Junior Researcher in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Recruitment Period

This recruitment is for two positions.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis invites applications for a qualified Junior Specialist for the Solomon Lab at the UC Davis MIND Institute.

The incumbent for this position will be involved in interdisciplinary studies investigating the behavioral and developmental characteristics of autism spectrum disorder in children, adolescents, and young adults. This position will be integral for the daily operation of a clinical cognitive neuroscience laboratory. 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. This candidate will work closely with Erika Bickel, B.A./B.S. (Senior Clinical Research Coordinator), Brianna Heath, PhD (Project Manager), Marie Krug, PhD (Assistant Project Scientist), and Marjorie Solomon, PhD (Principal Investigator).

General responsibilities include:

RESEARCH ACTIVITY (70%)
• Subject recruitment, pre-screening and scheduling
• Conducting research visits for ongoing studies in the Solomon Lab: Cognitive Control in Autism (CoCoA), Autism Phenome Project (APP), and/or Specifying and Treating Anxiety in Autism Research (STAAR), which includes consenting and assenting participants as well as collection of behavioral, questionnaire, and MRI data from typically developing individuals and individuals with autism spectrum disorder
• Scoring of questionnaires and assessments, data entry and database maintenance
• Preparing and maintaining study-related documentation, including documentation for review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
• After training, the candidate will be expected to assist in all daily operations of laboratory research, and participate in several research projects simultaneously
• Research participation will result in opportunities to present at scientific conferences and potential co-authorship on peer-reviewed articles if criteria for authorship are met

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY (20%)
• Attendance and active participation in weekly lab meetings and research-related discussions by providing feedback on implementation of study visits, which will aid in study design and improvements to the experimental protocol, presenting data, and engaging in interpretation of study findings
• Assisting with preparation and analysis of data for presentations, conference abstracts, posters, publications, and grants
• Literature reviews of journal articles on topics including but not limited to cognitive control, decision-making, and emotion processing in autism, to assist with data presentations, conference abstracts, posters, publications, and grants

SERVICE ACTIVITY (10%)
• Participate in the University by volunteering at special events for children with autism that participate in research studies at the MIND Institute
• Engage in recruitment and outreach activities in the community
• Provide interpretation of study measures to participants and their families, including summarizing behavioral assessment results and preparing results letters

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, neuroscience, human development, neurobiology, physiology, and behavior (NPB), biological sciences, or a related field
• Experience in a clinical, psychology, or cognitive neuroscience research laboratory
• Experience with data analysis in psychology and/or cognitive neuroscience
• Experience working with children or adolescents, and/or experience working with individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders or other clinical populations

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey information and work effectively with lab members and clinicians involved in the research projects
• Excellent social skills to facilitate communication with children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder and their families
• Detail oriented with exceptional organizational skills to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, meet deadlines, and follow established organizational structures
• Tracking and record-keeping skills
• Writing skills including accurate grammar, spelling, and punctuation sufficient to create and edit documents

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Experience with SPSS, R, SAS, or neuroimaging software
• Programming experience (Matlab, C, python)
• Experience working on clinical trials or treatment studies
• GPA of 3.5/4.0 or higher

POSITION AVAILABLE/CLOSING DATE:
This position is open effective 2/25/21 with an initial review date of 3/6/21. The posting will remain open until 4/30/21 or until filled.

TERM OF APPOINTMENT:
Short term, seasonal appointment based on the needs of the research project. Position is 100% (full time), with flexible work hours sometimes requiring evening or weekend availability.

SALARY RANGE:
Step 1 - $42,300 per year or $20.26 per hour*
Step 2 - $45,100 per year or $21.60 per hour*

*Yearly/hourly pay scales based on percentage of qualifying appointment. Step offered commensurate with the proposed candidate's qualifications and prior experience in title code.

TO APPLY:
For full consideration, applications must be received by February 24, 2021; however, the position will remain open until filled through April 30, 2021 or until filled.

To apply, please go to the following link: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF03988. Applicants should submit cover letter, CV or resume, and contact information for at least 3 references. Documents/materials must be submitted as PDF files.

QUESTIONS:
Please direct questions to Marie Krug, PhD, mkkrug@ucdavis.edu.

The University of California, Davis commits to inclusion excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, and individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCD positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.

UC Davis is a smoke & tobacco-free campus http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/.

If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact the recruiting department.

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
• Unofficial Transcripts

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

• Saramento, Ca