Research Assistant I - FINN Lab

Company: Dartmouth College

Job Location: Hanover, NH 03755, Moore Hall, 3 Maynard Street

Category: Laboratory and Research

Type: Full-Time

Position Purpose: The Dartmouth Functional Imaging & Naturalistic Neuroscience (FINN) Lab (PI: Emily S. Finn) seeks a full-time research assistant to design, conduct, and analyze studies of human visual and social cognition. Preferred start date Aug 1st (negotiable).

Required Qualifications - Education and Yrs Exp: Bachelors plus 1-2 year(s) of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience

Required Qualifications - Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• Bachelor's degree with a major in Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 1-2 year(s) of part-time (i.e., during undergrad) or full-time research experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to work independently and apply critical thinking and sound judgment.
• Good organizational, communication, and time management skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of programming, ideally in Python, Javascript, Matlab, or similar.
• Knowledge of statistical analyses for brain and/or behavioral data.
• Experience with large-scale online data collection and/or work in an MRI environment.

Description

Experiments (30%): Design and implement experiment paradigms with supervision of PI and other senior lab members (e.g., postdoctoral fellows). Recruit, schedule, consent, run, and pay participants in online, in-person behavioral/eye-tracking, and in-person fMRI studies. Perform safety screening to assess eligibility of potential fMRI participants. Document all aspects of the experiment, analysis, and data. Communicate results to PI and other senior laboratory members. Present research in talks and/or posters at scientific conferences. Contribute to writing manuscripts describing research studies.

Technical (40%): Implement experiments and analyses in scientific programming languages. Beta test, maintain and develop features for in-lab social animation software psyanim, in consultation with contracted software developer. Maintain and develop lab fMRI analysis pipeline. Analyze behavioral, text, and fMRI data using standard software packages. Manage lab software development via github and participate in code reviews.

Administrative (30%): Update and maintain documentation on laboratory policies and procedures in the lab wiki. Perform software and hardware maintenance and housekeeping on lab electronics. Purchase supplies, equipment, and services for the laboratory. Document expenses and submit reports. Schedule lab meetings and other lab events. Recruit, manage, and train undergraduate research assistants. Draft modifications and continuing reviews for IRB protocols and NIH compliance. Promote personnel, experiments, and papers using lab social media accounts. Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness through actions, interactions, and communications with others. Performs other duties as assigned.