The Emotions and Social Interactions in Relationships (EASIR) Lab is seeking undergraduate research assistants to begin in Spring 2025, with opportunities to continue on in the summer and coming academic year. For Spring 2025, research assistants will be transcribing videos of romantic couples having conversations. The transcription team aims to create a rich dataset to test questions relating to language in close relationships.

Responsibilities in this position may include:

Working with Otter.ai software

Following a strict protocol to transcribe videos in a standardized format

Attend weekly meetings with supervisor

Potential opportunities for niche organizational or behavioral coding tasks

Please submit your application to the EASIR Lab here: https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_egJyq0oFfn6WYNn

For questions, reach out to Zoe Hansen (zhansen2@ad.unc.edu).

Clinical and Organizational Resilience in ICUs (CORE ICU) is seeking two research assistants assist with qualitative analysis. With funding from the National Lung, Heart, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), this mixed-methods study examines how organizational factors contribute to burnout in ICU clinicians and adverse, preventable outcomes in patients with acute respiratory failure. RA responsibilities will focus primarily on coding interview transcripts using qualitative data analysis software. Familiarity with Dedoose software is desirable but not required. The RA must be willing to commit 5-10 hours per week for the spring 2025 semester. Hourly pay will be commensurate with degree program and experience. Interested candidates should send a cover letter and CV to Dr. Mara Buchbinder (mara_buchbinder@med.unc.edu). Review of qualified candidates will begin January 17 and will continue until the positions are filled.

The Caravella lab is seeking undergraduate research assistants to join our team to support an NIH funded study examining strategies to expedite enrollment in early intervention services for Black toddlers after a new diagnosis of autism to address health disparities. The Caravella lab is led by Dr. Kelly Caravella, a psychologist and Assistant Professor at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine. Participation in the lab will include both in person (at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities) and remote work. Responsibilities will span data entry, research appointment preparation, measure scoring, transcription, clinical observation, and more.

Ideal candidates will have an interest in developing research skills for a future career in research. Candidates across all disciplines/departments are welcome to apply. Historically, candidates who have goals to pursue graduate school in clinical psychology, developmental psychology, social work, or public health have been most successful. Previous research experience not required, however the following previous experience will be valued: Previous research experience, lived experience related to the questions of the study, previous experience with individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

Research assistants must be willing to commit a minimum of 9 hours per week to lab responsibilities. Reliability and consistency is critical to being a successful research assistant. Preference will be given to candidates who can commit to volunteer for at least 1 year. Candidates who can continue to volunteer during the summer months are ideal. Students who commit 1+ year to the lab have will have opportunity to complete an honors thesis or take PSYC 395 credits (dependent on performance).

Interested candidates should send their CV and/or Resume and a cover letter to Dr. Caravella sharing their interest in this position (kelly_caravella@med.unc.edu).

Make sure to include the following in your cover letter:
– What year student you are, and your majors/minors
– Why this position interests you
– If your major is not directly related to psychology/public health/medicine, be sure to clearly state HOW this position is aligned with your future goals.
– What your future goals are, and how you think this position supports achieving these goals
– Include your availability (i.e., when could you begin? can you continue to volunteer in the summer?)
– Any previous research experience
– Any previous experience with autism or developmental disabilities
– Any lived experience related to this position (i.e., you share an identity with the populations studied, someone in your family shares an identity with the populations studied)

We are seeking two highly motivated undergraduate students to join our research team as Virtual Research Assistants in a volunteer capacity. One position is for a candidate with some background in protein bioinformatics methods, while the other is ideal for a freshman looking to grow their skillset in this exciting field. Both positions require self-starters with strong problem-solving skills who can work independently in a virtual environment. As part of our team, you will contribute to cutting-edge biotechnology projects focused on in vivo CAR T-cell therapy, engineered antibodies, and other custom protein applications. The primary responsibilities will involve running protein bioinformatics analyses using advanced computational tools.

Key Responsibilities:

Perform protein structure predictions and analysis using AlphaFold.
Utilize PyMOL for visualization and molecular modeling of protein structures.
Conduct molecular docking simulations to analyze protein interactions.
Assist in the interpretation of bioinformatic results and contribute to experimental design discussions.
Maintain detailed documentation of workflows and findings.
Collaborate with team members and provide regular updates on progress.

Qualifications:
Current undergraduate student in a relevant field (e.g., Biology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or related disciplines).
Familiarity with protein bioinformatics tools such as AlphaFold, PyMOL, and molecular docking software.
Basic understanding of protein structure and function.
Strong organizational and communication skills.
Ability to work independently and meet deadlines in a virtual environment.

As this is a volunteer position, there will be many opportunities to be included in the acknowledgments of papers or, if appropriate, as a co-author on peer-reviewed scientific publications. These contributions can significantly enhance applications for graduate or medical school.

The AIMING Lab is led by Dr. Huaxiu Yao at UNC-Chapel Hill. AIMING stands for Adaptive Intelligence through Alignment, Interaction and Learning. We aim to develop adaptive intelligent agents with strong generalization and adaptation capabilities, achieved through precise alignment, efficient interaction, and continuous learning. We are now working on generalizable and reliable foundation models (e.g., LLMs, VLMs, Diffusion Models), and applying these models to biomedicine, robotics, and social science.

We are hiring unpaid undergraduate researchers to work with us on a bunch of exciting topics related to foundation models and generative AI. Prior undergrads have published papers in top AI venues (e.g., ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR, EMNLP, ACL). Please refer to my website for our recent research (https://www.huaxiuyao.io/).

The Cancer Undergraduate Research Education Program (CUREP) is a collaborative research and professional development program funded by the National Cancer Institute. Applications will be accepted from highly motivated UNC-CH, NCA&TSU, and NCCU undergraduate students to participate in our 10-week summer research program. The Program’s goal is to increase the participation and representation of students from medically underserved areas in cancer research, contributing significantly to the growth of the biomedical workforce. For program details and application information, please visit the below website.

Background
The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the world’s leading research and learning institutions for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH). We conduct qualitative and quantitative research across the entire WaSH sector and play a major role in advancing evidence-based policies and practices in national, regional, and international fora. Our mission is strengthening global WaSH through research, policy, and practice. Our core focus is producing policy and practice-oriented science. We target our research to address the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations to ensure that people have sustainable access to WaSH to meet their health, economic, social, and environmental needs.
The Water Institute has several openings for undergraduate students to participate in research related to WaSH in low- and middle-income countries. The Water Institute addresses these challenges through research that identifies problems, develops solutions, demonstrates that solutions can work in the real world, and scales up action.
Current opportunities
Students who complete research through the Water Institute will receive hands-on training and mentoring from our core faculty and staff. Students will have opportunities to network with WaSH professionals, apply quantitative, qualitative, and project management skills, collect and/or analyze data, and learn about programmatic approaches used by major non-governmental and multilateral organizations (e.g., WHO, UNICEF). Opportunities are available for the following topics:
• Reviewing and analyzing water system data to understand the occurrence of toxic metals in drinking water in low- and middle-income countries
• Analyzing school, healthcare facility, household, and water system data to understand enablers and barriers to WaSH service delivery in LMICs
• Reviewing the effectiveness and evidence of the impact for WaSH in healthcare facility interventions and programmatic approaches
• Documenting knowledge management systems and diffusion of learning within the WaSH sector
• Evaluating WaSH infrastructure sustainability and operations and maintenance
We are particularly interested in students with the following skills:
• Statistical analysis/epidemiology
• Environmental modeling
• Qualitative interviewing and analysis
• Systematic literature review
• Technical writing and policy analysis

Interested students should complete the Qualtrics form at https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_efJVIZgTH6m49am
When prompted for the keyword for this posting, please enter the keyword “general interest.”