Research Assistant I or II

University of Texas at Dallas•Richardson, TX

37d•$37,000 - $42,000•Onsite

About The Position

Dr. Saul Frankford is hiring a full-time Research Assistant I or II for his lab in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. The lab's research focuses on using behavioral and neural techniques to understand the interplay between sensation and speech production in individuals with neurological speech and voice disorders. Currently, we are running projects with neurotypical adults and adults with Parkinson's disease, focusing on auditory processing of speech timing and acoustic measures of speech timing from a variety of speaking tasks, with plans to use structural and functional neuroimaging, altered auditory feedback, and brain stimulation to probe mechanisms of speech motor control. Join our team and be involved with collecting and writing up data from any and all of these great and innovative multimodal studies. This position will provide technical assistance supporting various research projects and conduct research activities according to research protocol. Research activities may include some or all of the following: patient recruiting and screening, traditional laboratory experiments & activities, and/or neuroimaging data collection. This is an ideal position for someone interested in building more skills before applying for graduate school in the next few years. You will get in-depth experience in multidisciplinary research and intensive neuroimaging training, build data skills, publish papers, attend conferences, and make connections with a number of different speech motor control and neuroscience research groups. The appointment is for one year, with the possibility of renewal contingent upon continued funding and satisfactory performance.

Requirements

Research Assistant I: Bachelor's degree in one of the basic sciences or an equivalent combination of education and experience in customer service or in daily interactions in a public services environment.
Research Assistant II: Bachelor's degree; three years related experience; or any equivalent combination of education and experience.
Work independently and collaboratively within the research team
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and proficiency in written and oral communication
Motivated to learn quickly
Consistency and reliability
Time management skills, problem-solving, and the ability to perform multiple tasks daily
An interest in the research questions being investigated and in contributing to experimental design
Proficiency with notebook keeping
Interpersonal and communication skills
Detail-oriented and enjoy working as part of a team

Nice To Haves

BA or BS in speech, language, and hearing sciences; psychology; neuroscience; cognitive neuroscience; data science; or a related field.
Strong applicants from other academic fields may also be considered.
Prior experience with experimental design, behavioral task programming, neuroanatomy, neuroimaging (MRI), human subject data collection, and/or data analysis.
Previous work or volunteer experience in a human research setting is highly competitive.
Experience with clinical populations, neuroimaging or neuromodulation, or computer programming is a plus.
Technical skills such as Matlab, Python, or R are highly desired but not required.
Prior team-management experience and/or an interest in neurological speech and voice disorders is also beneficial.

Responsibilities

Management of large multimodal datasets
Assisting with the implementation and analyses of cognitive, behavioral and fMRI experiments
Coordinating research projects (recruiting, scheduling, running participants)
Coordinating and training research assistants
Preprocessing and analysis of functional and structural neuroimaging data
Managing practical/administrative tasks (e.g., IRB).
Assist PI with lab management, including ordering supplies and keeping an up-to-date inventory
Maintaining protocols and compliance paperwork for the lab
Participating actively in lab meetings and departmental events
Other duties as assigned
Develop research designs, data collection methods and strategies for data management
Write and edit technical reports and manuscripts for publication or presentation.
Assist in research proposal preparation.
Performs duties and responsibilities above with advanced experience and comprehensive knowledge.

Benefits

Competitive Salary
Tuition Benefits
Internal Training
Medical insurance - including 100% paid employee medical coverage for full-time employees
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Long and short-term disability
Retirement Plan Options
Paid time off
Paid Holidays
All UT Dallas employees have access to various professional development opportunities, including a membership to Academic Impressions, LinkedIn Learning, and UT Dallas Bright Leaders Program.