For-Credit Research Assistantship

Academic field: Archival photography sorting and scanning and Grant Proposal writing
Research topic: A photographic grant proposal research and writing assistantship on how the Atlantic Ocean tides have risen in the past few years due to global warming on the coast of France, specifically in Vandée and Bretagne.

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: The student will help organize my own archival material and gather new information and images for a grant proposal project on the rising tides on the northern France costal areas to be submitted to various organization for acceptance. This will grant me funding to continue my photographic project in the upcoming years.

Sponsoring professor: Federica Valabrega
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: Gather newspaper clippings, images and other research papers I will ask for me to review and use for my writing proposal project. As well as sorting out some of my archival photography material and sometimes even scanning negatives so I can then sort them out and see what I need to re-do or finalize for the proposal and the final project.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: The assistant will have a clearer understanding of how to write a grant proposal for a  photo-journalistic project; would learn how to scan negatives and gather images and writing material from various news and academic sources; will also have a critical understanding about what is good sourced information from many reliable source.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: Show them how to search on reliable sources within the web and maybe library texts as well.

Academic field: Art History
Research topic: Mapping artistic research, Rome

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: The RA would be asked to map Roman artists' collectives and studio spaces relevant to Professor's "arts-based research" (ABR) project.

Sponsoring professor: Sarah LINFORD
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The RA would, by the end of week 2, prepare a list of the collectives eligible for consideration. By week 5, after discussion with the sponsoring Professor about what constitutes ABR, an initial list of studio spaces for consideration would be produced. Once reviewed and edited by the sponsoring Professor, these two lists of "candidates" would be fleshed out, by week 10, with practitioner names, addresses, contacts and links to any web materials, serving as an index to their urban mapping, by week 14.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: The final deliverable is expected to be a map of Professor-approved collectives and ABR studio spaces, accompanied by an index, as specified above.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: Ideally, the RA would have a demonstrated interest in contemporary and often informal spaces of artistic practice in Rome, in which case the RAship would introduce the student to a crucial and central debate in institutions of higher education outside Italy: what constitutes arts-based, or practice-based, research in the visual arts.

Academic field: Art History
Research topic: Research repository

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: The RA would collect, assemble and "curate" digital versions of past research; this would
include obtaining, at times selecting, and making media-friendly a variety of materials from conferences, articles and books, but also exhibitions and related writings.

Sponsoring professor: Sarah LINFORD
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The RA would meet the sponsoring Professor early on in the semester (by the end of week 2), to familiarize themselves with the variety of materials under consideration. These include but are not limited to: scholarly articles, book chapters, books, working papers, curated exhibitions and their publications. After collaborating on their selection, the RA will be asked to build a digital repository of these materials, each accurately captioned and, time permitting, with keywords.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: This RAship's outcome is expected to be an edited and carefully curated selection of research past and present, that is digital-publication ready.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: Ideally, the RA would have working knowledge of English, French and Italian and a working knowledge of media platforms for open-access research. The RA would perfect their research skills by familiarizing themselves with different style sheets and editorial constraints that are both language and institution-specific. This RAship would be of particular use to an art history student aiming to pursue a graduate degree and/or work in art publishing.

Academic field: Classical studies and Roman Archaeology
Research topic: the economy of the amphitheater plaza of Pompeii: crowd management and retail activities

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: This assistantship represents the second and concluding part a project connected with an article about the retail economy of the area around the Amphitheater of Pompeii, in light of the differences with the Forum area of the same ancient Roman city.  The article is micro-analysis of the effects of major public building projects, pedestrian traffic, cart traffic, and amphitheater games on the changing economy of  Regio II.
The assistant will work with the professor in the selection of the most appropriate journal(s) for publication, will provide editorial assistance, will use Zotero to annotate recent publications, and will help with the management of the images. Help may be needed also for the organization of talks connected with the article and the Ancient Greco-Roman world.

Sponsoring professor: Massimo Betello
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: 1) Help in the update of the document containing the selection of the proper journal(s) where to submit the article by the way of a document compiling deadlines, editorial guidelines, academic expectations, and journal ranking. This document will be created as a result of research on the internet, reading of sample articles from the selected journals, and communication with the editorial boards. 2) Editorial assistance in the elaboration and review of the text of the article: check for readability and clarity, footnote format, and final bibliography. 3) Support in the logistic organization of talks or conferences related to Pompeii and the Ancient Greco-Roman world.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: Updating of a dossier summarizing guidelines and deadlines of different classical and archeological journals. Review of the prose and footnotes of the article (excellent writing abilities are necessary). Annotated bibliography of the published works on the topic of the article which will need to be synched with the Zotero database used by the professor. An excel file containing a list of images to be used in the article, the respective copyright holders, the requirements to allow the publication of those images, and the status in the process of obtaining the right to publish. Organization of the logistics for talk(s) and conferences about Pompeii and the ancient Greco-Roman world.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: By the end of this research position a successful assistant will have become competent at assessing the needs of the different stake holders in academic publishing (those of the researcher, the publisher, and the copyright holders), quick at collecting and summarizing information helpful to the publication process, and confident in its ability to create and respect a working schedule.
The assistant will have become very knowledgeable at researching the most recent academic works on the traffic and the economy of Roman cities, and quite familiar with the most recent archaeological research in Pompeii about traffic and retail economy.
The assistant will have become proficient at using the bibliographical software Zotero and the Microsoft 365 apps of JCU, able to interact with scholars to match their needs with the resources available, and to agree on timelines of mutual commitments.

Academic field: Communication and Media Studies
Research topic: Gender Studies/Feminist studies/Social history & Political Economy of medicine

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: I seek a research assistant to help me with a research article investigating the contemporary hormone industry in connection to gender-affirming therapy, assisted reproduction, and transgender health-care, based on an ethnographic research conducted at the Niguarda hospital in Milan.

Sponsoring professor: Donatella Della Ratta
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The RA will play an integral role in this project by contributing to the in-depth visual analyses of platform interfaces connected to the hormone industry. This task involves examining the design, functionality, and messaging of these platforms to understand how they influence perceptions of hormones in contexts such as reproductive health, gender affirmation, and biotechnological advancements. In parallel, the RA will conduct a comprehensive literature review, engaging with interdisciplinary sources from fields such as medical humanities, digital media studies, and global health. This review will be updated regularly to incorporate the latest scholarly developments, ensuring the project remains at the forefront of the field. Additionally, the RA will undertake a systematic mapping of relevant entities, including companies, organizations, exhibitions, and markets pivotal to the global hormone industry. This mapping will provide a structured foundation for identifying key players and trends. They will also initiate contact with potential subjects for interviews, developing communication strategies and drafting preliminary outreach materials.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: Conduct a literature review of the existing field (research investigating the structure of the hormone industry, its political economy, but also specific works on the use of hormones in gender-affirming therapies and assisted reproduction techniques). Identify key subjects in the industry of hormones (pharmaceutical companies, business ventures dealing with genetic testing, gamete banks, etc.) and assist with interviews. Help with the visual analysis of the promotional material produced by selected players from the hormone industry (advertising campaigns, websites, etc.).

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: This process will equip the RA with valuable skills in networking, research organization, and the ethical considerations involved in engaging with research participants. As part of this mentorship, I will guide the student through the process of conducting ethnographic research and integrating it with a broader political economy analysis of the hormone industry. By the end of the research period, the RA will have developed fluency in connecting micro-level ethnographic insights with macro-level industry dynamics. They will also gain proficiency in employing a variety of critical research methods, providing them with a robust and interdisciplinary skill set to tackle complex academic inquiries.

Academic field: Communication and Media Studies
Research topic: Video Essays – Theory and Practice

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: I am seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Research Assistant to help me with my work on “Call me when you get there”. Call Me When You Get There is a theory video essay series, created in collaboration with alumnus Alessandro Turchioe, offering innovative and visually compelling ways to reflect on how digital and AI-powered technologies affect our society; and on the ethical questions they raise, both at an individual and societal level.

Sponsoring professor: Donatella Della Ratta
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The ideal candidate will play a crucial role in supporting both the research and production phases of the project. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to academic content creation and gain hands-on experience in video production.
The RA's regular duties will cover the following areas:

Research:

• • Conduct thorough research on the subject matter related to the video essay series (key areas: AI and digital media).
  • Compile, analyze, and organize information to support the content development.
  • Assist in the creation and revision of drafts for the video script and narrative.

On-Set Production:

• • Assist with logistics and preparation during the video shooting for the project.
  • Optionally, assist as an assistant director if experienced, helping to manage the set, coordinate talent, and ensure adherence to the shooting schedule.

Collaborative Support:

• • Work closely with the production team to incorporate feedback and suggestions.
  • Participate in meetings and discussions related to video content, structure, and production planning.

Festival & Journal Coordination:

• • Assist in coordinating and preparing festival applications and the journal submission after the project's completion.
  • Manage deadlines, entry requirements, and submissions for various film and video festivals, and the NECSUS academic journal.
  • Ensure all necessary materials are compiled and submitted in a timely manner, both for festival applications and for the academic journal submission.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: I have a deadline with NECSUS journal for a special issue stemming from the workshop conducted during the International Locarno Film Festival in August 2024. Alessandro Turchioe and I submitted a proposal for this issue, which has been accepted. Consequently, the initial weeks of the research assistantship will be dedicated to finalizing the draft for submission to NECSUS. Following this, the video essay will be completed and screened at the next International Locarno Film Festival in August 2025, as previously agreed upon during the last edition. Additionally, the research assistant will collaborate with the team to finalize the last episode of Call me when you get there, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the Spring 2025 semester. The RA's contributions will be credited in the final video outputs, which will be submitted for screenings at festivals and art venues. Furthermore, their work will be acknowledged in the  academic publication NECSUS journal and at the Locarno Film Festival.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: This video essay project provides a unique opportunity for the student research assistant to develop a wide range of research skills that are both theoretical and practical. Through direct involvement in drafting the NECSUS journal submission, the RA will refine their ability to synthesize complex ideas, engage with interdisciplinary scholarship, and articulate critical arguments in a clear and compelling manner. Collaborating on the final episode of the video series will further enhance their media literacy, equipping them with hands-on experience in creative and technical aspects of video production, such as editing, narrative design, and visual storytelling. This multifaceted engagement will deepen their understanding of how scholarly research and creative practice intersect, fostering transferable skills applicable to both academic and professional settings.

Academic field: Economics/Data Analytics
Research topic: Regional determinants of entrepreneurship and innovation

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: The Research Assistant will support the professor in preparing an academic publication on the topic of "Regional determinants of entrepreneurship and innovation." Research Assistant’s duties include providing support in researching and systematizing the relevant literature; identifying relevant research questions; collecting data and performing data analysis, providing feedback on preliminary versions of the manuscript; formalizing the manuscript (unifying citations, document formatting, proof-reading).

Sponsoring professor: Prof. Dr. Alina Sorgner
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The research assistant's duties include providing support in various steps of the research process, including researching the relevant academic literature and data sources, collecting data, preparing data for the empirical analysis, identifying an appropriate method of data analysis, interpreting the results of the empirical analysis, providing feedback on preliminary versions of the manuscript. Regular meetings and discussions with the professor are expected.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: The final output will be a written report on the topic of the research project. Alternatively, several narrowly defined deliverables can be submitted. The research assistant, if successful, will be invited to present the results of the research project at the annual Research Workshop organized by the Frank J. Guarini School of Business.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: Student research assistants will acquire in-depth knowledge of a highly relevant and timely topic in the field of economics and data analytics. Formal skills for writing academic papers as well as organizational skills of an academic will be developed. Due to the reviewing of relevant literature, regular discussions with the professor, analysis of quantitative data, the analytic skills will be developed further.

Academic field: International law in the field of contemporary forms of slavery
Research topic: Are there international law standards (treaties, customary rules, etc.) that specifically apply to the Gig sector and that would prohibit contemporary forms of slavery?

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: The research assistant will conduct desk research and compile a dataset of cases.

Sponsoring professor: Prof. Silvia Scarpa
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The research assistant will conduct research to identify relevant international law standards prohibiting exploitation that could be applicable to the Gig economy/sector. This research also includes work to identify relevant national legislation for selected States and international/national caselaw to identify eventual specific patterns. The selected States that will be examined in this research process are the United States of America, Italy, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: By the end of the research assistantship's period, the student will have collected relevant international standards as well as national laws and will have created a relevant database of caselaw.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: The instructor will guide the student throughout the whole research process, indicating methods for conducting legal research and she will periodically assess results and challenges eventually encountered by the student to eventually propose remedial action to overcome difficulties.

Academic field: Management/Economics
Research topic: Female Leadership features, impacts and outcomes at both firm and country-level

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: Our research aims to examine various dimensions of female leadership, from its impact on performance, innovation, and sustainability to the ways career progression intersects with personal choices, including the decision to become a mother or not, and the changes occurred after these kind of personal choices. In order to do this, we need to gather data from both one-to-one interviews to female CEO and CFO and surveys to various managerial position role hold by women.

Sponsoring professor: Sergio Scicchitano
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: Conduct interviews with the Professor support, Data entry, data analysis, outcome analysis.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: Brief reports about the findings that will be generated

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: The student will be involved in data collection (interviews and surveys) analysis for business and economics. The student will be involved also in writing drafts of empirical findings. The research will be developed in co-partnership with the research assistants proposed by Prof. Barbara Sveva Magnanelli.

Academic field: Management/Economics
Research topic: Female Leadership features, impacts and outcomes at both firm and country-level

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: Our research aims to examine various dimensions of female leadership, from its impact on performance, innovation, and sustainability to the ways career progression intersects with personal choices, including the decision to become a mother or not, and the changes occurred after these kind of personal choices. In order to do this, we need to gather data from both one-to-one interviews to female CEO and CFO and surveys to various managerial position role hold by women.
The research will be developed in co-partnership with the research assistantship proposed by Prof. Sergio Scicchitano.

Sponsoring professor: Barbara Sveva Magnanelli
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: Conduct interviews with the Professor support, Data entry, data analysis, outcome analysis.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: Brief reports about the findings that will be generated.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: The student will be involved in data collection (interviews and surveys) analysis for business and economics. The student will be involved also in writing drafts of empirical findings.

Academic field: Philosophy
Research topic: Ethics, Aesthetics, Politics, Culture and Transhumanism

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: Support in polishing a book-length manuscript on Euro-transhumanism.

Sponsoring professor: Stefan Lorenz Sorgner
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The monograph ought to be realized on the basis of various articles by the professor. Some of then have been published already. The research assistant ought: 1. to support the professor in arranging the articles in a way such that they form a comprehensive overall argument; 2. to provide support in updating the bibliographies of the texts; 3. to provide the professor with feedback concerning the reflections of the text, and 4. to help formalizing the manuscript (unifying citations, checking redundancies in and style of the text).

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: By the end of the semester, the manuscript ought to be ready such that it can be sent out to publishing houses, and such that it can be considered for publication. In this way, formal skills for writing academic texts as well as organizational skills of an academic can be developed.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: Due to the close reading of the reflections on various aspects of transhumanism and discussing the topics with the professor, the analytic skills for writing scholarly texts will be developed further. The work undertaken by the research assistant will be acknowledged appropriately in the publication.

Academic field: Psychology and Sociology
Research topic: Objectification, Culture, Cognition, Clothing

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: This project aims to deepen our understanding of the phenomenon of objectification — perceiving and treating individuals as objects — by exploring its cultural and religious underpinnings. Previous research has predominantly focused on Western participants and targets, often in contexts emphasizing minimal clothing. This study proposes that objectification is not solely a bottom-up perceptual process but is also influenced by cultural beliefs surrounding women’s clothing choices.
We hypothesize that cultural representations of women’s attire, such as the hijab (a Muslim head covering stereotypically associated in Western cultures with a lack of agency), can impact perceptions of agency (i.e., the extent to which a woman’s clothing is seen as a deliberate personal choice). Specifically, we aim to investigate how these representations facilitate objectification processes among Western participants.
This research is expected to significantly enhance our understanding of objectification and its cultural dimensions. Furthermore, it will provide valuable insights into the challenges and societal costs associated with the acculturation of Muslim migrants, offering implications for immigration policy and social integration efforts.
The research assistant will play a key role in this project, contributing to the design of questionnaires, collecting data, and reporting preliminary findings.

Sponsoring professor: Elisa Puvia
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The research assistant will regularly engage in various tasks crucial to the project. They will contribute to the development and validation of research tools, such as surveys and questionnaires, ensuring these align with the study’s objectives. A significant part of their role will involve conducting literature reviews to synthesize existing research on objectification, cultural beliefs, and perceived agency, providing a strong theoretical foundation for the project. The assistant will also facilitate data collection by recruiting participants and administering surveys, adhering to the study's ethical and procedural guidelines. Additionally, they will assist with initial data analysis and interpretation, working closely with the faculty supervisor to identify emerging patterns. The assistant will participate in regular meetings to discuss project progress, troubleshoot challenges, and refine research strategies. Finally, they will support the preparation of progress reports and presentations, summarizing findings.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: By the conclusion of the 45-hour assistantship, the research assistant is expected to have achieved several key milestones. They will have prepared a finalized draft of the survey or questionnaire to be used in the study. Depending on the study’s progress, the assistant will have facilitated participant recruitment and ensured that a sufficient number of responses have been collected. They will have compiled and organized the raw data in preparation for more detailed analysis, ensuring its accuracy and consistency. To conclude their work, the assistant will prepare a concise presentation or summary document outlining their contributions and progress, which will be reviewed by the faculty supervisor.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: This research assistantship provides the student with a valuable opportunity to enhance a wide range of research skills while working on a professional academic project. By participating in the design and validation of survey instruments, the student will develop expertise in creating robust research tools, a vital skill in both academic and applied research contexts. Through hands-on involvement in data collection and management, they will gain practical experience in organizing and handling data with precision. The project also offers the chance to engage with cross-cultural research, allowing the student to navigate and address the unique challenges inherent in studying diverse populations and cultural frameworks. Moreover, by conducting literature reviews, the assistant will refine their ability to critically evaluate existing research and integrate these insights into a coherent academic narrative. Collaboration with the faculty supervisor will further expose the student to the professional dynamics of research, potentially leading to co-authorship opportunities or the chance to present findings at academic conferences. These experiences will provide the student with a solid foundation for future academic or professional endeavors in the field.

Academic field: Psychology
Research topic: Compassion, Compassion focused Interventions, Heart rate Variability

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: My research examines the connection between compassion, motivational systems, and psychophysiology, including a meta-analysis on compassion and psychedelics, physiological activations of motivational systems, and psychophysiological outcomes of Compassion-Focused Therapy and CF-EMDR.
Research Assistant Duties:

• Conduct literature reviews.
• Assist in data collection and analysis (e.g., physiological metrics).
• Draft ethical committee proposals.
• Collaborate on experimental design.
• Support report writing and publication efforts.

Sponsoring professor: Nicola Petrocchi
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: The Research Assistant, will play a vital role in the success of ongoing and upcoming research projects. Below are the key responsibilities and regular duties associated with this position.

Core Responsibilities:

1. Literature Review and Research Synthesis

• Conduct comprehensive reviews of academic literature relevant to ongoing projects.
• Summarize findings in a clear and organized manner for use in manuscripts, presentations, and grant applications.
• Assist in maintaining an organized database of references and sources.

2. Data Collection and Management

• Assist in experimental sessions, including physiological data collection (e.g., heart rate variability) and psychological assessments.
• Ensure proper use, calibration, and maintenance of lab equipment.
• Maintain detailed and accurate records of all experimental procedures and results.

3. Data Analysis

• Support the processing, cleaning, and statistical analysis of psychophysiological and psychological data.
• Use software tools (e.g., SPSS, MATLAB, R) for data visualization and interpretation.
• Collaborate in interpreting data findings and preparing results for publication.

4. Drafting Proposals for Ethical Committees

• Prepare detailed and well-structured submissions for institutional review boards (IRBs) or ethical committees.
• Ensure all research adheres to ethical guidelines and compliance standards.

5. Report Writing and Documentation

• Contribute to the drafting of research reports, summaries, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
• Ensure all documentation is professional, accurate, and aligned with project objectives.

6. Experiment Design and Protocol Development

• Collaborate with the research team to refine experimental protocols and procedures.
• Assist in pilot testing and troubleshooting to ensure the feasibility and reliability of study designs.

7. Administrative and Logistical Support

• Coordinate schedules for research activities and ensure timely progress on project milestones.
• Assist in preparing presentations or materials for conferences, meetings, and workshops.

Expectations and Skills:

• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Attention to detail in handling data, protocols, and ethical considerations.
• Some familiarity with psychophysiological and psychological research methodologies.
• Effective communication skills for teamwork and documentation.
• Willingness to learn new tools and techniques as needed.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: By the conclusion of their 45-hour tenure, the Research Assistant is expected to accomplish the following tasks:

Literature Review (10-12 Hours)

• Conduct a focused review of literature for one of the ongoing projects.
• Summarize key findings from at least 8-10 academic articles, highlighting their relevance to the project.
• Organize references using citation management software (e.g., Zotero, EndNote).

Data Collection and Initial Management (8-10 Hours)

• Participate in at least 10 experimental sessions involving physiological data collection (e.g., heart rate variability).
• Ensure accurate recording and secure storage of raw data following ethical guidelines.

Ethical Proposal Drafting (6-8 Hours)

• Assist in drafting one complete ethical committee proposal, including detailed study protocols and compliance documents.
• Ensure adherence to institutional review board (IRB) standards.

Data Processing and Preliminary Analysis (8-10 Hours)

• Perform initial cleaning and organization of collected data.
• Complete basic statistical or qualitative analyses under supervision, providing clear summaries of findings.

Documentation and Reporting (5 Hours)

• Draft a concise report summarizing progress on the assigned tasks.
• Prepare a presentation or detailed notes summarizing their contributions for team review or future use.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: I am committed to providing a supportive and enriching environment to help the student research assistant develop their research skills. My approach includes the following:

Weekly One-Hour Meetings:

• Dedicated weekly meetings to discuss progress, address questions, and provide guidance on tasks such as literature review, data collection, and analysis.
• These sessions will also include discussions on research methodologies, ethical considerations, and academic writing to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the research process.

Hands-On Training:

• I will provide hands-on guidance during experimental sessions, teaching the student how to collect and manage psychophysiological data using specialized tools (e.g., for heart rate variability).
• Training on software and tools for data cleaning, analysis, and visualization will also be provided.

Collaborative Learning: I will mentor them on structuring academic papers, crafting well-supported arguments, and adhering to publication standards.

Research Discussions:

• Regular discussions on the theoretical and practical aspects of compassion, motivational systems, and psychophysiology to deepen their understanding of the field.
• Exposure to current research trends and insights to inspire future academic and professional pursuits.
  

Academic field: Psychology
Research topic: Science of Creativity

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: The RA will help with different projects aimed at investigating the cognitive and neural bases of creative cognition. The RA might work on different aspects of the research process, from programming experiments to data collection and paper writing. Each RA will be assigned to a project, and it will be the RA responsibility to achieve some specific goals established with the professor to gain the final credit. RAs are required to meet with the professor for weekly lab meeting where they will learn different aspects of conducting research in cognitive science. RA will need to attend lab meetings to gain the final credit. Lab meetings will last 1h or 2h and will be scheduled based on both the professor and the student availability. The applicant must have taken the Science of Creativity and Research Methods classes to be admitted to this position, and preferably be able to commit at least for 2 semesters.

Sponsoring professor: Carola Salvi Ph.D.
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: Going to lab meetings, reading bibliography, data collection, running experiments, and data cleaning.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: The RA will set up goals at the beginning of the semester with the professor. To gain the final credit the RA needs to achieve those goals, and have attended lab meetings and worked for a total of 45 h. RA's hours of work will be tracked.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: The faculty-scientist will mentor the student by providing essential guidance and feedback. This mentorship will enable the student to execute a rigorous methodology and successfully complete the data collection process, consequently enhancing their research skills and understanding of the topic.

Academic field: Social psychology
Research topic: Social robotics

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: I am looking for one or more research assistants who can help me out in my research project on human-robot interaction. To start this project, I need a robot. Thus, I am looking for one or more RAs who can help me with the following:

• Building a Blossom robot. This is the hardware part: the actual 3D printing, wood-cutting, and assembling of the physical robot. Based on the instructions provided, previous experience with building robots is not necessary. However, if you consider applying please be aware that I do not have experience building robots, so you will have to figure things out by yourself. JCU has a 3D printer and a woodcutter, and there will be technicians around to help with those.
• Programming a Blossom robot — that is, actually installing the code so the robot works. Here as well, there is an extensive repository so that most of the code needs to be installed rather than written. At the same time, here as well I will be relatively useless to help you out if you get stuck, so you will need to have the initiative to find your own solutions.
• Assuming that the instructions do not lie when they state that the building of Blossom will take “about 2-3 hours for first-timers,” the whole build including printing/cutting should take about 8-10 hours/3-4 weeks of RA time. The plan is to use the remainder of the semester to put the robot to use in an experiment. RAs will be expected to contribute the remainder of their RA time commitment to helping collecting data, coding responses, setting up the experiments, et cetera. Of course, this will be done with consideration for the RA’s academic schedule.

Sponsoring professor: Merel Keijsers
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: 3D printing and laser cutting wood; soldering; assembling a Blossom robot. Setting up the robot’s code. Helping with coding questionnaires in Qualtrics; setting up participant appointments; experiment set-up and running; help with the coding of video data. If interested, help with the writing of the methods and results section of the resulting paper.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: One functional Blossom robot. Ideally, up to 90 participants’ worth of collected data.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: Hands-on experience with data collection and coding.

Academic field: Statistics
Research topic: Statistics book editing

Brief description of project and research assistant duties: The goal of this project is to complete and refine the writing of a book that will hopefully be adopted as a textbook for Statistics 1 and Statistics 2 courses at JCU.

Sponsoring professor: Marco Forti
Professor’s e-mail address: [email protected]
Semester of assistantship: Spring 2025

Full description of research assistant’s regular duties: Study and editing selected part of the text.

Description of the work to be completed by the end of the research assistant’s 45 hours of work: Some specific paragraph should be completed.

Statement addressing how the faculty research will help the student research assistant develop their research skills: In the world of publishing (as well as in the scientific world), various specific softwares are used, the understanding and effective use of which is not always intuitive. LaTeX is certainly a prime example of this. In this project, the editing part has been implemented with the aforementioned software, although knowledge of this programming language is not a prerequisite for application since an introductory course on LaTeX programming will be provided.
From a statistical perspective, the text will cover all the topics taught in Statistics 1 and Statistics 2 courses at JCU. However, the deeper exploration of some mathematical aspects, the treatment of more advanced statistical themes, and the editorial nature of the work make the project suitable and appealing to a wide variety of students.
Specifically, the winning student of the Research Assistantship can look forward to improving their knowledge in the field of statistics, expanding it, and potentially delving into topics of their interest and related practical aspects.