Associate or Full Time Project Scientist

Position description

The Project Scientist candidate will perform independent research investigating conduct independent research on the clinical, affective, and motivational factors related to serious mental illness and/or develop and test innovative methodological and quantitative techniques in these research areas. They will perform all required research related activities with IRB and regulatory affairs as well as oversee data entry and participant recruitment and enrollment. They will participate in the scientific and research training activities at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences.

Specific Responsibilities:
• In collaboration with UCLA faculty, they will conduct mental health, experimental psychology, or implementation science research on the clinical, developmental, and community functioning in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, psychiatry disorders, or with typical development and health trajectories. They will conduct methodological research in the field of data science to advance knowledge of both psychological and physical health in clinical and general populations.

• They will implement complex study protocols, coordinate research staff involvement in data gathering, and interact frequently with research staff.

• They will consult extensively with UCLA research, medical, and academic personnel to develop highly validated patient measures to ensure the quality of research is maintained.

• They will help to train UCLA research staff to conduct protocols, including participant
recruitment; enrollment; consent; confidentiality; the administration and scoring of psychological tests, psychiatric symptom ratings, motivational, affective, behavioral, and community functioning assessments of participants; required safety procedures (e.g., documentation of adverse events) and other data collection as determined by study protocol.

In addition, will:
• Independently write draft manuscripts of research study findings for submission to peer review journals.
• Present research findings at national and international research conferences related to child, adolescent, adult psychiatry, neurodevelopment, or psychology.
• Prepare and submit grants through UCLA for research funding.

Required Qualifications:
• Ph.D. in Child Psychology, Neuroscience

• 5-10 years of experience working with individuals and families and in academic centers focused on transdisciplinary neurodevelopmental disorders from early childhood through adulthood.

Required Skills:
• 10+ years of experience with all aspects of human subjects research. Experience with all stages of publication, grant submission, and project management.
• Expertise working with neurodevelopmental populations like autism, the person will have methodological expertise in data acquisition and analyses for neuroimaging (fMRI and high-density EEG), imaging genomics, and brain-behavioral task implementation. Expertise with statistical and web data acquisition software for data management and analyses.
• Experience with phenotypic characterization of individuals across neurodevelopmental disorders (transdiagnostic including ASD, Tic, OCD, ADHD, etc.) and work with large datasets and computational collaborations. Experience with interventions and clinical trials to help inform the development of new treatments and therapies.
• Ability to handle several projects simultaneously.
• Ability to train and advise laboratory personnel.
• Ability to maintain high quality scientific records.

Salary will be consistent with the UCLA Project Scientist Series. The posted UC salary scales ( https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/compensation/index.html ) set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See Table 37-B. The salary range for this position is $90,100 - $111,500 annually.
Interested applicants must submit: i) a cover letter outlining academic interests and a brief statement about contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion*; ii) curriculum vitae with bibliography; and iii) contact information for three potential references to the application portal at https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF09758 .

For more information, please contact at KVigil@mednet.ucla.edu .
(*Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Please see the following page for more details: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/governance/policies/1111.html

Cultural North Star. The shared values of the DGSOM are expressed in the Cultural North Star, which was developed by members of our community and affirms our unswerving commitment to doing what's right, making things better, and being kind. These are the standards to which we hold ourselves, and one another. Please read more about this important DGSOM program at https://medschool.ucla.edu/cultural-north-star

Qualifications

Basic qualifications
Ph.D. in Child Psychology, Neuroscience

Additional qualifications
5-10 years of experience working with individuals and families and in academic centers focused on transdisciplinary neurodevelopmental disorders from early childhood through adulthood.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Statement of Teaching (Optional)
• Statement on Contributions to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - An EDI Statement describes a faculty candidate's past, present, and future (planned) contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion. To learn more about how UCLA thinks about contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion, please review our EDI Statement FAQ document.
• Reference check authorization release form - Complete and upload the reference check authorization release form
• Misc / Additional (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Applicants are requested to provide contact information for 3 potential references in their UC Recruit application. Upon selection as a potential candidate(s), identified references will be contacted for letters. Candidates may be contacted to provide alternate references.
Apply link: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF09803

Help contact: klwilliams@mednet.ucla.edu

About UCLA

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

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

For the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy, please visit https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-035.pdf .

For the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination .

Job location

Los Angeles, California