Job Description

The NYU Program of Nutrition at Steinhardt and the Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) are seeking one (1) part-time Research Associate to support Dr. Angela Trude and the OPT-FRESH research team. The RA will assist project staff with recruitment, data collection, analysis, and field activities, gaining hands-on experience in community-engaged nutrition and public health research.

Project Overview: OPT-FRESH is a 5-year NIH-funded intervention trial addressing gaps in healthy food access among low-income families. Using the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), the study tests three intervention components designed to reduce barriers to online healthy food purchases: 1) weekly text messages to improve trust in online grocery services; 2) weekly match of up to $10 as a financial incentive for purchasing FVL online; and 3) weekly instant shoppable grocery lists of tailored meal suggestions using SNAP-Ed recipes. OPT-FRESH will provide a unique opportunity to identify effective, scalable, and efficient strategies that could be used to reach the over 44 million people in the U.S., including six million children, experiencing food insecurity, thus addressing important social determinants of health and explain health disparities related to cardiovascular disease.

Specific Responsibilities:

1. Attend weekly meetings and trainings.
2. Recruit participants for the study in community sites located in the Bronx.
3. Administer surveys and collect participant data in-person.
4. Lead and assist with intervention activities, including the following:
   1. Development and management of weekly SMS to participants.
   2. Follow-up with participants and send weekly reminders to collect online grocery receipt.
   3. Design online grocery shopping lists.
5. Ensure accurate and secure data collection, entry, and storage.
6. Assist with preparation of research materials and protocols.
7. Support data cleaning, organization, and preliminary analysis.
8. Contribute to preparation of reports, presentations, and publications.

In compliance with NYC's Pay Transparency Act, the hourly base rate for this position is $30/hour. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the specific grant funding and the terms of the research grant when extending an offer.

Per NYU's remote-work policy, this position is expected to be fully in-person. The Research Associate will work at the NYU Washington Square Campus and at Bronx community sites for recruitment and data collection. Public transportation costs for fieldwork are reimbursed.

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications

1. Proficiency in Spanish is required.
2. Recent graduate student (Nutrition, Food Studies, Public Health, Epidemiology, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Data Science, or related fields preferred).
3. Strong qualitative research methods skills.
4. Experience will qualitative research data and software (NVivo, Atlas.ti, MAXQDA, Dedoose).
5. Valid CITI certificate for the Human Subjects Research - Social & Behavioral - Basic/Refresher Course, the Responsible Conduct of Research using NYU as your affiliation AND the GCP - Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices for Clinical Research.
6. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse communities.
7. Reliable, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple tasks.
8. Prior research or community-based experience preferred.
9. Familiar with online grocery services desired.

Application Instructions

This is an hourly position of 27 hours/week starting May 18, 2026. This is a three-month position, with potential renewal depending on funding. To apply, qualified candidates should submit a one-page cover letter (please include your future career goals, reason you are interested in the position, and specific examples that make you qualified for this position) and resume/CV, and name, phone number, and email address of one reference.

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