UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Number of Positions

2

Hours and salary

$19.85 per hour

Up to 10 hours per week, averaged over the term. Some weeks may require more hours and other weeks fewer or none.

Training will be provided.

Location of Work

University of Victoria

Start Date

October 2026

End Date

October 2027

Possibility of renewal for a second term subject to satisfactory performance and the availability of funding.

Closing date for applications

30 September 2026

Background The TIDES Study (Tracking Intraindividual Drinking and Everyday States) examines how stress, boredom, and impulsivity relate to alcohol use as they unfold in daily life. Most of what is known about these relationships comes from retrospective self report collected at a single point in time, which cannot capture the short term fluctuations that are thought to drive drinking behaviour. TIDES uses an intensive longitudinal design to address this gap.

120 community participants in Victoria, British Columbia will attend an in person baseline session and then complete 28 days of smartphone based data collection. This comprises four randomly timed prompts each day, participant initiated reports of drinking episodes, and a short morning diary. Participants also wear a Fitbit Charge 6 for passive collection of sleep, activity, and physiological data, and a subset complete a qualitative debriefing interview at the end of the protocol.

Data will be collected using REDCap and Pathverse and analysed using MPlus and NVivo sotware. The study is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant awarded to Dr. James Clay

Position Summary The Undergraduate Research Assistants will support the participant facing work of the TIDES study. Duties centre on recruitment, eligibility screening, in person baseline sessions,



onboarding participants onto the study smartphone application and wearable device, and monitoring participant compliance across the 28 day data collection protocol.

The positions report to the Principal Investigator, with day to day supervision provided by the Graduate Research Assistant. Full training is provided and no previous research employment is required. The positions are well suited to students who are considering graduate study or a career in health research and who want direct experience of how a study is run.

Position Duties

Key duties may include

· Responding to enquiries from prospective participants through the study email account and via telephone.

· Administering the online eligibility screening questionnaire and applying study eligibility criteria.

· Scheduling and confirming study appointments, and following up on missed appointments.

· Conducting in person sessions, including obtaining informed consent and administering questionnaires.

· Onboarding participants onto the Pathverse smartphone application and training them on the daily assessment protocol.

· Distributing, configuring, and retrieving Fitbit Charge 6 devices, and maintaining the device inventory.

· Monitoring participant compliance during data collection and contacting participants who fall below the compliance threshold.

· Maintaining accurate participant records in REDCap.

· Assisting with recruitment activities,



including distribution of posters and monitoring of enrolment against recruitment targets.

· Attending and contributing to research team meetings.

Other reasonable duties and responsibilities may be assigned by the Principal Investigator.

Required Experience and Qualifications

· Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in psychology, health information science, kinesiology, sociology, nursing, or a related discipline.

· Completion of at least one course in research methods.

· Robust interpersonal and communication skills, and comfort interacting with members of the public.

· Demonstrated accuracy and attention to detail in record keeping.

· Ability to work independently, follow written protocols precisely, and seek guidance when a situation falls outside them.

· Ability to handle confidential participant information with discretion and in accordance with research ethics requirements.

· Willingness to discuss alcohol use with participants in a non judgmental manner.

· Availability for the full term, including some early evening and weekend appointments to accommodate participant schedules.

· Completion or willingness to complete the TCPS 2: CORE certificate.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

· Previous experience in a participant facing role, whether in research, healthcare, community services, or customer facing work.

· Familiarity with REDCap or a comparable electronic data capture platform.

· Familiarity with smartphone applications or wearable devices used for research or health monitoring.

· Coursework in health psychology, addiction, or substance use.

· Interest in pursuing graduate study in psychology, public health, or a related field.

Applicants who have not previously held a research position are encouraged to apply.

Pay: $19.85 per hour

Work Location: In person

📌 Undergraduate Research Assistant (Victoria)
🏢 University of Victoria
📍 Victoria