Career Center

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position. Please include your GPA and undergraduate institution (if applicable) in your cover letter as well. Note that all of your application materials must be combined into a single document.

In addition to applying online with your cover letter and resume, please send your most recent academic transcript (college transcript if available; unofficial transcript acceptable) and 2 letters of recommendation directly to Dr. Ed Huntley at huntleye@umich.edu.

The Michigan Neurogenetics and Developmental Psychopathology (MiND) lab, directed by Dr. Luke Hyde, the Translational and Developmental Neuroscience (TaD) lab, directed by Dr. Christopher Monk, and the Psychopathology, Population Health, and Genetics lab, directed by Dr. Leah Richmond-Rakerd, are searching for a full-time lab coordinator/research assistant (Research Technician Associate). The position will be distributed across labs, with 50% time toward duties for two projects in the MiND and TaD labs, and 50% time toward duties in the Psychopathology, Population Health, and Genetics lab.

Projects in the MiND and TaD labs examine the development of adolescent and young adult risk and resilience from multiple levels of analysis (using fMRI, molecular genetics, longitudinal approaches, and psychiatric interviews with families and young adults from low-income neighborhoods). The Research Technician will help to coordinate and collect data on multiple projects including the MTwiNS project and the SAND project. 

MTwiNS is a longitudinal study of families with twins ages 10 – 18 living in lower-income neighborhoods funded by NIMH and NICHD. The goals of the study are to understand the impact of neighborhood impoverishment on neural and behavior development related to antisocial behavior, as well as to identify factors that promote resilience. This study is funded by NIMH and NICHD.

The SAND is a longitudinal study of families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Study participants are now young adults (age 20 – 24) and visiting our lab in Michigan where we are examining ecological variables across development that are associated with resilience and risk on neurobehavioral systems.  This study is funded by NIMH. 

Both studies include families or young adults visiting the lab for a full day visit including an MRI scan, psychiatric interview, family interaction tasks, biospecimen assay (e.g., saliva, blood), and survey measures.

For this position, the research assistant would primarily focus on engaging with families and young adults to collect data as part of data collection teams. For more information about the MiND lab please visit: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mindlab/ and the TaD lab visit: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/monk-lab/. 

Projects in the Psychopathology, Population Health, and Genetics lab examine the origins, mechanisms, and outcomes of problems in self-regulation, including disinhibitory disorders, suicide, and self-harm. The lab’s projects involve data from population-based administrative registers, longitudinal studies, and genetically-informative samples (e.g., studies of twins). The lab collaborates with researchers in New Zealand, Denmark, and elsewhere. For more information about the Psychopathology, Population Health, and Genetics lab visit: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/richmond-rakerd-lab/.

Duties for this position will include coordinating projects (e.g., training undergraduate students on their projects and tasks, scheduling and recruiting participants, organizing and cleaning/analyzing data, submitting data-use and IRB applications), doing in-home and in-lab visits with children, families, and young adults (including psychiatric interviews, administering self-report measures, and supervising undergraduate assistants), running participants through MRI scans, processing and analyzing MRI data, and other general administrative duties. As some of these projects are being done jointly with other labs, the position will entail coordinating with these other labs. Thus, much of the position will include collecting data from and interacting with families and young adults and the other portion will include logistics and management. 

This position is ideal for those interested in pursuing a future PhD in clinical or developmental psychology or neuroscience. A very successful applicant will have the opportunity to contribute to the writing of empirical papers.  The MiND and TaD labs focus on understanding the impact of adversity on brain and behavioral development and Dr. Monk’s lab focuses on internalizing outcomes, whereas Dr. Hyde’s and Dr. Richmond-Rakerd’s labs focus on externalizing outcomes. The MiND and TaD labs are committed to understanding resilience and identifying factors that promote success among families and youth who have been marginalized and/or oppressed based on their socioeconomic status and/or ethnoracial identity. The Psychopathology, Population Health, and Genetics lab has ongoing projects concerning the development and intergenerational transmission of health and social inequalities. Thus, there are a variety of areas of research focus for applicants to consider. 
 

• High school diploma or Associate's degree
• 1 year of research experience 
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and time management skills
• Experience interacting with families and children
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in in psychology, neuroscience, or a related field, and interest in clinical and developmental psychology or neuroscience
• Experience in several (but not all) of the following areas: psychiatric interviewing, working with underserved families in the community, computer programming experience (e.g., Matlab, R, SAS, command line) and statistical experience/interest, and experience with fMRI processing and analysis

These positions are term-limited to one year, however, the aim is to renew the position for at least 2-3 years, as the role will require large amounts of training.  Preference will be given to candidates that are interested in a multi-year commitment. 

Start date is flexible but would ideally be during July of 2022, so that the new lab manager can overlap with departing lab managers for training. There is flexibility in start date, but mid-summer is ideal.

The MiND, TaD, and Psychopathology, Population Health, and Genetics labs value diversity, equity, and inclusion in research including goals to make the workplace diverse, equitable, inclusive, and supportive and to provide thoughtful interaction with participants that is culturally competent and humble, and meets shared goals between researchers, participants, and communities. We particularly encourage applications from those who identify with under-represented and marginalized identities and who value a lab with members who bring divergent viewpoints and experiences to our work. 

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.  

The University of Michigan is committed to foster learning, creativity and productivity, and to support the vigorous exchange of ideas and information, not only in the classroom but in the workplace by: 

• Creating a work environment in which people treat each other with respect and dignity, regardless of roles, responsibilities or differences. 
• Providing support, direction and resources enabling us to accomplish the responsibilities of our jobs and to reach the goals that are set for professional and personal growth.
• The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.  

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitments to serve the diverse people of Michigan, fulfill the College’s Guiding Principles, and sustain the excellence of LSA. 

• To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion in LSA, visit lsa.umich.edu/lsa/dei.
• To learn more about LSA’s Strategic Vision, visit lsa.umich.edu/strategicvision.

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended. This posting is likely to only be posted for 2 – 3 weeks, so applicants should apply soon. 

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

U-M COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters when eligible, are required for all University of Michigan students, faculty and staff across all campuses, including Michigan Medicine.  This includes those working remotely.   More information on this new policy is available on the Campus Blueprint website or the UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint websites.