Baby's First Years
The first study in the United States to assess the impact of poverty reduction on family life and young children's cognitive, emotional, and brain development
Opportunities
Interested in child development, language, and family research?
Volunteer Research Assistant Role
We are seeking highly motivated Research Assistants to support rigorous transcription review and quality assurance of video recorded mother–child interactions collected during Age 6 lab visits. These transcripts will be used for detailed linguistic analyses. Precision, consistency, and strong attention to detail are key. Approximately one third of participating families are Spanish speaking (primarily Dominican and Mexican backgrounds), so bilingual (Spanish–English) proficiency is a plus, though not required. RAs will receive specialized training in transcription protocols and gain exposure to a large scale longitudinal research study.
Responsibilities
• Review and format transcripts of mother–child interactions
• Conduct quality checks for transcription accuracy
• Prepare transcripts for linguistic data analysis Commitment & Timeline
• Start: September 2026 (training can start earlier)
• Minimum commitment: Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters
• 8 hours/week during academic year Qualifications
• Fully remote
• IRB approval, CITI certification, and brief training required
Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Child Development, Early Childhood Education, or related field
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish preferred, but not required (bicultural experience a plus)
• Prior research/lab experience
• Experience with parent–child interaction, work with young children, or transcription (preferred)
Interested?
Email Silvana Freire at silvana.freire@nyu.edu and attach your CV.
The Baby's First Years study team seeks a Research Assistant (RA) with a BA in Psychology, Neuroscience, or a related field. This individual will pilot and subsequently run the lab-based visits in NYC at age 3. Will assist the postdoc in piloting and training others on the tasks.
Primary responsibilities include assisting with the development and pilot testing of study procedures, administering study visits, and assisting the Project Director with operational activities. Budget-related responsibilities include reconciling expenses to the correct grants and processing invoices. Individuals in this role may also train and manage research assistants, and have opportunities to assist with data analysis and conference/manuscript preparation. Duties may include light travel to study sites.
Click here for more information and to learn how to apply.
POSTDOCTORAL SCIENTISTS
The Baby's First Years study team seeks two full-time postdoctoral research scientists. These positions will be overseeing site-based data collection for our capstone wave of data collection when children in the study are approximately four years old. One position will be based in Omaha, Nebraska and the other in New Orleans, Louisiana, with close collaboration with both local lab supervisors and, remotely, with study leadership.
To be considered, candidates must have research experience with administering standardized cognitive assessments to young children in the lab setting. Qualified candidates will be highly organized, have good leadership skills, be detail-oriented, and will be proficient at interacting with young children and families.