Staff Openings

Research Project Coordinator

Market Title: Research Associate Posting#: 266826

Department: School of Social Work

FLSA Status: Nonexempt

Effort: 50% PART-TIME

Work Schedule:

Application Instructions: All applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to be considered for this position. In order for the Career Portal system to accept a cover letter please include a cover letter as a page of your resume document.

SPECIFIC JOB DUTIES
Job Summary

Dr. Bornheimer is seeking applicants for a Research Project Coordinator in the Suicide prevention, Treatment, and Research (STaR) Lab in the University of Michigan School of Social Work (SSW). The STaR Lab is led by Dr. Bornheimer and includes several staff members (coordinators), MSW field students, undergraduate research assistants, doctoral students, and a psychiatry resident. Dr. Lindsay Bornheimer is an Associate Professor in the University of Michigan School of Social Work with a research program focused on understanding and preventing suicide death among adults experiencing serious mental illness, with a specific focus on schizophrenia spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder. Her research examines suicide risk and protective factors, advance theories of suicide, develop and test behavioral interventions, and increase the utility and scalability of evidence-informed interventions in mental health care.

Dr. Bornheimer is seeking highly motivated and professional candidates whose interest is in community-based mental health intervention research, with an emphasis on serious mental illness and suicide prevention. Key job responsibilities will include recruiting potential participants, administering screening assessments, coordinating participant visits, monitoring and engaging participants throughout studies, and collecting data in standardized assessments. In addition to several ongoing prospective research projects, this role also includes opportunities for involvement in data cleaning, analysis, student supervision, dissemination, and grant writing. This role is a great opportunity for interested candidates to gain hands-on clinical research experience before applying to graduate or medical school.

This position will begin at 50% effort (20 hours per week) with a strong potential to be 80% (32 hours per week) in upcoming months pending anticipated grant funding. The coordinator would primarily be involved in coordination and responsibilities listed below in relation to 2 primary data collection studies to test a modified suicide prevention intervention for adults in community mental health with bipolar disorder and psychosis. In addition to primary data collection, the coordinator would be involved in dissemination (publications and presentations) of data from a completed NIMH-funded clinical trial that tested a suicide prevention intervention in community mental health among clients with schizophrenia. Lastly, the coordinator would be involved in several grant proposal applications for federal and foundation funding.

Responsibilities

Research Project Coordinator Responsibilities: Responsibilities and duties of the Research Project Coordinator include but are not limited to:

Collaborating with the clinical coordinator to manage study recruitment
Developing and maintaining study protocols (e.g., recruitment, data collection, etc.)
Managing and auditing data collected and entered in REDCap
Conducting quantitative and qualitative data collection assessments with participants, including administration of structured clinical assessments
Engaging with participants for scheduling study visits
Coordinating and leading student training and supervision
Assessing, triaging, and documenting risk assessment as needed
Requesting, distributing, and documenting transactions of subject incentive payments in accordance with university guidelines
Communicating regularly with participants, the research site, lab members, and Principal Investigator
Monitoring project timelines and progress towards study goals
Assisting with Institutional Review Board (IRB) reporting, amendments, and applications
Assisting with reports to funders
Attending and facilitating study and team meetings

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Public Health, or a related field is required.
1-2 years of experience in a research or clinic setting with direct client/participant contacts and customer care is required.

Seeking a Project Coordinator who is empathic, personable, and thrives when interacting with participants/clients; has excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills; a strong ability to work independently while maintaining communication with the study coordinator, study team, and principal investigator; and can prioritize competing tasks to meet deadlines.

The desirable candidate must be comfortable interacting with diverse populations and discussing sensitive topics (serious mental illness, psychosis, bipolar disorder, suicide and related mental health concerns) with study participants.

Work Schedule and Format

This position will begin at 50% effort (20 hours per week) with a strong potential to be 80% (32 hours per week) in upcoming months pending anticipated grant funding. The lab’s typical work hours occur on Monday-Friday between 9 AM - 5 PM. Evening and weekend hours may be required to accommodate participant and lab needs, yet would be rare (e.g., grant deadline or participant interview that is delayed beyond 5 pm). This role is primarily in-person in the SSW (1080 South University Ave) with opportunities for occasional hybrid or remote days depending on projects and participants. This position will require occasional travel to Washtenaw County Community Mental Health in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

Additional Information

This is a one-year term-limited appointment as the funding structure ends 8/31/2026. There may be opportunities to extend contingent on future grant funding. At the end of the stated term, your appointment will terminate, and you will not be eligible for Reduction-in-Force (RIF) benefits. This term-limited appointment does not create a contract or guarantee of employment for any period of time as you will remain subject to disciplinary or other performance measures, up to and including termination, at the will of the University in accordance with existing University policy and standards for employee performance and conduct.