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Under supervision of the Principal Investigator, the main duties of the Junior Specialist will be to collect and analyze electrophysiological EEG and cognitive Event-Related Potentials (ERP) data. This person also will assist in the execution of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. This person will also assist with subject recruitment and scheduling, administer standardized and experimental neuropsychological tests, conduct analyses of the ERP data, as well as organize and backup ERP and MRI data. This person will interact with neurological patients, their caregivers, and other scientists and technicians in the laboratory.
Other duties will be to provide training and oversight to students and volunteers with respect to electrophysiological data, interacting with neurological patients, and data analysis. In addition, this person will aid in the general maintenance of the laboratory by following appropriate safety protocols, logging incoming subjects into the laboratory records, and supporting the maintenance of a clean working environment. Prioritization of efforts will be made by the supervisor.
Responsibilities & % Time breakdown are as follows:
A. Research (85%)
I. Designing Research and Developing Research Materials (10%)
• Read original literature in cognitive neuroscience and participate in weekly discussion of recent and classic findings, as well as methodological and theoretical issues.
• Participate in meetings and discussions with the PI and graduate students to make decisions about experimental design, stimulus creation, and development of materials and experimental protocols.
• Prepare stimulus and other experimental materials using software such as MATLAB, Photoshop, Presentation, or other customized software and programming environments
II. Conducting Research (75%)
• Data Collection
• Prepping EEG lab equipment for incoming subjects, including preparing electrode cap materials, patient data files, experimental procedures depending on the subject and pertinent study.
• Collecting electrophysiological (EEG and ERP) data by means of standardized EEG operating procedures for the given paradigm(s).
• Data Analysis and Interpretation
• Coordinate the analysis of electrophysiological data, in consultation with the principal investigator and laboratory manager. Analysis procedures are outlined by laboratory standardized procedures, which require maintenance of detailed lab notebooks and data files.
• Contribute to peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts in the form of relevant literature review, data analysis, and scientific write-up. There will be opportunities to publish abstracts and present scientific results at local and national scholarly conferences.
• Subject Recruitment and Scheduling
• Contact potential new research subjects with study requirements and overview of experimental design.
• Work with UC Davis Imaging departments and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center to schedule research subjects for study procedures.
• Follow up with longitudinal subjects with study reminders and schedule upcoming appointments.
• Administrative Support
• Maintain organized lab files regarding all data, purchases and IRB Human Subjects Documents.
• Maintain and organize confidential health records in accordance to HIPAA regulations.
• Provide administrative support to the PI which may include assistance with grants, publications, presentations, and other administrative tasks.
• General Laboratory Responsibilities
• Aid in routine maintenance of laboratory equipment, including electro-cap instruments, EEG equipment, Neuropsychological testing instruments, and organization of data files.
• Participate in tracking inventory of laboratory supplies.
• Disseminating the Results of Research
• Use customized EEG analytic and plotting software, excel, SPSS, and MATLAB to process and analyze data, prepare figures and text for presentation at research conferences, and for manuscripts to be submitted for publication.
B. Professional Competence (5%)
The Junior Specialist will be engaged in presenting the results of work at national and international societies and in preparing manuscripts for publication.
• The Junior Specialist will attend national or international scientific conferences, held by major professional societies. For example, in 2025 the Junior Specialist may attend the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in San Diego, CA (April 5-11, 2025), or of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (Boston, MA March 29- April 1, 2025). If appropriate, the Junior Specialist will present research data at one of these conferences. Presentations at local scientific research meeting (e.g. CMB Poster Day, May 2025) will also be encouraged.
• As appropriate, the junior specialist will participate in the preparation of manuscripts for publication. This may involve creation of figures, writing of procedure and methods, reporting of statistics, and contribution to other sections of manuscripts.
C. University and Public Service (10%)
The Junior Specialist will be actively involved in service to the university through training and mentoring undergraduate students, and public service through the dissemination of information about cognitive neuroscience of memory and language through forums such as Facebook and twitter.
• The Junior Specialist will train and mentor undergraduate students in experimental procedures, data collection, and scoring of neuropsychological and other behavioral data.
• The Junior Specialist will train and mentor undergraduate students in data processing, analysis, and visualization.
• The Junior Specialist will contribute to a Facebook page, twitter account, lab website, and/or Instagram account designed to disseminate information about research findings and to promote scientists in the field to a broad audience. These social media efforts are targeted at providing a resource for the public and students.
