Undergraduate Research Assistant

Job Posting Title:

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Hiring Department:

Department of Neuroscience

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

15

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Feb 01, 2026

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Dec 31, 2026

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Location:

AUSTIN, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Preston Lab is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented, and creative undergraduate student. Part-time position will be for 10 to 15 weekly hours.

Purpose

To provide research support to the Preston Lab.

Responsibilities

Game development and implementation:

• Create new levels within the Unity game engine by integrating new assets based on existing gameplay code.

• Ensure all gameplay components function smoothly across multiple builds and participant conditions.

• Collaborate with researchers to implement new task logic that aligns with experimental designs.

• Reach out to former lab members to locate and organize existing asset libraries and incorporate them into new zones.

Data integrity and pipeline management:

• Ensure that new levels and gameplay sessions generate correctly formatted data outputs compatible with existing processing scripts.

• Verify that the downstream data processing pipeline correctly interprets and stores all behavioral data.

• Troubleshoot and document any data irregularities to maintain rigorous experimental standards.

Collaboration and communication:

• Work closely with psychology researchers, graduate students, and the lab’s data team to ensure experimental precision and smooth technical integration.

• Participate in lab meetings and providing technical updates to the research team.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience developing in the Unity game engine.

• Proficiency in C# programming.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to code quality and reproducibility.

• Ability to work collaboratively with researchers from non-technical backgrounds.

Hourly Rate

$18.00

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

Students in this position may choose to enroll in the UTSaver voluntary retirement programs.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.