Research Scientist IV, Pardes Scholar

New York State Psychiatry Institute•New York, NY

About The Position

The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time Research Scientist IV, Pardes Scholar position. This position supports an NIH K23-funded, patient-oriented clinical neuroscience research program using functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to characterize hippocampal and hippocampal-dependent network dysfunction in major depressive disorder (MDD) and to link circuit function and connectivity to individual differences in emotional memory processing across the depressive illness course. The role leads end-to-end execution of mechanistically grounded clinical research studies, including participant recruitment/screening, informed consent, coordination of clinical assessments, and MRI visit scheduling and conduct, in collaboration with clinical and imaging teams. A core component of the position is regulatory and human subjects compliance oversight, including preparation and maintenance of IRB submissions/amendments/continuing reviews, documentation of protocol deviations and adverse events as applicable, HIPAA/PHI protections and data security procedures, staff training and delegation logs, maintenance of regulatory binders and SOPs, and ensuring adherence to institutional and sponsor requirements for K-award-supported research. The position also directs rigorous data management and reproducible analytic workflows (e.g., QA/QC, standardized documentation), integrates machine-learning-based neural signatures and temporally focused analyses to model moment-to-moment neural dynamics, and contributes to dissemination (manuscripts, presentations, progress reports) and biomarker-guided treatment development through multidisciplinary collaboration. This is a full-time position.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and five years of professional research experience in an appropriate field or master's degree in an appropriate field may substitute for one year of experience, or Ph.D. in an appropriate field may substitute for an additional year of experience.
NIH funded K award

Nice To Haves

Experience working in clinical research with depressed populations.
fMRI acquisition familiarity
Task development experience
fMRI analysis expertise
Knowledge of statistical modeling for fMRI.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute clinical fMRI research focused on hippocampal and hippocampal-dependent network dysfunction in major depressive disorder (MDD), including study design, protocol development, and day-to-day project management across multiple aims.
Oversee participant-facing research activities, including screening, recruitment, informed consent, clinical assessments/diagnostic interviewing (as appropriate), scheduling, visit flow, and retention procedures for depressed and healthy participants.
Coordinate MRI acquisition and task implementation, including programming/QA of behavioral paradigms, scan-day procedures, troubleshooting, and coordination with MRI technologists and imaging core staff.
Direct data management and reproducible pipelines.
Conduct advanced neuroimaging analyses, including task-based activation, functional connectivity, and hippocampal network analyses.
Ensure regulatory and compliance oversight, including IRB submissions/amendments, adverse event reporting, HIPAA/PHI protections, staff training, and maintenance of study binders and documentation.
Mentor and supervise trainees and research staff, including onboarding, training in human subjects procedures and imaging workflows, setting milestones, and providing ongoing oversight and feedback.
Disseminate findings and support funding efforts, including manuscript preparation, conference presentations, progress reports, and contributions to grant writing and collaborative proposals aligned with biomarker-guided treatment development.
Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, working with clinicians, imaging analysts statisticians/data scientists, and research cores to advance translational and clinical impact