Positive Emotion and Anxiety Staff Research Assoc. - 136591

UCSD Department of Psychiatry is one of the most innovative and productive academic departments in the country, offering challenging career opportunities in the diverse areas of advanced educational programs, cutting-edge research, and state-of-the-art clinical services. The department is committed to offering a dynamic learning environment and growing opportunities to its talented and dedicated employees.

Under supervision, the incumbent will work as a Staff Research Associate supporting the clinical research efforts for the Positive Emotion and Anxiety Research Laboratory and Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders Research Center. Incumbent effort will specifically be targeted on the following research studies involving subjects with clinically elevated symptoms of anxiety and/or depression: Pramipexole to Enhance Social Connections. Duties and responsibilities include updating and maintaining several databases; assistance with recruitment and screening of potential subjects; administration of structured clinical interviews; administering experimental protocols involving the collection of symptom, behavioral, and brain imaging data; administering standardized social affiliation tasks and overseeing personnel serving as confederates; assisting with preparing summaries for institutional review board and funding agency progress reports; recruiting and training research assistant student interns on study procedures; and coordination of ongoing research studies. Perform other duties as needed.

• Theoretical knowledge of psychiatry, psychology, or related field, as typically attained by a Bachelor's degree and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Strong computer skills (word-processing, databases, SPSS) and ability to maintain and update databases for several projects and ongoing research; proven ability to enter, update, and verify subject and experimental data, and use statistical software to process data.

• Basic knowledge of psychiatric diagnostic criteria.

• Experience in maintaining and updating databases for several projects and the ability to create new databases for ongoing research.

• Ability to schedule subjects for initial interview and behavioral assessment sessions, and understanding of behavioral assessment process.

• Proven effective interpersonal skill and oral/written communication skill, including the ability to administer research protocols and keep accurate and detailed records.

• Skills to organize and prioritize workload.

• Ability to assist with administering clinical symptom surveys, screening interviews, and structured diagnosed psychiatric interviews.

• Must be able to maintain confidentiality.

• Experience training and overseeing volunteer research assistants in administering research protocols to study participants, including confederates for social affiliation tasks.

• Ability to schedule subjects for initial interview, behavioral assessment, blood draw, fMRI scanning, and treatment visits.

• Ability to maintain current MRI Safety Training and Certification through the Center for Functional MRI.

• Ability to administer fMRI assessments to study participants.

• Experience in administering questionnaires, behavioral assessments, and computer tasks, including social affiliation tasks.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.

• Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.

• Must be able to drive to various research sites.

• Must have access to reliable transportation for research subject recruitment in multiple sites.

• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.