Research Support Assistant

Job Title: Research Support Assistant

Grade: 12

Salary: $49,394 to $53,586.44

The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. is currently seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time position of Research Assistant (RA) in the Center for OCD and Related Disorders, a clinical research program directed by Dr. Blair Simpson whose mission is to advance the understanding of and treatments for OCD and related disorders (e.g., anxiety disorders). The Center is located in the New York State Psychiatric Institute, affiliated with Columbia University Irving Medical Center. This RA position will provide unique training experiences in patient-oriented research and appropriate for those considering in the future applying to medical school or graduate school in neuroscience. The anticipated start date is November/December. After applying through the ApplicantPRO Portal, interested applicants should also email [email protected] a copy of their CV and Cover Letter (required) describing the reasons that they are interested in the position, their prior experience with research, and their career goals.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• The RA will be responsible for assisting in running clinical research studies under the supervision of Dr. Simpson and her team. This position will expose one to a wide range of patient-oriented research (e.g., from neuroimaging studies of mechanisms to clinical trials to implementation science), while also providing in-depth experience with participants with OCD and anxiety disorders.

• Duties include:
  • Assisting with participant recruitment
  • Screening for study eligibility
  • Accompanying participants to MRI and PET scans and helping with imaging procedures
  • Managing data and IRB applications
  • Preparing blood and biological samples and performing blood draws
  • A two-year commitment is required due to the training involved

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS or BA in Biology, Neuroscience, Psychology (with an emphasis on Neuroscience), or another closely related field.
• Academic excellence (above 3.2) in relevant college classes.
• Living in or willingness to move to the tri-state area.

Preferred Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will have (6) months or more relevant job or volunteer experience (e.g., prior research experience)
• Be deeply curious about brain mechanisms underlying human behavior and motivated to advance treatments for mental illness, have excellent organizational, interpersonal, and technology skills, and thrive being on a multi-disciplinary team and in a fast-paced environment creatively solving problems.
• Salary commensurate with experience.

Work Location: 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

To Apply: Submit an application through our website at https://rfmh.applicantpro.com/jobs/. Please note only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

The Mission of the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. (RFMH) is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. RFMH is deeply committed to supporting underserved individuals, organizations, and communities. To this end, RFMH is focused on implementing activities and initiatives to reduce disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. A critical component of these efforts is ensuring that RFMH is a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees' unique attributes and skills are valued and utilized to support the mission of the Agency. RFMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

The Research Foundation is a private not-for-profit corporation and is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits. Excellent Benefits Package. Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer - Disabled/Veteran, 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) compliant.