What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Technology Specialist position at Inside Higher Ed?
Job Category
Professional/Administrative
Position Title
Research Technology Specialist
Full Time/Part Time
Full Time
Division
Dean of the Faculty
Department
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Work Arrangement Type
On-Site (Hamilton, NY) – expected to work fully at the designated campus/office location.
Hiring Wage/Salary Range
$73,500-$76,500
Professional Experience/ Qualifications
When extending an offer, Colgate University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations.
Physical Requirements
Responsible for immediately reporting any unsafe conditions to the supervisor and/or Environmental Health and Safety.
Benefits
Colgate University offers a competitive benefits package, with most benefits effective on the date of hire. Highlights include: medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, paid family leave, health & wellness, continuing education and professional development. We also offer unique perks, such as free parking, gym discounts, bookstore savings, athletic tickets, and access to cultural and recreational facilities. Explore the full benefits package on our Benefits page.
Department Statement
The Psychological and Brain Sciences Department applies scientific approaches to understanding sensation, motivation, perception, cognition, language, development, personality, psychological disorders, and social behavior. As a collective, we deploy techniques that capture processes at the level of the gene, the cell, the brain, the individual organism, and the group.
Accountabilities
The Research Technology Specialist provides integrated technical and research support to the
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Colgate University. The position plays a key role
in enabling high-quality undergraduate and faculty research through experiment programming, data workflows, systems support, and troubleshooting of research-related hardware and software. The Specialist supports the department’s technological infrastructure in ways that directly enhance both teaching and research. The role offers the opportunity to work closely with faculty across cognitive, social, clinical, developmental, and neuroscience subfields.
Responsibilities Include
2025S086Posting
Temporary
No
Work Schedule
Monday – Friday business hours with potential for occasional remote work.
Job Open Date
12/04/2025
Open Until Filled
Yes
EEO Statement
The University recognizes that equal employment opportunity can only be achieved through demonstrated leadership. It is the Policy of the University to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and train employees on the basis of skills and experience, capacity to do the job, and valid job qualifications without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.
Clery Act
CAMPUS CRIME REPORTING AND STATISTICS
The Department of Campus Safety will provide upon request a copy of Colgate’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education for the previous three years concerning reported: 1. crimes that occurred on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Colgate University; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus and 2. fires that occurred in student housing facilities. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security and fire safety, such as policies concerning sexual assault, life safety systems, and other related matters. You may access the report from the Clery Compliance web page at: https://www.colgate.edu/about/offices-centers-institutes/dean-college/campus-safety-staff/clery-compliance. Printed copies of this report may be obtained upon request from the Department of Campus Safety via e-mail at cusafety@colgate.edu.
Professional/Administrative
Position Title
Research Technology Specialist
Full Time/Part Time
Full Time
Division
Dean of the Faculty
Department
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Work Arrangement Type
On-Site (Hamilton, NY) – expected to work fully at the designated campus/office location.
Hiring Wage/Salary Range
$73,500-$76,500
Professional Experience/ Qualifications
- Relevant experience in programming or technical support (through coursework, internships, research experience, or professional work).
- Strong Python skills and the ability to learn new technologies quickly.
- Experience supporting users with varied levels of technical sophistication.
- Commitment to ongoing learning and professional development.
- Python for research applications (PsychoPy experience a plus).
- Experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript.
- Familiarity with relational databases (e.g., MySQL/MariaDB).
- Experience with Linux-based systems or willingness to learn basic server administration.
- Desktop support experience (macOS and Windows).
- Experience with Qualtrics customization, PsychoPy, REDCap, or Mindware.
- Familiarity with R or willingness to learn R to provide basic troubleshooting support for student analyses.
- Prior experience in an academic or research support setting.
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, psychology, neuroscience, information systems, or another field with strong technical experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
When extending an offer, Colgate University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations.
Physical Requirements
Responsible for immediately reporting any unsafe conditions to the supervisor and/or Environmental Health and Safety.
Benefits
Colgate University offers a competitive benefits package, with most benefits effective on the date of hire. Highlights include: medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, paid family leave, health & wellness, continuing education and professional development. We also offer unique perks, such as free parking, gym discounts, bookstore savings, athletic tickets, and access to cultural and recreational facilities. Explore the full benefits package on our Benefits page.
Department Statement
The Psychological and Brain Sciences Department applies scientific approaches to understanding sensation, motivation, perception, cognition, language, development, personality, psychological disorders, and social behavior. As a collective, we deploy techniques that capture processes at the level of the gene, the cell, the brain, the individual organism, and the group.
Accountabilities
The Research Technology Specialist provides integrated technical and research support to the
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Colgate University. The position plays a key role
in enabling high-quality undergraduate and faculty research through experiment programming, data workflows, systems support, and troubleshooting of research-related hardware and software. The Specialist supports the department’s technological infrastructure in ways that directly enhance both teaching and research. The role offers the opportunity to work closely with faculty across cognitive, social, clinical, developmental, and neuroscience subfields.
Responsibilities Include
- Design and program custom software for teaching and research, including developing behavioral experiments using PsychoPy (Python) and related tools.
- Provide training and support to students and faculty using research software platforms (e.g., Qualtrics, PsychoPy).
- Provide technical support for specialized laboratory and classroom instruction, ensuring smooth operation of research and teaching related technologies.
- Serve as a liaison between PBSC and Colgate ITS regarding research related technology needs.
- Maintain, update, and troubleshoot macOS and Windows hardware and software across labs, classrooms, and offices.
- Maintain equipment inventory and storage and assist faculty with technology purchases, coordinating with ITS where required by university procurement guidelines.
- Assist with routine maintenance of departmental servers and internal websites, including updates, backups, and basic configuration, consulting with ITS as appropriate on higher-level security or infrastructure questions.
- Administer the department’s SONA research participation system, including managing user accounts, postings, and data import/export.
- Support secure data storage, networking, and backup solutions for faculty research workflows.
- Troubleshoot specialized research tools used by faculty (e.g., REDCap, Mindware) and learn new technologies as needed.
- Provide basic support for student and faculty use of R for introductory-level data analysis, including troubleshooting script errors, loading data, installing packages, and helping students run simple analyses.
2025S086Posting
Temporary
No
Work Schedule
Monday – Friday business hours with potential for occasional remote work.
Job Open Date
12/04/2025
Open Until Filled
Yes
EEO Statement
The University recognizes that equal employment opportunity can only be achieved through demonstrated leadership. It is the Policy of the University to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and train employees on the basis of skills and experience, capacity to do the job, and valid job qualifications without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.
Clery Act
CAMPUS CRIME REPORTING AND STATISTICS
The Department of Campus Safety will provide upon request a copy of Colgate’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education for the previous three years concerning reported: 1. crimes that occurred on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Colgate University; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus and 2. fires that occurred in student housing facilities. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security and fire safety, such as policies concerning sexual assault, life safety systems, and other related matters. You may access the report from the Clery Compliance web page at: https://www.colgate.edu/about/offices-centers-institutes/dean-college/campus-safety-staff/clery-compliance. Printed copies of this report may be obtained upon request from the Department of Campus Safety via e-mail at cusafety@colgate.edu.
Salary : $73,500 - $76,500