Career Center

Position Overview

The Elison Laboratory (E-Lab) at the Institute of Child Development and Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, is currently conducting a series of studies on developmental social neuroscience, including NIMH/NICHD funded research studies examining brain and behavioral development in young children between birth and 5 years of age. The candidate will assist the Principal Investigator by working with project coordinators and the clinical/behavioral assessment team to 1) execute the collection of human subject research data, 2) assist with the storage/management of data and ensure all quality assurance and quality control strategies are implemented on said data, and 3) assist with the dissemination of results/findings. This candidate will also supervise undergraduate research assistants and in some cases post-baccalaureate staff members in the E-Lab.

Additionally, this candidate will contribute to the Measurement and Human Phenotyping (MAP) Core at MIDB. The primary mission of the MAP Core is to support the clinical research community, broadly, at MIDB. Anchoring this mission is the fundamental observation that adaptive and maladaptive functioning that define psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders is first and foremost determined by cognitive and behavioral assessment. The MAP core aims to 1) optimize clinical, developmental, and experimental assessment of research participants, 2) train researchers on state-of-the-art and/or gold standard clinical, developmental, and experimental assessments, 3) execute clinical, developmental, and experimental assessments for research studies, 4) manage and cultivate continued expansion of research participant registries, 5) integrate and iterate with other MIDB cores to ensure effective synthesis across the units, and 6) establish a biomarker consultative committee, constituted by key experts around campus but external to MIDB to ensure the MIDB investigators are leveraging the broader expertise of the University community as needed.

The position is for 40 hours a week, prefers a minimum 2-year commitment, and will continue upon availability of funds and performance.
 

Job Responsibilities

E-Lab Clinical Coordinator (45%)

• Interface between clinical team, project coordinators, and PI to execute research protocols
• Acquire deep familiarity with LORIS data management system
• Learn to reliability administer focal E-Lab standardized and experimental assessments/interviews (e.g., Bayley, WPPSI, AOSI, ADOS, VABS, and ADI-R)
• Assist clinical team with generating and sharing follow-up reports for participating families
• Assist PI with management of Human Subject Research protocols in ETHOS
• Assist PI with study progress reports and data sharing
• Supervising undergraduate research assistants and post-bacc staff members
• Communicate regularly with local and national collaborators re study progress

MIDB Clinical Coordinator (45%)

• Learn to reliably administer focal MAP core behavioral and clinical assessments
• With assistance from core directors, develop systems to receive, evaluate, and respond to MAP Core inquiries/requests
• With assistance from core directors, customize tracking/organizational system for monitoring activities/progress of the MAP core
• With assistance from core directors, coordinate the day-to-day operations of MAP services (i.e., consult, train research staff on test measures and procedures, and administer phenotyping measures)
• With assistance from core directors, oversee quality assurance and quality improvement of the MAP core
• Train prospective contributors to the MAP core (e.g., graduate students, research assistants, psychometrists) on assessments to be utilized by MAP core services
• Communicate regularly and coordinate with other MIDB cores and the broader MIDB research community, including but not limited to the -Community Engagement and Education Core, to maintain alignment with MIDB research priorities and community needs

Professional Development (10%)

• Attend and participate in weekly lab meetings
• Participate in MIDB professional development activities
• Generate scientific products for publication or presentation at professional meetings
• Pursue additional training in clinical science

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS in psychology, developmental psychology, special education, school psychology, speech language and hearing sciences, social work, neuroscience, or related field, and at least 5 years of experience, an advanced degree plus three years professional experience, or a combination of related education and work experience to equal nine years
• Demonstrable experience working with young children with and without developmental disabilities
• Demonstrable experience working directly with children and their families
• Demonstrable leadership experience
• Facility with basic computer software in PC and Mac (i.e., Microsoft Office)

Preferred Qualfications

• Demonstrable experience administering/scoring/interpreting standardized developmental assessments and/or parent report interviews
• Interest in learning new experimental/clinical/behavioral assessment for children
• Interest in training others in new experimental/clinical/behavioral assessment for children
• Facility with Qualtrics
• Facility with Windows and Mac OS X operating systems
• Familiarity with eye tracking technology and eye tracking data
• Comfortable interacting with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents
• Very strong attention to detail
• Demonstrable commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Strong written skills and excellent verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work well both independently and in a group setting
• Interest in developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and neuroscience research
• Willingness to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends to accommodate family schedules