Student BESST Peer Mentor Research Assistant - Pool

Position OverviewThe BESST Peer Mentor Research Assistant is a part of the Building Emerging STEM Scholars of Tomorrow (BESST) mentorship and research program. BESST connects juniors and seniors with federal work study to research opportunities and mentors. BESST Research Assistants will be paired with a researcher mentor and will work on a research project throughout the 2025-2026 academic year. There are many different research projects that you can choose to work on. They may involve biological research, geological, database work, coding, engineering, and many other areas of research. In addition to the research assistant work, you will also get paid to do monthly online trainings and attend in-person workshops that will help prepare you for conducting research, identifying and applying for internships, and preparing for a career or graduate school.

The BESST Peer Mentor Research Assistants will also serve as a peer mentor liaison for the junior cohort of students. This includes providing regular office hours to meet with students, meet with the BESST leadership team at least twice a semester to provide programmatic feedback, and support recruitment during the spring semester by visiting classes to advertise the program. This is a two-year program, and students in satisfactory standing after their first year will continue the program into the second year. Additional information can be found on the about the BESST program page .Job Description80% - BESST Research Assistant

As a BESST Research Assistant you may do any of the following :

• Conduct a literature review
• Assist in data collection
• Assist in data entry
• Digitize materials
• Conduct data analysis
• Present results of data analysis

20% - BESST Student Development

As part of the BESST program you will also be paid to :

Required QualificationsKU undergraduate student at junior or senior academic status (1-2 years left in your undergrad)

Preferred QualificationsInterest in participating in a STEM research project (STEM major is not required) as evidenced in application materials.

Position RequirementsDuring the semester term of the appointment, the student hourly must be enrolled in no fewer than 6 credit hours. For summer periods the student hourly must : (1) have been enrolled in no less than 6 hours in the past spring semester or (2) be pre-enrolled in the upcoming fall semester in no less than 6 hours or (3) be enrolled in summer session or (4) be admitted to study in the upcoming fall semester. Student Hourlies may be undergraduate or graduate students. (Exceptions granted for GRA / GTA / GA appointments DO NOT apply to Student Hourly appointments).Employment Conditions(1) Student employees are not eligible for remote work arrangements unless an exception is approved by the unit leadership and HR.

Additional Candidate Instructions There are two parts to the BESST Research Assistant application : The HR online application and supplemental application :

https : / / kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com / jfe / SV_8hSVJeSnx5gIYbI

To ensure consideration apply before the application review date 07 / 07 / 2025. A review of applications will continue until qualified candidates are identified.Contact Information to ApplicantsBlair Schneider (blair.schneider@ku.edu)Advertised Salary Range$15.00 per hourAnticipated Start DateMonday August 18, 2025 Apply to Job