Job Details  

Class II - Student Research Review Assistant - 2050ST
Job ID 15174
Job Type Storrs Campus
Employer Enrichment Programs
Date Posted Dec 10, 2024
Category Research
Job Description

Work-Study Research Assistant Program

Faculty Name: Stefanie Acevedo

Faculty Department: Music

General Research Focus: The Systematic Musicology Lab is headed by Co-PIs Dr. Stefanie Acevedo and Dr. Daniel Goldberg. Multi-faceted in scope, we study a variety of musical topics, including motor coordination and musical performance, probability in music, dance and meter, and musical diversity in higher education.

Brief Position Description: Our research assistant will mainly aid our research team in literature review, research, and data analysis. This will include reviewing relevant literature, analyzing and transcribing music (including musical corpus creation), summarizing research, IRB proposal writing and editing, data analysis, grant writing/proofing, and manuscript preparation. Other responsibilities might include creation of online surveys or experiments, survey data collection and clean-up, or lab scheduling.

The student will also learn about interdisciplinary approaches to music study, including psychology, human performance, neuroscience, history, and education (among others). As we currently have a small research team (2 people), the student will be a foundational part of the research team and, if desired, might have the opportunity to help create or expand experimental protocols.

The RA will develop general research skills in:
   A) Compiling sources, writing literature reviews, and summaries;
   B) Data collection, clean-up, and analysis;
   C) Manuscript preparation (including publication processes)
   D) IRB proposal and grant writing/preparation
   E) General lab procedures including scheduling, organization, experimental set-up, analysis, manuscript preparation, publishing

A "Student Research Review Assistant - 205" will assist faculty in research effort by conducting review of literature and subject material specific to research topics. A student in this position may: 

 The RA will aid Dr. Acevedo and Dr. Goldberg in multiple investigations, including literature review, data analysis, and manuscript preparation (among other tasks) for any of the following projects:
1) A study of motor coordination training and its effects on musical performance
2) A study of musical beat perception in Javanese music (including an online experimental study of beat perception and a beat-tracking analysis)
3) A study of musical meter and Eastern European dance
4) A translation of a treatise on Bulgarian meter
5) A study on modulation in popular music
6) A study on musical form and timbral processes in rock
Job Requirements

Job requirements - A student must:  

  • Be an undergraduate student with a federal work-study award 
  • Be able to operate a computer and/or other research equipment 
  • Have strong communication skills (verbal and written) 
  • Be able to maintain confidentiality 
  • Complete required research reflections and a professional development experience 
  • Meet with an OUR staff member for one advising appointment each semester to discuss learning, goals, and next steps 
  • Have the ability to read Western staff musical notation
  • Have prior knowledge of fundamental musical categories (i.e. intervals, chords, scales, meters, etc.) which may be fulfilled by previous music theory coursework such as MUSI 1101
  • Have the ability to comprehend and summarize music and/or social science research
  • Be able to work independently after appropriate training
  • Complete CITI training for behavioral research (can be completed upon hire)
  • Have fluency in both Windows and Mac OS
  • Have experience with Excel

Preferred qualifications

Any or all of these are a plus:
   A) Prior psychology coursework (i.e. General Psychology PSYC 1110) or lab experience
   B) Completion of upper level music theory and/or music history coursework
   C) Music minor or major
   D) Computer programming skills (any count but preferably in Python, C++, or Matlab)
   E) Statistical software skills (R, Matlab)
   F) Experience developing surveys and analyzing data on Qualtrics
   G) Experience with APA and Chicago citation formats
   H) Background or focus on neuroscience, psychology, data science, computer science, or dance studies
   I) Background or fluency in Javanese, Indonesian, or Bulgarian languages
   J) Fluency in music transcription software (Finale or Musescore)
   K) Ability to transcribe music by ear (into Western staff notation)
   L) Have experience with statistical analysis (relevant coursework or lab training)
Available Openings 2
Hours 6.0 to 7.0 hours per week
Compensation $16.50/hour
Time Frame Spring
Contact Name Jodi Eskin
Contact Email N/A
Work Location N/A
Phone 860-486-7939
Fax 860-486-0222


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