Graduate Assistantships | The Graduate School

To be appointed, to retain an appointment, or to be reappointed, a student must hold Regular (not Provisional) status, must maintain a cumulative average of at least B (3.00) in any course work taken, must be eligible to register (i.e., must not have more than three viable grades of Incomplete on their academic record), must be enrolled in a graduate degree program scheduled to extend through the entire period of the appointment or reappointment, and must be a full-time student.

In order to perform duties with direct instructional responsibilities, a graduate student appointed as a Teaching Assistant will need to provide proof of English proficiency. UConn’s English Proficiency Policy for TAs and Testing Procedures details information about how to provide proof of proficiency.

A graduate assistantship provides the student with a tuition waiver for the duration of the appointment in the fall and spring semesters. There is no tuition waiver for summer or winter intersession courses. GAs are still required to pay student fees. When graduate fee bills are calculated by the Office of the Bursar, the tuition waiver will automatically populate to the GA’s fee bill once two items are in place: an active payroll authorization input by the hiring department and enrollment for the semester in at least six credits.

Stipend rates for graduate assistants are graduated in terms of progress toward the advanced degree and experience.

Level I: for graduate assistants with at least a baccalaureate degree.
Level 2: for graduate assistants in a doctoral program with at least a master’s degree or its equivalent in the field of graduate study. Equivalency consists of thirty graduate level credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, together with admission to a doctoral program. If the master’s degree was used to satisfy the equivalency of a bachelor’s degree for purposes of admission, the degree does not count toward Level 2 eligibility.
Level 3: for graduate assistants enrolled in a doctoral program who have passed the doctoral general examination and have the milestone reflected on their record.

Specific stipend rates may be found on Payroll’s website and will be included in the GA offer letter.

In addition to an offer letter for a graduate assistantship, the hiring department must also provide GAs with a Supplemental Description of Duties (SDD) form for each semester they are appointed. This form summarizes the specific duties a GA is expected to perform and may include, among other things, the assigned course, lab, research project, or position; the faculty member to whom the GA will report; course meeting times and location; the maximum number of students for which the GA will be responsible per class, section, lab, etc.; and the work location. The Supplemental Description of Duties must be signed by both the GA’s supervisor and the GA. The Supplemental Description of Duties form may be issued separately from the assistantship offer letter.

When accepting a job offer feel free to ask clarifying questions. If you feel that you are not being given enough time to make your decision, ask if additional time might be granted. Supervisors are encouraged to give candidates up to a week to accept an offer but sometimes this may not be possible.

Once accepting an offer and if resigning from a different graduate assistant position, it is recommended that you immediately notify the department of your resignation. This is especially important when departments are already counting on you to teach courses or labs. They would rather know immediately and be able to initiate a hiring process to fill open positions, ensuring that course offerings remain available, etc.

If you are applying to UConn, there is a place within the application where you can indicate that you wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship.

If you have accepted an assistantship offer, please visit our GA Onboarding page. This webpage will orient GAs employed at Storrs and regional campuses who fall under the Graduate Employees Union (GEU) and provide information, resources, and to-do items specific to your role as a GA to help you successfully transition into your assistantship.

Introduction
The REINVENT-PT lab (REhabilitation INnoVations & Emerging Novel Technologies in Physical Therapy, Principal Investigator (PI): Dr. Sudha Srinivasan) at the University of Connecticut (UConn) is seeking diligent, energetic, and empathetic students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in Kinesiology beginning Fall 2025.

The REINVENT-PT lab is interested in understanding developmental trajectories of individuals with neuro-developmental disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, and Intellectual Disability across the lifespan. We are interested in studying how infants and children with developmental disabilities explore their physical and social environment compared to typically developing peers, as well as the cascading effects of motor difficulties on a child’s social communication and cognitive development. We are also interested in assessing health-related outcomes in adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities, including their physical activity and physical fitness levels. Based on our understanding of the developmental trajectories of individuals with disabilities, our goal is to develop multisystem, engaging, evidence-based, behavioural interventions and assistive technologies to empower the lives of people with disabilities. We are interested in developing motivating interventions that harness an individual’s intrinsic interests/preferences in positive ways to bring about sustained behaviour change.

Past work in our lab has included: (1) developing and assessing the effects of creative movement-based interventions involving music, dance, and yoga for children with autism; (2) assessing physical activity levels in youth with developmental disabilities compared to typically developing peers and understanding stakeholder perspectives related to facilitators and barriers around physical activity engagement among youth with disabilities; and (3) designing accessible and user-friendly communication aids for nonverbal and minimally-verbal children with disabilities and assessing the effects of a training program using novel assistive technologies. In addition, our lab has conducted and published multiple systematic reviews and perspectives in the areas of physical activity, equine therapies, telehealth-based interventions, and creative movement therapies.

Our work on project (1) suggests that whole-body creative movement interventions that promote playful exploration, creativity, improvisation, and self-expression are inherently more enjoyable and motivating for children with autism compared to standard-of-care interventions. Moreover, these interventions can promote multisystem development in perceptuo-motor, social communication, and cognitive domains among children with autism. Our work so far on project (2) suggests that youth with disabilities have lower levels of physical fitness, engage in lower levels of physical activity, are more sedentary, and have lower levels of motor proficiency/function compared to typically developing peers. Moreover, focus group discussions with youth with disabilities, their caregivers, special educators, and therapists indicate that youth with disabilities prefer activities that are fun, non-competitive, and that promote interactions with neurotypical peers. Families face several barriers in promoting physical activity among youth including limitations related to accessibility and affordability of adult-oriented programs, availability of trained personnel, and challenges in balancing multiple work and family-related commitments. Finally, results from project (3) suggest that a 3-month training program provided in a special school setting using a child-friendly, icon-driven communication system called Jellow, which was developed following multiple user studies, led to improvements in communication skills among 17 children with autism.

Over the last 4 years, our lab’s work has focused on exploring the utility and efficacy of using playful joystick-operated ride-on toys to promote upper extremity function and spontaneous use in children with hemiplegia. Children with hemiplegia have poor control, specifically in their upper extremity, on their affected side, which leads to significant limitations in daily activities and their ability to participate in play, at school, and within the community. Current evidence-based clinical practice guidelines suggest that children with cerebral palsy require intensive practice for several hours per week to produce meaningful improvements in function and participation. Our line of work is aimed at assessing the adjunctive value of playful training programs using joystick-operated ride-on toys in addition to conventional rehabilitation to improve arm use and function among children with hemiplegia. We are interested in exploring the feasibility of implementing such training programs within multiple settings and as part of different service delivery models, e.g., at home, clinic, school, summer camp, within the community, etc. We are also interested in comparing the efficacy of single- versus dual-joystick ride-on-toy navigation training in improving unimanual and bimanual function in children with hemiplegia. The new graduate student joining the lab will receive the opportunity to work on funded projects in the lab related to this line of research with children with hemiplegia. We have recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 6-week ride-on-toy navigation training intervention compared to a dose-matched intervention standard-of-care seated intervention among 30 children with hemiplegia between 3 and 8 years.

As a graduate student, the prospective candidate will be involved in multiple related projects in the lab starting with the recently funded RCT. The student will be engaged in several aspects of the research process including preparing materials to get approval for research from the institutional review board, participant recruitment and screening, data collection and administration of standardized
tests/measures with children/youth, development and delivery of novel treatment protocols, data coding and analysis, and data dissemination through manuscript writing. The student will have the opportunity to learn technical skills (e.g., motion capture techniques, accelerometery to assess arm activity, video data-based behavioural coding software, post-processing algorithms to analyse collected data, scientific presentation and writing skills, critical review of published literature, etc.) and soft skills (e.g., time management, multi-tasking, mentoring undergraduate students, etc.). The student will also be interacting on a regular basis, under the supervision of the PI, with undergraduate and graduate students working in the lab on research projects.

The Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut (UConn) is regarded as one of the best in the United States, with the doctoral program ranked #2 in the US. The faculty includes recognized leaders in the fields of exercise science, athletic training, and physical therapy. Given the nature of our work, our lab also works closely with the Psychological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Departments at UConn. In addition, the PI is an affiliate of the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP; https://chip.uconn.edu/home/) and the Connecticut Institute of the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS; https://ibacs.uconn.edu/). The student may be able to work with faculty within these institutes/centres and take relevant training courses offered by these institutes/centres. As a part of their graduate curriculum, the student will receive an interdisciplinary education, which may include several courses in statistics, research methods, developmental psychology, developmental disabilities, exercise science, exercise prescription, scientific presentations, grant writing, and human development and family studies. The plan of study will be tailored based on the requirements of the topic of the student’s dissertation and in accordance with the lab’s research agenda.

Required Qualifications and Attributes

Master’s degree in Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy or related fields with a specialization in Neuroscience or Rehabilitation or Paediatrics, with a strong academic record. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy, with a strong academic record, may be considered for the position. (Note: Students with a Bachelor’s degree will need to get their Master’s degree at UConn prior to beginning their PhD curriculum. This requirement need not be separately satisfied - it will be integrated into the student’s PhD program.). Students from other related fields with relevant experience working with children or individuals with developmental disabilities will be considered.
1-2 years of experience working with children or young adults with developmental disabilities.
Experience with research including designing a study, obtaining approval for human subjects research, recruitment of participants, data collection, data analyses, and data dissemination (e.g., writing manuscripts, presenting at conferences through platform and/or poster presentations, writing abstracts for submission to conferences/annual meetings, etc.).
Ability and willingness to learn and work hard, with great attention to detail.
High levels of motivation, passion for research, and academic curiosity to excel.
Willingness to take the initiative in designing and solving research-related problems.
Excellent interpersonal and time management skills and ability to work as part of an inter-disciplinary team.
Strong written and oral communication skills (as indicated by TOEFL scores>100/120 or IELTS score > 7/10, writing sample, and as assessed during virtual interview) and leadership qualities to work with research staff and students in the lab.
Proficiency in using MS-Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
Working knowledge of statistics, research design, and quantitative skills, as assessed by GRE scores > 300. (Note: In exceptional circumstances, the GRE requirement may be waived, but this is completely at the discretion of the PI.)
Willingness and ability to drive a car to travel within 1.5 hour driving distance from UConn for data collections (note, mileage reimbursement will be provided for travel)

Preferred Qualifications and Attributes

Knowledge of motion tracking systems and their use for measuring upper and lower extremity kinematics
Knowledge of programming using MATLAB®
Experience with brain imaging tools such as fNIRS, EEG, etc.

To Apply
To apply for this position, please send the following materials via email to Dr. Sudha Srinivasan at sudha.srinivasan@uconn.edu

A cover letter with at least 2 references (please provide contact information and details of at least 2 of your references who can be contacted for more information);
Curriculum Vitae (describing educational qualifications, trainings/certifications, and relevant work/research experience);
A brief (1-2 pages) statement of interests (please clearly define your research interests and discuss how your interests align with the work we pursue in our lab; please add what you think you will bring to our lab and what you hope to gain from pursuing research in our lab);
A writing sample (thesis draft / journal article / review paper / conference paper, etc.).

Next Steps

Upon review of your application packet by the lab PI, you may be contacted for a virtual 1.5-hour interview, if you are shortlisted for the position. The interview will help the PI learn more about your academic qualifications, career aspirations, potential fit with the lab agenda, interpersonal skills, expectations from the program and your advisor, and any other issues on which the PI would like clarification.
Following this initial interview, the PI may schedule a second interview that will involve a presentation of your past work / research project / publication.
If the PI selects your application, you will be requested to formally apply to UConn. Please note that you can apply to UConn BEFORE you take the TOEFL &/or GRE. Steps for completing the UConn application, along with timelines, are outlined here: https://grad.uconn.edu/admissions/requirements/
Assistantships: Based on your interactions with the PI, you may be selected to receive a research or teaching assistantship (RA/TA). If you are on at least a 50% RA/TA (i.e., involving 10 hours of work per week), your tuition fees are waived by the university. Please note that the assistantship allows you to work as an academic assistant at UConn while still pursuing your graduate education at the university. The duties of an RA/TA are decided in conjunction with your primary advisor and the needs of the department that will hire you. More information on assistantships can be found at: https://grad.uconn.edu/assistantships/
Other helpful links for students are as follows:
- Prospective students: https://grad.uconn.edu/prospective-student/
- Exercise Science (MS/PhD program overview): https://exsci.kins.uconn.edu/graduate-program-overview/
- Graduate Studies Handbook (Department of Kinesiology): https://exsci.kins.uconn.edu/informational-guide/
- UConn Graduate catalog: https://gradcatalog.uconn.edu/pdf-catalog/
- Center of International Students & Scholars: https://isss.uconn.edu/

Position Summary:

The Graduate School is the home for graduate and postdoctoral education at the University of Connecticut. The University offers graduate degree programs in virtually every field of instruction and confers more than 2,200 graduate degrees and certificates every year. The Graduate School nurtures a vibrant community of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, fosters collaboration across departments, programs, and campuses in research and teaching, and facilitates the preparation of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for their future careers. The vision for training graduate students and postdoctoral scholars at UConn rests on these pillars: community, collaboration, and preparation. The Graduate School serves as a central resource for applicants to graduate programs, current graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars. In addition to supporting graduate students’ academic relationship with the University, The Graduate School seeks to build an active, engaged community of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

This GA will report directly to the Assistant Director CRM & Data Management and will support Graduate School communications and marketing, development of our online orientation and beyond orientation programs, as well as website design and updates.

Specific duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on office needs as well as the interests and innovations of the successful candidate.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Maintain and support the development of The Graduate School’s multi-stage orientation build in Slate.
Manage marketing, develop social media campaigns, and create content prior to a series of events (events include, but are not limited to, Orientation, Graduate Student Appreciation Week, Post Doc Appreciation Week, monthly Graduate Gathering events, and graduate fellows events)
Develop content for and provide leadership to The Graduate School’s online presence via social media, including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Support, maintain, and update communication lists and work with The Graduate School staff to post information to various campus communities via Soapbox, the Daily Digest, listservs, etc.
Assist in updating, organizing, and improving The Graduate School website
- Maintain awareness and utilize data analytics to inform the design of the website, as well as to discover areas of interest for our communities
- Provide technical and creative support in developing web content, possibly including videos, podcasts, and interactive training modules
- Ensure all material is current and links are active
- Create content for our website, social media, and orientation including writing, photography, and video production
- Develop and maintain content on our website, including announcement posts, graduate student and postdoctoral scholars’ profiles/testimonials, and information on events, competitions, and orientations
Co-develop marketing materials for graduate recruitment through applications such as InDesign and Publisher
Identify newsworthy stories to highlight the scholarship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars
Attend Graduate School events and provide photos, videos, and written content
Attend staff meetings and retreats of The Graduate School and the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Affairs team
Potentially supervise an undergraduate student worker who provides administrative support for The Graduate School Unit
Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

This assistantship is a 20 hour per week appointment to begin as soon as possible for Spring 2025; evening or weekend hours may be required. This appointment is for one semester with the potential for renewal. Employment may also be available during the summer. Renewal and summer appointments are typically subject to satisfactory performance, department needs, and continued availability of funds.

Candidates must possess demonstrated experience in web content management and coordination of professional communication, as well as exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, strong organizational skills, the ability to manage multiple priorities, and the willingness to work and communicate effectively with diverse populations and as a team. Ability to use or learn how to use Aurora/WordPress, social media platforms, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, and other new software. High standards regarding accuracy and attention to detail are required, as is the ability to use experience and good judgment to make appropriate decisions. Additionally, demonstrated creativity and experience designing marketing and recruiting materials, and experience using social media platforms are preferred.

To Apply:

The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume/CV, and names and contact information for two references to Paula Steele at paula.steele@uconn.edu (please include the title of the position in the email subject line).

The Graduate School

Graduate Assistantships Overview

Graduate students collecting data as Laura Marcoux rides a stationary bicycle inside the Mission Heat Lab at Gampel Pavilion

What is a Graduate Assistantship?

What is the Eligibility Criteria to be a GA?

What is the Appointment Length and Hours Per Week?

What Benefits Do GAs Receive?

Do GAs Receive a Tuition Waiver?

What are the Stipend Rates?

Are GAs Required to Do Any Additional Trainings?

What is a Supplemental Description of Duties?

Can GAs Hold Additional Employment?

Job Offer Acceptance Etiquette

What Next?

Current Opportunities

REINVENT-PT Lab Graduate Assistant (Kinesiology)

The Graduate School – Graduate Assistantship for Communication and Media

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