Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Clinical Neuroscience Research Assistant positions open at UC Davis TCAN Lab


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

No comments: