to match the needs of students and teachers.
• Conducts data analysis, experiment design, instrument creation, data collection, manuscript preparation, IRB submissions, teacher/student interviews, literature reviews, and internal/external presentations.
• Conducts scientific research aimed at understanding and improving student learning outcomes including the design of new studies
• Conducts data analysis with R, Python, and Matlab
• Experiment programming with Python, Javascript, and SQL databases, and data collection with tools like Qualtrics, Mechanical Turk, in-person interviews, and laboratory studies
• Supports preparation of grant proposals with literature reviews, writing, editing, and creating bibliographies
• Communicates the results of scientific research through verbal presentations at scientific conferences and written articles for publication
• Actively engages to improve the laboratory’s reputation and set of scientific capabilities
• Seeks new research grants

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• One (1) year professional or graduate research experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as oral presentation skills
• Organization and time management skills
• Knowledge of modern research methods, data collection and analyses
• Knowledge of the principles of community engagement around a product/platform
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment
• Ability to work independently and professionally with minimal supervision and direction

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Psychology, Cognitive Sciences, Marketing research, or other related fields
• Three (3) years professional or graduate research experience
• Knowledge of data analysis software such as R, Python
• Preferred knowledge of product branding strategies, social media communication
• Preferred knowledge of Google Analytics

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies