Position summary

Seeking a motivated Master’s student for a part-time, flexible (up to full-time) summer research assistant role to conduct interviews and focus groups assessing data maturity across academic and administrative units within the University of Michigan. The assistant will support qualitative data collection, transcription, coding, and preliminary analysis to inform campus data strategy

Logistics

Duration: approximately 8–12 weeks during summer (dates flexible).

Time commitment: part-time, at least 20 hours/week, negotiable.

Location: on-campus and remote work; some in-person meetings expected.

Compensation: $25 per hour

Application materials

• Resume/CV
• Brief cover letter (1 page) describing relevant experience and availability

• Coordinate and schedule interviews and focus groups with faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Conduct semi-structured one-on-one interviews and facilitate focus groups (remote and in-person).
• Follow interview guides and adapt probes while ensuring ethical and consistent data collection.
• Take detailed field notes and manage audio/video recordings.
• Transcribe recordings and perform initial qualitative coding (using NVivo, MAXQDA or similar).
• Contribute to development/refinement of interview guides, recruitment materials, and consent forms.
• Maintain secure, organized project files and ensure compliance with IRB (as needed) and data privacy procedures.
• Summarize findings and assist with final report and presentation preparation.
• Participate in weekly team meetings and debriefs.

Required Qualifications

• Current Master’s student (any discipline; Education, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or related preferred)
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; comfortable engaging diverse campus stakeholders.
• High attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple tasks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience conducting interviews and/or focus groups.
• Experience with assessment and evaluation.
• Strong qualitative research skills: note-taking, transcription, thematic coding.
• Familiarity with qualitative analysis software (NVivo, MAXQDA) or willingness to learn.
• Knowledge of higher education administration and campus culture.
• Experience preparing research summaries and visualizations for stakeholders.