Junior Specialist- Ghetti Lab

Dr. Simona Ghetti in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Davis seeks to fill a full-time research assistant position at the Junior Specialist level beginning July 1, 2025 or as soon as possible after that. The position will have duration of 1 year, with the possibility of extending it for another year. The successful candidate will work on research projects investigating neural development underlying word learning and retention and emerging episodic memory in infancy and early childhood.

The research assistant will gain exposure to all aspects of the research process and will have the opportunity to acquire several important research and intellectual skills.

Responsibilities/Opportunities

Research (60%)

* Recruiting and scheduling research participants by phone.

* Assisting with data collection with adult and child participants and their parents (e.g., administering behavioral assessments, taking height, weight and blood pressure readings). The position involves direct interaction with children and families.

* Conducting neuroimaging scanning sessions, which will almost exclusively occur at night.

* Behavioral and neuroimaging data cleaning, management, and processing.

* Maintaining human subject protocols and consent forms and communicating with the IRB.

* Purchasing laboratory supplies

Professional Competence (20%)

* Participate in frequent discussions of relevant literature, and conduct literature reviews relevant to the work being conducted.

* Contribute to the writing and preparation of manuscripts for publication.

* Contribute to the preparation and submission of presentations for international conferences.

* Preparing figures and text for presentation at research conferences and for manuscripts to be submitted for publication.

* Participating in community outreach efforts to disseminate our findings

University and Public Service (20%)

* Train undergraduate students on participant recruitment, data collection, coding and analyses protocols. This will provide a university service in that they will be actively facilitating the participation of undergraduate students in research activities.

* Assist in dissemination activities in the community

Lab: https://madlab.faculty.ucdavis.edu/

* A Bachelor's degree in psychology or neuroscience.

* Prior experience conducting research with children in the field of psychology or neuroscience.

* Excellent interpersonal skills and strong writing skills.

* Excellent organizational and time management skills.

* Proficiency in typical software used in research (Microsoft Excel & Word, Google Calendar, Google Voicemail).

* Experience with statistical analysis (e.g., using R)

* Experience with online survey software such as Qualtrics.

* Experience with UC Davis Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved protocols.

* Experience with analytical pipelines of neuroimaging data using software, such as FSL.

• 2-3 letters of reference required

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled, "Authorization to Release Information" into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.

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

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state for federal law.

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 UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

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