The Translational Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience laboratory (PI:
Dr. Cameron Carter), is recruiting for three Junior Specialist (research
assistant) positions at the UC Davis Medical Center, with an anticipated start
date of early-to-mid July 2019. Our
research focuses primarily on studying the neural mechanisms of cognitive
dysfunction in psychotic illness with additional interests in neuroimmune
models of psychosis and mental health services research.
Applications can only be accepted via the UC
Davis Recruit website. You can only be considered for the positions for which you
apply, so please read the detailed descriptions available via each link. Positions have a one year appointment with an
additional year based on performance, and we strongly consider applicants who
are able to consider a two year commitment.
For any
additional questions about the positions, please contact Vanessa Zarubin
(vczarubin@ucdavis.edu).
PIB Technical Study
Coordinator Junior Specialist (1 position open)
Broadly, the Translational Cognitive and Affective (TCAN)
Laboratory studies the neural mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in psychotic
illness. This position is to serve as a technical study coordinator for the
Pathophysiologically Informed Biomarkers for Treatment Response In Psychosis
(PIB) project at UC Davis Medical Center under Dr. Cameron Carter. The goal of
the proposed research is to examine the ability of three non-mutually exclusive
pathophysiologically based biomarkers (task fMRI, diffusion measures of free
water, and neuromelanin-sensitive MRI) to predict treatment response in
individuals with recent onset psychosis. Specifically, we plan to measure each
of these biomarkers at baseline in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum
disorders and then follow these individuals over a period of 1 year. We will
then use a multi-tiered set of analyses to test the predictive power of each
biomarker and use more advanced machine and deep learning tools to assess how
these measures together predict a positive response to treatment. The incumbent
will coordinate many aspects of the research study. The incumbent will use
knowledge of mental health conditions to conduct outreach presentations to
recruit research participants, and will conduct phone evaluations to determine
study eligibility of potential participants. The incumbent will also consent
study participants, schedule all of their research appointments, and monitor
progress through the study procedures. The incumbent will conduct clinical
interviews for research purposes under the supervision of a faculty member and
will conduct behavioral testing sessions and MRI scan sessions. Additionally,
the incumbent will receive training on analysis pipelines for collected data
and will use a variety of in-house and commercially available software to
process imaging data.The incumbent will manage study IRB protocols, adhering
strictly to privacy and confidentiality laws. The incumbent will also manage
data collection and organization, including mentoring undergraduate volunteers
in the input of data to multiple databases. Furthermore, the incumbent will be
expected to actively participate in weekly lab meetings, journal club
presentations, presentations from outside speakers, and weekly workshops to
help RAs develop their career goals. Depending on their contribution and role
in the lab the incumbent may have the opportunity to contribute to writing and
review of relevant manuscripts. Furthermore, the incumbent may have the
opportunity to creatively contribute to the research project by proposing
alternative analysis strategies, generate novel projects with existing data,
review literature for manuscript preparation, and the ability to submit data
for presentation at relevant conferences, such as Society of Biological Psychiatry
or Society for Neuroscience (if funding is available). The incumbent will be
actively and significantly involved in publishable research activities,
including reviewing journal articles and engaging in discussions on research
and the interpretation of research results with the PI and others in the lab.
The incumbent will also participate in one or more of the following activities:
appropriate professional/technical societies or groups, such as our weekly
career development group and other educational and research organizations; and
review research proposals, journal manuscripts, and publications related to
area of expertise. Job will be posted to
https://recruit.ucdavis.edu by the second week of June, please check
https://carterlab.ucdavis.edu/jobs for the full link.
CNTRaCS Study
Coordinator Junior Specialist - (2 positions open)
Broadly, the Translational Cognitive and Affective (TCAN)
Laboratory studies the neural mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in psychotic
illness. This position is to serve as a study coordinator for the Cognitive
Neurocomputational Task Reliability & Clinical Applications Consortium
(CNTRaCS) project at UC Davis Medical Center under Dr. Cameron Carter, which
entails a range of responsibilities including scheduling, consenting and
recruiting participants, cognitive testing of participants, and storing data in
an appropriate manner. The goal of this study is to determine whether
advancements in computational psychiatry will allow us to improve upon standard
cognitive neuroscience approaches toward better understanding the
pathophysiology that underlies cognitive dysfunction in people with serious
mental illness (SMI). Specifically, the study involves collecting
electrophysiology (EEG) data and administering- “to give” or to “present to”,
not to be confused with “administration”, a set of computerized cognitive tasks
to healthy participants and individuals with SMI (schizophrenia,
schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder with psychosis, major depression).
The incumbent will coordinate many aspects of the research study. The incumbent
will use knowledge of mental health conditions to conduct outreach
presentations to recruit research participants, and will conduct phone
evaluations to determine study eligibility of potential participants. The
incumbent will also consent study participants, schedule all of their research
appointments, monitor progress through the study procedures, and interface with
coordinators at the 4 other CNTRaCS research sites. The incumbent will conduct
clinical interviews for research purposes under the supervision of a faculty
member and will conduct behavioral testing sessions. Under the supervision of a
faculty member the incumbent will also assist with collection of EEG data. The
incumbent will manage the study IRB protocols, adhering strictly to privacy and
confidentiality laws. The incumbent will also manage data collection and
organization, including mentoring undergraduate volunteers in the input of data
to multiple databases. Furthermore, the incumbent will be expected to actively
participate in weekly lab meetings, journal club presentations, presentations
from outside speakers, and weekly workshops to help RAs develop their career
goals. Depending on their contribution and role in the lab the incumbent may
have the opportunity to contribute to writing and review of relevant
manuscripts. Furthermore, the incumbent may have the opportunity to creatively
contribute to the research project by proposing alternative analysis
strategies, generate novel projects with existing data, review literature for
manuscript preparation, and the ability to submit data for presentation at
relevant conferences, such as Society of Biological Psychiatry or Society for
Neuroscience (if funding is available). The incumbent will be actively and
significantly involved in publishable research activities, including reviewing
journal articles and engaging in discussions on research and the interpretation
of research results with the PI and others in the lab. The incumbent will also
participate in one or more of the following activities: appropriate
professional/technical societies or groups, such as our weekly career
development group and other educational and research organizations; and review
research proposals, journal manuscripts, and publications related to area of
expertise. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal, communication,
and decision-making skills; as well as the ability to work well independently
and as part of a team. To apply, please
visit this page and complete your application by June 17, 2019:
https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF02860
