Research Data Analyst II

Research Data Analyst II

Job Summary

Lab Overview

The Prison Education Action Research Lab (PEARL) at the College of
Education at the University of Utah is the nation's first center
dedicated to advancing research, data, and leadership in
postsecondary education in prison. PEARL leverages evidence-based
research to change systems and reduce barriers to postsecondary
education for people directly impacted by the criminal legal
system. PEARL's anchor project, the Prison Education Research
Initiative (PERI), is a first-of-its-kind multi-institutional
longitudinal study spanning 22+ partner colleges and universities
nationwide.

Mission

PEARL does research that advances educational justice for people
and communities impacted by incarceration.

Position Summary

The Research Data Analyst II supports the secure acquisition,
organization, cleaning, documentation, preparation, and analysis of
complex multi-site administrative, survey, and research data for
PEARL's national research portfolio. Working in close support of
the project's lead Research Data Analyst (Research Data Analyst
III) and the Senior Research Associate, Quantitative, this position
contributes to PEARL's national dataset, gains hands-on experience
with the Prison Education Research Initiative (PERI), and supports
the lab's qualitative research.

This position is ideal for a quantitative data professional who
thrives in a collaborative academic research environment, enjoys
transforming raw data into accurate, well-documented,
analysis-ready files, and is eager to grow their skills in data
management, reproducible analysis, and mixed-methods
research.

Working closely with research staff and Principal Investigators,
the Research Data Analyst II will help maintain secure,
well-documented data workflows spanning administrative corrections,
education, employment, and survey data from multiple institutions,
agencies, and time periods, while ensuring compliance with data
security, IRB, and data-use agreement requirements.

The Research Data Analyst II will work under the supervision of
project PIs Dr. Erin L. Castro and Dr. Jason Taylor at the
University of Utah. We strongly encourage applications from
individuals directly impacted by incarceration and punishment
systems.

Effort Allocation

Effort is approximate and may shift with project needs:

National dataset (approximately 45%): lead and support the
acquisition, cleaning, validation, documentation, and preparation
of PEARL's national administrative and survey data.

PERI (approximately 45%): contribute to the Prison Education
Research Initiative, working alongside and learning from the senior
Research Data Analyst and the quantitative research team.

Qualitative research (approximately 10%): support qualitative
research activities, including assisting with interviews and
contributing to qualitative data analysis.

Why This Role Matters

This position will help build one of the most important national
datasets on prison higher education and student outcomes. The
successful candidate will grow as a research data professional
while contributing to credible evidence that informs policy,
expands opportunity, and improves lives.

Compensation and Terms

This is a grant-funded position within PEARL. The position is
full-time and benefitted. Work schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM –
5:00 PM. Travel, evenings, and weekends may occasionally be
required. The Research Data Analyst II may work remotely or on-site
at the University of Utah with some travel required.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of
Utah: benefits.utah.edu

Responsibilities

Research Data Analyst II

• Perform routine statistical analyses on research datasets and

begin to provide insights for research studies. Use software such
as Excel or Tableau to manipulate data, create visualizations, and
generate summaries. Assist with writing sections of research
reports and manuscripts, contributing to the interpretation of
results. Work independently on smaller analysis tasks and support
more complex projects under supervision.

• Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 4 years or a master's

(or equivalency) + 2 years of directly related work
experience.

• This is a Developing-Level position in the General Professional

track.

Department Specific
Responsibilities:

• Perform routine statistical analyses on research datasets and

begin to provide insights for research studies. Use software such
as Stata, Excel, R, or Python to manipulate data, create
visualizations, and generate summaries. Assist with writing
sections of research reports and manuscripts, contributing to the
interpretation of results. Work independently on smaller analysis
tasks and support more complex projects under supervision.

• National Dataset (approximately 45%)
• Support the secure receipt, cleaning, validation,

standardization, recoding, and documentation of incoming
administrative and survey datasets from multiple institutions and
external organizations.

• Maintain organized folder structures, file naming conventions,

and version control practices.

• Create and help maintain data dictionaries, codebooks, variable

crosswalks, and workflow documentation.

• Produce reproducible, report-ready tables, figures, and

descriptive summaries.

• PERI and Quantitative Team (approximately 45%)
• Contribute to PERI data tasks under the direction of the senior

Research Data Analyst and the Senior Research Associate,
Quantitative.

• Assist with data pipeline, integration, and relational database

tasks, building skills in reproducible workflows.

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education
can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience
(Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related work
experience).

Department may hire employee at one of the following job
levels:

Research Data Analyst II: Requires a bachelor's
(or equivalency) + 4 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 2 years
of directly related work experience.

Preferences

• Bachelor's degree in data science, statistics, economics,

mathematics, education, or a related quantitative field, or
equivalent professional experience.

• Two years of professional experience in research data

management, statistical programming, or quantitative analysis.

• Demonstrated commitment to and knowledge about educational

equity and justice.

• Proficiency in at least one statistical or data programming

environment (e.g., Stata, R, or Python) for data cleaning,
validation, transformation, and analysis, with the ability to learn
new tools as needed.

• Exposure to SQL, relational databases, or secure data

environments, or an interest in developing these skills.

• Experience managing raw or inconsistently structured datasets

from multiple institutions, agencies, or external
organizations.

• Strong understanding of data confidentiality, secure data

handling, and quality assurance practices.

• Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to

detail.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience supporting social science, education, criminal

justice, public policy, or longitudinal research.

• Interest in mixed-methods research, including qualitative data

collection and analysis.

• Knowledge of postsecondary education research and data

infrastructure.

Special Instructions

Required Application Materials:

Cover Letter that describes interest in and qualifications for the
position. Candidates should include their experience developing and
managing databases, data infrastructure, and/or producing
quantitative analyses

Requisition Number: PRN46521B

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Work Schedule Summary: Work schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00
AM–5:00 PM. Travel, evenings, and weekends may occasionally be
required.

Department: 00162 - Educational Leadership&Policy

Location: Campus

Pay Rate Range: $60,000

Close Date: 10/26/2026

Open Until Filled:

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/211143

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