Graduate Research Assistant Job Description
Two positions
Position Description:
The Counselor Education program is seeking two current counselor education masters students to serve as graduate research assistants (GRA) on an Opioid Research Grant. The awarded research grant is entitled, “Addressing Opioid Use among Youth and Young Adults in Wake County.”
Position Criteria:
- Must be a current counselor education masters student at North Carolina Central University with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Have at least one academic year of graduate-level coursework completed (preferred not required)
- Genuinely interested in the project
- Must work the entire duration of the contract (Jan 2025 –Dec 2025)
- Full-time enrollment (registered for 6-9 credit hours)
- Must work on research project 20 hours per week.
- Available to meet virtually and face-to-face; travel to Wake County to assist with data collection.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
The graduate student will be able to (1) communicate effectively, both oral and written, with various constituents associated with the research grant process (Faculty at University of Mount Olive, North Carolina State University, Wake County Government Partners, other Graduate Research Assistants, and others); (2) aid in research and manuscript writing utilizing the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition manual; (3) utilize word processing applications and graphic design tools like Canva, (4) comfortable using videoconferencing tools like Zoom, and (5) create and maintain spreadsheets and databases to support the administrative needs of the role.
Training and Experience
- Current counselor education masters student with at least one academic year of graduatelevel course work preferred at the time of application.
- Experience engaging in research and/or graduate-level writing utilizing the 7th edition of the APA manual.
- Knowledge and experience working with individuals from diverse populations
General Duties
- Complete CITI training
- Complete Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Training
- Attend and participate in virtual team research meetings and Wake County Drug Overdose Prevention Coalition meetings. The Coalition meets quarterly in January, April, July and October in Wake County. These meetings are also hybrid.
- Collect relevant and peer-reviewed journal articles for a literature review.
- Assist the team in recruiting participants for the focus groups via a telephone/e-mail script that will be given to them by the investigators outlining the details of the recruitment for the study.
- Assistance in administrative duties associated with the grant (i.e., taking notes during meetings, sending out/responding to emails, coordinating with staff at regional centers to scheduling focus groups, reviewing drafted plans and make recommendations based on research that aligns with the Opioid Settlement, etc.).
- Assist with data collection, transcribing data, and member checking.
- Design educational materials (i.e., infographics).
- Maintain confidentiality of records of collected respondent data and information.
- Travel to Wake County Regional Centers to assist with the focus groups.
- Assist with the final meeting/presentation; help present findings to the Wake Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.
- Aid in writing up the results and serve as a co-author on a manuscript that will be submitted for potential publication in a journal.
Benefits:
- Gain knowledge in opioid addiction and community treatment services
- Gain experience working with diverse populations including youth and families
- Obtain training in qualitative research
- Co-authorship on a manuscript for publication
Compensation
- $15,600 per graduate student.
For questions, please contact Dr. Karlesia Montague, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and Primary Investigator (PI), at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
