Research Technician - Gonzalez Lab

Howard Hughes Medical Institute•San Francisco, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Gonzalez Lab at UCSF is seeking a Research Technician to join a multidisciplinary neuroscience team studying how the brain controls communication, social behavior, and sleep. The lab combines animal behavior, high-density electrophysiology, optical imaging, closed-loop stimulation, machine learning, and custom instrument development to understand neural circuit dynamics in birds and humans. Current and upcoming projects include studies of birdsong fillers and vocal repair, neural decoding during sleep, and later-stage work in human EEG and natural speech. The broader goal is to understand how brains generate speech-like sequences, how these sequences are altered during social interaction, and how the sleeping brain reactivates or transforms behaviorally meaningful experiences. This is a hands-on research position for someone who is motivated by both engineering and biology. The Research Technician will help run experiments, care for and handle birds, build and maintain experimental systems, collect and organize behavioral and neural data, and contribute to analysis workflows. The role is well suited for an applicant who enjoys troubleshooting real systems [cameras, microphones, neural recording hardware, behavioral rigs, electronics, 3D-printed parts, and analysis code] and who wants direct exposure to modern systems neuroscience rather than a narrowly defined coding or bench-only position. The technician will work across multiple projects. Early responsibilities will focus on birdsong and sleep experiments, including behavioral recording, audio/video acquisition, electrophysiology support, and development of analysis pipelines. Over time, the role may also include support for human EEG studies of natural speech. The position requires reliability, careful documentation, respect for animal welfare and research compliance, and the ability to learn new tools quickly.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience, biology, engineering, computer science, physics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and related work experience.
Strong interest in both engineering and biology, with motivation to work directly with animals and experimental hardware as well as code and data.
Basic programming or data-analysis experience, ideally in Python, MATLAB, R, Arduino, or related tools.
Comfort learning unfamiliar systems, troubleshooting equipment, reading documentation, and solving practical problems with careful supervision and good judgment.
Ability to keep accurate records, follow protocols, document decisions, and communicate progress and problems clearly.
Ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a diverse population of trainees, staff, and collaborators.
A serious interest in scientific discovery and a willingness to engage deeply with the technical and biological questions behind the work.
Reliability, attention to detail, curiosity, and the ability to balance independent initiative with careful adherence to approved protocols and supervisor direction.

Nice To Haves

Some laboratory, animal-care, engineering, computational, electronics, maker-space, or research experience preferred.
Prior experience with AI-assisted coding is helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

Assist with zebra finch behavioral experiments, including animal handling, daily monitoring, husbandry support, and coordination with approved animal-care protocols.
Operate and maintain experimental systems for audio, video, neural recording, stimulation, and behavioral monitoring during singing, social interaction, and sleep.
Build, modify, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments using 3D printing, CNC machining, electronic prototyping, microcontrollers, sensors, cameras, microphones, and custom software.
Collect, verify, organize, and document behavioral, audio, video, electrophysiology, imaging, and experimental metadata with attention to reproducibility and data integrity.
Use software tools such as Python, MATLAB, ImageJ/FIJI, Arduino or related microcontroller environments, and AI-assisted coding workflows to process data and improve lab pipelines.
Help develop and test analyses for birdsong, motif structure, sleep-state decoding, closed-loop experiments, and eventually human EEG/natural speech datasets.
Prepare figures, summaries, quality-control reports, and basic analyses for lab meetings, manuscripts, grant materials, and project planning.
Maintain inventories, organize shared lab spaces, track equipment status, support routine maintenance, and help ensure safe and compliant laboratory operations.
Participate in laboratory meetings, planning sessions, and literature discussions relevant to the lab’s research areas.