Lab Research Manager

RSCH DATA ANL 2 (006256)

UCPath Position ID: TBD_940677

Position Description History/Status

Approved Date:

12/1/2025 9:18:14 PM

Date Last Edited:

12/1/2025 9:18:11 PM

Last Action Effective Date:

Organization Details

Business Unit (Location):

LACMP

Organization Code:

1300O

Organization:

LETTERS AND SCIENCE

Division Code:

1320D

Division:

L&S HUMANITIES

Department:

064000 - EUROPEAN LANGUAGES/TRANSCULTURAL STUDIES

Position Details

UCPath Position Number:

TBD_940677

Position Description ID

247820

UC Payroll Title:

RSCH DATA ANL 2 (006256)

Personnel Program

Professional and Support Staff (PSS)

Salary Grade:

Grade 21

Job Code FLSA:

Non-Exempt

Union Code (Collective Bargaining Unit):

99: Non-Represented (PPSM)

Employee Relations Code:

E: All Others - Not Confidential

Employee Class (Appt Type):

1 - Staff: Contract

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

0.5

SUPERVISION

UCPath Reports to Position Number:

40058746

Reports to Payroll Title:

PROF-AY (001100)

UCPath Department Head Position Number:

40062380

Department Head Payroll Title:

DEPARTMENT CHAIR (001096)

GENERAL SUPERVISION - Indicates that the incumbent develops procedures for performance of variety of duties; or performs complex duties within established policy guidelines.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Lab Research Manager plays a critical role in supporting interdisciplinary digital humanities research, with a focus on the ethical application of AI and computational methods to Holocaust and genocide testimonies, as well as the analysis of historical and cultural repositories such as digitized museum collections, digital archives, and historical libraries.

This position oversees research operations, grant development, data analysis, data write-ups, and publication management. It involves deploying and integrating AI tools into research workflows, ensuring that computational methods are efficient, reproducible, and accessible to interdisciplinary researchers. A key aspect of this role is designing and optimizing ML environments, automating computational workflows, and ensuring high-performance computing accessibility for AI-driven research.

In addition to executing the research goals of the lab, this role involves coordinating teams through structured workflows and weekly meetings, ensuring clear project milestones, resource allocation, and continuous research momentum. The Lab Research Manager also serves as a bridge between institutional partners, faculty and students, facilitating seamless onboarding, mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration to enhance technical proficiency and computational research capabilities.

Success in this role requires strengths in project management, mixed-methods research, writing and documentation, collaborative workflow design, and grant development. The Lab Research Manager ensures smooth operations, supports faculty and student researchers, and enhances the lab's capacity to conduct rigorous, ethical, and impactful research on AI and cultural heritage.

Directed by Professor Todd Presner (UCLA), the purpose of the lab is to develop and apply computational methods of analysis to expand how we read, hear, and analyze Holocaust and genocide testimonies. Dr. Presner directs an interdisciplinary digital humanities lab focused on exploring how computational methods and DH tools can be used to ask new questions about Holocaust history and memory. 

The visualizations published on this site, developed by lab members over the past few years, are part of the book Ethics of the Algorithm: Digital Humanities and Holocaust Memory (Princeton University Press, 2024). As part of Dr. Presner’s research and teaching in

UCLA’s Digital Humanities program and Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies, he directs an interdisciplinary digital humanities lab focused on exploring how computational methods and DH tools can be used to ask new questions about Holocaust history and memory. 

Digital Humanities research: The lab applies and develops text analysis tools used in computational linguistics (spaCy and BERT for Natural Language processing), PRAAT and SPEK for phonetic and speech analysis, network visualization and data analysis tools such as Tableau and Neo4j, as well as custom-developed, rule-based algorithms for “semantic triplet” extraction and experimental, machine learning processes for text disambiguation, indexing, and search.

Cultural Heritage and AI research: The lab’s current research investigates how AI (mostly Large

Language Models) can be used in ethical and responsible ways to analyze cultural repositories

(digitized museum collections and digital archives/libraries). This research includes the use of

LLMs to enhance metadata and indexing, create contextual information, and develop knowledge graphs. The lab is also using LLMs to re-imagine the extraction and characterization of semantic triplets.

Grant

Development &

Proposal

Execution

A1. Serve as the primary lead for grant development, contributing to project framing, research narratives, methods, budgets, and supporting materials

A2. Draft major components of grant proposals, including statements of significance, research design, data management plans, staffing plans, and ethical considerations

A3. Identify new funding opportunities from agencies aligned with the mission and objectives of the lab

A4. Coordinate internal timelines for proposal development, ensuring alignment with university procedures and sponsor requirements

A5. Manage revisions, documentation, and proposal submission materials in collaboration with faculty and administrative staff

30%

Research Work & Data Analysis

B1. Conduct mixed-methods research (including computational text analysis, qualitative coding, thematic analysis, and exploratory data work) on Holocaust testimonies and cultural datasets

B2. Integrate AI tools and advanced computational methods into research workflows, improving data processing efficiency and

enhancing accessibility for historical data analysis

B3. Collaborate with researchers to adapt computational methods and ensure reproducibility and scalability, tailoring experiments to meet specific research goals

B4. Contribute to research publications by providing expertise in data analysis, model interpretation, and ensuring thorough documentation of methodologies

25%

Research

Project

Management &

Operational

Oversight 

C1. Conduct weekly meetings to define responsibilities, track progress, and ensure alignment with research goals

C2. Maintain structured workflows and tracking systems to manage project priorities, deadlines, and key deliverables

C3. Work with the lab director to coordinate research strategy and allocate resources and team members based on their strengths, expertise, and interests

C4. Lead collaboration between faculty, researchers, and administrative teams to facilitate research execution and ensure seamless coordination

C5. Identify and resolve bottlenecks, structure processes to sustain project momentum, and implement contingency plans for absences or disruptions

20%

Research Coordination, Training, and Mentorship

D1. Develop onboarding processes and guidance documents for new researchers joining the lab

D2. Mentor undergraduate and graduate researchers in research methods, responsible AI use, and academic writing

D3. Facilitate workshops and training sessions on AI tools, coding workflows, literature review strategies, and best practices for qualitative and computational research

D4. Support a collaborative and inclusive research environment aligned with the lab’s pedagogical and ethical commitments

15%

Publication, Documentation, and Dissemination

E1. Manage the lab’s publication pipeline, including drafting and editing manuscripts, preparing figures and data tables, and coordinating revisions

E2. Oversee the collection, organization, and versioning of datasets, documentation, and analysis notebooks

E3. Prepare conference abstracts, presentations, and project summaries for academic and public audiences

E4. Support public-facing dissemination, including web content, interactive visualizations, and explanatory materials

10%

•

Performs other duties as assigned.

•

Complies with all policies and standards.

•

Complies with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Principles of Community.

•

This position description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree

in related area and/or equivalent experience/training

Required

And

Master's Degree

in related area and/or equivalent experience/training

Preferred

And

PhD

in related area and/or equivalent experience/training

Preferred

1-3 years

Expertise in grant development, project management, computing environments, and AI infrastructure deployment, with a focus on mixed-methods research.

Required

Working knowledge of AI tools and related infrastructure

Required

Working knowledge of grant development and funding proposals

Required

Working skills in data analysis, various computational methods, and publication management

Required

Skills to communicate complex information in a clear and concise manner both verbally and in writing, operating within structured workflows

Required

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.

Age Requirement: Candidate(s) must be 18 years or older to be eligible to be hired.

LOCATION AND PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, MENTAL (PEM) REQUIREMENTS

Environment and Work Location Information

Environment Type:

Non-Clinical Setting

Location Setting:

Campus

Location:

10745 Dickson Court, Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA

Standing/Walking

X

Sitting

X

Bending/Stooping

X

X

Squatting/Kneeling

X

Climbing

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 0-25 lbs

X

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 26-50 lbs

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull over 50 lbs

X

Physical requirements other

X

Chemicals, dust, gases, or fumes

X

X

Loud noise levels

X

Marked changes in humidity or temperature

X

Microwave/Radiation

X

X

Operating motor vehicles and/or equipment

X

Exposures other

X

Sustained attention and concentration

X

X

Complex problem solving/reasoning

X

X

Ability to organize & prioritize

X

X

Communication skills

X

X

Numerical skills

X

X

Mental demands other

X

X

Classification 3:  Position in which exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues is not part of the position description. The normal routine task involves no exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues and the employee can decline to perform tasks which involve a perceived risk without retribution.