Investigator Jobs

Research Coordinator is responsible for supporting and managing the Psychosis Prediction and Prevention Lab under the supervision of Principal Investigator Dr. Juston Osborne. The Psychosis Prediction and Prevention Lab conducts a wide variety of behavioral, electrophysiology, and neuromodulation studies with healthy populations and adults and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Primary Duties & Responsibilities: Research: Assist with research involving adolescents and adults with psychiatric disorders. Responsibilities include conducting cognitive, neuropsychological, and/or clinical assessments. Additional duties include recruiting and scheduling participants for research studies. Communication/Data Management: Write reports, manage research data, and communicate results from behavioral, clinical, and physiological research procedures to investigators involved in the lab. Consultation: Provide consultation and advice to investigators involved in the lab regarding design, planning, scheduling, and implementation of study protocols. Management: Formulate management policies, develop and implement operating procedures, and determine the need for new hires for research projects. Supervision: Supervise graduate students, undergraduates, and staff research assistants to ensure competency to carry out lab study procedures. Oversight: Oversee and manage day-to-day operations of research study protocols in the lab to ensure that the projects operate efficiently and ethically. Perform other duties as assigned. CRITICAL SKILLS AND EXPERTISE: Working knowledge of techniques and methodologies used in coordinating and managing human subjects research projects, including behavioral and clinical research procedures (e.g., clinical assessments), as well as database management, spreadsheet, and statistical analysis software. DECISION MAKING AND IMPACT: Authority to formulate management policies and/or operating practices such as developing procedures for scheduling research participants and coordinating research appointments with investigators and other research staff. Another example is consultation and expert advice to the lab regarding timing and sequencing of study protocols and procedures on the basis of knowledge of behavioral and clinical research methods (e.g., clinical and cognitive assessments). An additional example is determination of the need for additional research hires within the lab and review of job applications. Overall, these responsibilities have significant impact on management of the entire lab, efficiency with which the lab operates, efficiency with which the lab manages and carries out study protocols, and flow of research participants through the lab. CONTACTS: Internal: Daily contact with investigators and other research staff regarding scheduling of research participants and implementation of study protocols for purposes of optimizing efficiency of study completion. Ongoing consultation and expert advice to the lab Principal Investigator for purposes of optimizing the timing and sequencing of study protocols and procedures. External: Ongoing responsibility for ordering materials and equipment needed to complete studies conducted by the lab, which requires contact with corporations outside WUSTL. SUPERVISION: Given: The Psychosis Prediction and Prevention Lab membership will include 1 Principal Investigator, 2+ research staff, and several undergraduate and graduate researchers. With the exception of the Principal Investigator, the employee provides supervision to all lab members in terms of competency to carry out study protocols, education regarding new testing and operational procedures, scheduling research participants, and tracking lab activity. Received: The employee and supervisor have almost daily contact through either email or telephone communication and meet on a weekly basis for approximately 1 hour. The interactions include discussion of lab study procedures, staff supervision, planning and implementation of new studies and progress of ongoing studies, and ethical issues (e.g., confidentiality). CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: Research participants often have clinical disorders. Patient information provided by investigators and research staff includes study diagnosis and history of problems that may affect administration of clinical and cognitive assessment procedures. Results of diagnostic, cognitive or neuropsychological assessments are also confidential.