Research Assistant, Neurobiology Research

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Departmental Overview

The Department of Psychology is a large, complex department within the College of Letters and Science (Division of Social Sciences). It comprises nearly 40 active faculty members, 16 career staff, 3 continuing Lecturers, a number of Visiting Scholars and Postdocs each year, as well as a large cadre of Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate Student researchers.

Position Summary

The candidate will be working under the supervision of the principal investigator to assist with administrative functions of our study on circadian rhythms and bipolar disorder (BP) in mouse models and people with BD. Principle functions include coordinating meetings and communication among the broader team, taking meeting notes, assisting with organization of documents, ensuring open science policies are adhered to, and communications with the foundation funding the study. The incumbent will also ensure that the lab is running efficiently on a daily basis (e.g., maintaining supplies, ordering supplies and equipment service), and coordinating lab meetings and group discussions.

Responsibilities

• Assist with administrative functions of the project team, including coordinating meetings and communication with the broader team, correspondence with the funding foundation, taking notes during meetings, and providing a synthesis of discussion to the team, assisting with preparation of documents required for reporting to the foundation, and ensuring foundation reporting is timely.
• Maintain team communication through emails and organize documents in a cloud server provided by team members.
• Monitor and maintain lab inventory, and lab orders, maintain administrative functions of the lab to ensure daily functioning.
• Assist with lab biological use authorization, SOPs, record keeping, compliance, and related tasks.
• Assist in onboarding of undergraduate research assistants by ensuring completion of online and in-person training.
• Maintain safety records and ensure proper waste disposal, coordinate safety training of lab personnel, manage key access, keep records of lab inventory.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to handle fluctuating priorities and deadlines.
• Must be highly organized, responsible, punctual, and have the ability to pay careful attention to detail.
• High level of professionalism.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Basic proficiency with common office software and shared document platforms.
• Ability to learn and follow research compliance, laboratory safety, and administrative procedures.
• High school diploma and/or equivalent education/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with organizational or statistical software or coding.
• Expertise in Redcap or related data collection software.
• Experience with IRB protocols and reporting.
• Previous experience in project organization or clinical trial coordination.