Behavioral Neuroscience

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital•Memphis, TN

About The Position

An Associate Scientist performs a variety of moderately complex research tasks determined by the field and scope of the particular research project/study. Also, performs tasks related to the research project independently, but within broad guidelines and subject to periodic review by supervisor or other research staff. An Associate Scientist position is available for a highly motivated scientist with a background in Circuits or Systems Neuroscience to coordinate the application of in vivo methodologies to assess neural function and animal behavior with multiple labs in the Developmental Neurobiology (DNB) department. This position is well-suited for an individual interested in transitioning from a postdoctoral position to a more stable, long-term position. The successful candidate will work directly with DNB labs to establish standard and innovative approaches for monitoring animal behavior in a wide variety of assays (motor, stress, cognitive, etc). It’s expected that qualified candidates would have direct experience with several of the following methodologies: optogenetics, fiber photometry, in vivo calcium imaging, and/or machine-learning-based behavioral assessment. Additionally, it will be important for candidates to have familiarity with basic coding practices to coordinate data collection across multiple platforms (e.g, coordinating calcium imaging or optogenetic delivery with behavioral tracking). The candidate will also benefit from an outstanding, highly collaborative work environment in which research labs have diverse interests in understanding the underlying mechanisms of neural circuit function related to neuromodulation, motor output, and psychiatric disease. The Department of Developmental Neurobiology houses specialized departmental shared resources, including an integrated support structure for in vivo and ex vivo neuroimaging, behavioral phenotyping, computational neuroscience, genetic engineering, and single-cell genomics. In addition, numerous institutional shared resources and core facilities support the laboratory by providing expertise and state-of-the-art technologies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific area
7+ years of research experience is required
5+ years of research experience is required with a Master’s degree
2+ years of research experience is required with a PHD
Experience leading and supporting research experiments preferred
Some experience leading lab and scientific project coordination, maintenance, and other research support activities preferred
Experience in guiding and training other laboratory personnel is preferred
Proven performance in earlier role/comparable role.
Preference will be given to applicants who have a strong background in leveraging in vivo approaches to solve complex problems in behavioral neuroscience.

Nice To Haves

PhD in neuroscience, biology, computational neuroscience, or related fields.
Demonstrated hands-on experience with neural circuit-based approaches.
Strong programming skills (Python preferred).
Experience analyzing time-series data, preferably from neuroimaging or behavioral studies.
Knowledge of statistical analysis.
Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

Perform behavior-related experiments in collaboration with DNB lab members for the establishment and advancement of current projects.
Implement and optimize algorithms for analyzing behavior data.
Build or implement existing scripts to temporally align data across multiple modalities.
Coordinate efforts with DNB researchers and established vendors (Med Associates, Inscopix, TDT Systems) to troubleshoot and optimize behavior-related data collection.
Contribute to publications and presentations of research findings
Maintains regular and predictable attendance
Work independently and collaboratively with DNB labs.
Provide guidance and training to less-experienced team members and may also train others outside the lab in relevant techniques.
Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and the institution.
Maintain regular and predictable attendance.