Data Science Research Consultant (GRA) Job Description

Vacancy Posting Date

February 12, 2024

Position Title

Data Science Research Consultant (Graduate Research Assistant)

FTE

20 hours/week appointment in the Data Science Consulting program, co-led by the Data Science Academy (DSA) and the Data & Visualization Services Department (DVS) of the NC State University Libraries.

Stipend

$24,000 for a 20 hour/week nine-month appointment. The appointment follows the academic calendar with employment starting in mid-August and ending in mid-May. Appointments are one academic year in duration and carry the possibility of hourly summer work and renewal for subsequent years. This position will be appointed as a graduate research assistant and is eligible for the Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP). The stipend is paid out on a biweekly cycle.

Proposed hire date

August 15, 2024

Primary Purpose of Position

We are hiring nine 20 hour/week Data Science Research Consultants to provide collaborative data science analytic support to researchers and students at NC State. This position is a joint appointment with the Libraries and the Data Science Academy, who are partnering to build a hub for interdisciplinary data science work across campus. At NC State, “data science is for everyone,” and the Data Science Academy will lead the multidisciplinary educational, research, and engagement efforts to integrate data science across NC State and its partners and affiliates. The Libraries’ role is to grow this campus community by providing community space, powerful computers, and the Data Science Consulting service. The Data Science Research Consultant will work in coordination with the NC State University Libraries and the Data Science Academy to support data-driven research. These graduate students staff walk-up service hours, participate in scheduled consultation appointments, and provide hands-on computing advice. In addition to these scheduled shifts, consultants will work asynchronously on a variety of longer-term data science requests that come through our service. We are seeking a large and broad cohort of consultants from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, united by a shared interest in teaching and helping others learn in a welcoming, community-oriented space. We are specifically interested in graduate students with expertise in programming, data manipulation and cleaning, and statistical and quantitative analysis. Data Science Research Consultants perform the following kinds of work:

• Provide walk-in and scheduled consultations in their existing areas of expertise at the Hill Data Experience Lab or the Hunt Dataspace.
• Troubleshoot student and faculty requests.
• Engage with visitors to orient them to our computer labs.
• Update and maintain computer workstations and lab software.
• Work with researchers on a broad range of projects involving data and analysis. The Consultant(s) will be expected to work on a series of such projects during the academic year.

Consultants will work scheduled shifts  totalling 10 hours per week at the Hunt Library Dataspace on Centennial Campus or at the Hill Library Data Experience Lab (DXL) on Main Campus. For the remaining 10 hours of the appointment, consultants will be expected to prepare for scheduled consultations, and work on longer-term projects that require more time than a 30 minute consultation, and may include helping with DVS workshops.

Data Science Research Consultants will gain hands-on experience in data science across a variety of disciplines as well as formal training in best practices for collaborative work. We welcome and encourage applicants with a range of experiences, backgrounds, and interests to apply for this position, including those who are early in their graduate degree programs. A 9-month commitment is required and appointments may be renewed for subsequent years depending on availability. Hourly summer work may be available depending on funding.

Minimum Experience/Education

Must be currently enrolled in a PhD program at NC State University.

Department Required Skills

Experience in one or more of the following methodological areas:

• Data (cleaning, manipulation, aggregation, etc.)
• Statistical analysis and modeling
• Data visualization
• Geospatial analysis

Expertise in one or more relevant languages or applications including:

• Python
• R
• MATLAB
• Statistical software such as SAS, Stata, SPSS or JMP
• Geospatial software, such as ArcGIS or QGIS

Excellent customer service skills, and the ability to communicate clearly and knowledgeably are required. Demonstrated ability to work on asynchronous, collaborative tasks as well as the ability to work with limited supervision.

Possible Areas for Growth

No experience in the following areas is required, but these outline some possible areas that this position might support or grow, based on the individual’s experience and interest:

• Statistical/data science instruction, consulting, or experimental design
• Qualitative analysis
• Workshop or classroom instruction

Anticipated Work Schedule

• Scheduled desk hours flexible between Sunday-Friday, noon-9pm (10 hours/week)
• Project-specific hours may vary (10 hours/week)
• Mandatory training sessions will occur on Thursday, Aug 15 and Friday, Aug 16 in-person at Hill and Hunt Library.

Required Documents

In addition to the online application, applicants should submit a combined document including:

1. Resume/CV
2. Cover letter addressing the following:

1. The qualities that would make you an excellent data science consultant
2. Your past experience in helping others to solve technical problems, teaching, or customer service (including retail, food service, or similar experiences)
3. Your motivation for joining a collaborative consulting team
4. How this position would help you pursue your current career goals

Number of Available Positions

Up to 9

To Apply

Please submit this application form (go.ncsu.edu/data-gra-apply), including the required documents. The form will remain open until at least March 15, 2024.