New

Staff Research Associate I

University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA)
USD $27.85/Hr. - USD $33.21/Hr.
United States, California, Los Angeles
Feb 13, 2026
Special Instructions to Applicants To be considered for this position, applicants must submit a resume, cover letter, and a list of references. Please have these documents ready when completing your application. You may combine your cover letter and list of references into a single file and copy and paste it in the "Cover Letter" section. Department Summary The UCLA Department of Psychology is an exceptional department known for its excellence in research, teaching, and service. With a distinguished faculty comprising more than 60 ladder rank members, it is one of the nation's top psychology departments. Its undergraduate program is the largest within the Division of Life Sciences and the UCLA College, with 5000 undergraduate students enrolled across three majors: Psychology, Psychobiology, and Cognitive Science. The department also offers a comprehensive Ph.D. program with eight areas of study to approximately 200 enrolled graduate students. Position Summary A reliable, highly organized, and independent individual is sought for a full-time Staff Research Associate (SRA) Position in the Brain and Body Lab (BABLab) and Social Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab (SAND Lab), in the UCLA Department of Psychology, under the joint supervision of the Principal Investigators Dr. Bridget Callaghan and Dr. Jennifer Silvers. The SRA will be responsible for coordinating and conducting a research study on the effects of education and stress on brain health. The BABLab and SAND Labs study how early experiences shape physical and mental health outcomes. We utilize behavioral, fMRI, and health-related measures (e.g., microbiome and inflammation) to better understand phenomena related to stress, brain function, cognition, and emotion. The role of the SRA will involve implementing experiments, programming experimental tasks and questionnaire data collection software, recruiting and scheduling participants, running research sessions, and analyzing data. The SRA will also play an integral role in overseeing day-to-day study operations, which includes maintaining research equipment, overseeing IRB protocols, planning and scheduling events and research meetings, maintaining and analyzing data, and helping to supervise undergraduate research assistants. In addition to supporting the lab's functioning, the ideal SRA will have an opportunity to contribute creatively to research projects, work closely and productively with other lab members, and co-author academic papers and poster presentations. Salary & Compensation UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits. Qualifications* Statistical background and basic competence in statistical programming (R, SPSS). Programming skills in at least one language (e.g. R, Python, MATLAB). Demonstrated ability to maintain professionalism and good decision making when confronted with difficult people or situations. (Required) Demonstrated ability to handle confidential materials with discretion. (Required) Experience with neuroimaging data acquisition and analysis, particularly FSL. (Preferred) Prior interest in, or experience with, working with developmental, or psychiatric, or special population groups. (Preferred) Knowledge of payment processing systems. (Cash-net and PCI). Knowledge of forms and submission procedures to obtain research approval from the UCLA Institutional Review Board and Office for the Protection of Human Subjects. Spanish bilingual. (Preferred) Ability to use standard office equipment, including multi-line telephones, recording equipment, and scanners. (Required) MRI scanner operation. MRI preprocessing and analysis. (Preferred) Excellent interpersonal skills for interacting with study participants as well as with other laboratory members. (Required) Excellent oral and written communication skills for communicating with research participants, representing the lab publicly, as well as when writing (e.g., updating the website, IRBs, scientific publications). (Required) Excellent organization skills and attention to detail required for adherence to study protocols, managing the lab, maintaining research equipment, curating database. (Required) Strong prior research experience in a lab setting within Psychology or related field. Strong general computing skills (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite) in both Mac and PC). Understanding of lab research methods. (Required) Ability to effectively prioritize, multitask, and manage co-occurring deadlines, projects, and team members, and to display adaptive and responsive decision making and problem-solving skills. (Required) Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. (Required) Special Conditions for Employment Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation. Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment. CANRA: The position is designated as a mandatory reporter under CANRA. The employee must sign the "Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse". Schedule 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Union/Policy Covered RX-Research Support Professionals Complete Position Description https://universityofcalifornia.marketpayjobs.com/ShowJob.aspx?EntityID=38&JDName=Staff%20Research%20Associate%201%20(41098628)