Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Part-time Positions in Clinical/Developmental Research at Northwestern University



Greetings,

The MAPS (Mapping the Diversity of Young Children)-Integrated Research Program (MAPS-IRP), which focuses on characterizing and predicting the early emergence of mental health problems, has part-time positions available to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The newly funded MAPS Follow-Up Study (MAPS-FUS) (PI: Lauren Wakschlag, PhD) is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to identify developmentally based brain:behavior markers in early childhood that most sharply predict which young children will go on to develop chronic mental health problems from early school age-pre-adolescence. Individuals hired for these positions will be part of a dynamic collaborative team that includes clinical and developmental psychologists, methodologists, and neuroscientists.

All interested candidates should email resume and contact information for three references to jacqueline-cruz@northwestern.edu.

Part-time Research Assistant (2 openings):
The research assistant (RA) is a key member of the assessment team for the MAPS-FUS team. 500 diverse parents and their children will participate in intensive lab-based assessments at school-age (6-8 years old) and at pre-adolescence (9-10 years old). The RA performs clinical research by administering interviews, direct behavioral assessments, neurocognitive computer tasks &/or questionnaires following protocols; conduct observational coding; collect, compile, enter and process responses; gather information and assist in the preparation of material for inclusion in reports and provide other research support to the PI and project manager as needed. This is an excellent position for graduate students and others who wish to obtain applied experience in clinical research assessment with diverse, developmental populations. There are opportunities for involvement in ongoing papers and scientific products of the MAPS program.

Experience:
       1.            Experience or demonstrated interest in working with diverse children and their families;
       2.            Experience conducting informed consent process with human research subjects;
       3.            Experience interviewing research participants;
       4.            Proficiency in Spanish preferred.
Time commitment:
       1.            16-20 hours per week;
       2.            Work on Tuesdays and Saturdays is required.

Observational Coder (5 openings):
These positions are responsible for coding developmentally based observations of young children’s disruptive and anxious behavior and parenting behavior. In particular, coders will need to devote 12-20 hours per week of intensive training to reliability and then independently code tapes assessing children’s behavior during a series of semi-structured laboratory activities with a parent and examiner. Once training is complete, hours may be flexible but a minimum commitment of 12 hours per week is required. Coders must be available to attend coding training and reliability meetings on Tuesdays. This is an excellent opportunity for students who are interested in applying to graduate school in Clinical/Developmental Psychology or in expanding their exposure to assessment of early childhood psychopathology and for master’s level professionals interested in working part-time within the context of a larger developmentally based research program.

Experience:
1.       Knowledge of typical early childhood development;
2.       Prior experience with observational methods and/or developmental research preferred;
3.       Interest and/or knowledge about childhood psychopathology;
4.       Ability to work independently and attention to detail.
Time commitment:
1.       Availability to meet on Tuesdays to discuss tapes and reach consensus;
2.       One year commitment is required.


Jacqueline Kestler, MPH
Research Project Manager
Department of Medical Social Sciences
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
633 N. St. Clair, 19th Floor
Chicago, IL 60611
T: 312-503-4374
F: 312-503-9800

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