Research Assistant, CANlab

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

Research in UC Berkeley's Clinical & Affective Neuroscience Lab (CANlab) – under the direction of Professor Hedy Kober – uses state‑of‑the‑art methods, including experimental tasks, randomized‑controlled clinical trials, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), computational models, ecological momentary assessment, biological assays from urine, blood, and saliva, and meta‑analyses of behavioral, clinical, and neuroimaging data. Our work organizes around a few interrelated themes:
Craving, regulation of craving, substance use disorders, treatment for substance use disorders, neural mechanisms of change, emotion regulation in psychopathology, and mindfulness and meditation. The CANlab is part of UC Berkeley's Department of Psychology, which is located in Berkeley, CA. The lab is located in the Berkeley Way West building on the western edge of Berkeley's campus. Functional imaging resources are available at Berkeley's Brain Imaging Center (BIC), housed in the Li Ka Shing Center.

Responsible for assisting the PI (who is a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist) and other researchers in the lab with behavioral, clinical, and neuroimaging studies that examine the mechanisms underlying crucial processes involved in human emotion, motivation, and psychopathology (with a focus on substance use and eating behaviors), including mechanisms underlying treatment for psychopathology.

The First Review Date for this job is July 14, 2026.

Major Responsibility:
Under the direction of the PI/other researchers in the lab, development, preparation, and execution of research studies in accordance with IRB protocols.

• Develop experimental materials (including stimulus generation and programming of tasks for lab and web‑based studies).
• Recruit, schedule, and test participants in behavioral, fMRI, and other studies.
• Complete follow‑up data collection.
• Perform data transfers, backups, and quality assurance as necessary.
• Preprocess and help to analyze data using Matlab, Python, and other analysis packages.
• Help develop and modify written protocols and best‑practices documents based on discussions with the PI/post‑docs surrounding ongoing experiments.
• Collaborate with other labs and universities working on joint projects.
• Assist with training, hiring, and coordination of lab personnel.
• Train and support lab personnel in the proper execution of research protocols, including task development, participant recruitment, data collection, and analysis.
• Assist in the recruitment and evaluation of potential undergraduate student research assistants.
• Coordinate undergraduate RAs' schedules to ensure appropriate participation and training.

• Presentation of research in more informal scientific settings (e.g., lab meetings). Assistance with preparation of manuscripts/grants (including figure/table preparation and editing).
• There may be opportunities to prepare and present posters at scientific conferences/author manuscripts.

• Purchase and maintain supplies and equipment.
• Obtain and oversee technical support for lab equipment (e.g., computers).
• Administer IRB protocols (including approval/amendment/renewal processes) and grants (including assistance with submission and renewal).
• Manage lab record‑keeping, including purchases, relevant grant information, IRB protocols, experiment participation, and protocols for executing and analyzing individual experiments (with assistance from relevant lab personnel).
• Help maintain the lab website, wiki, and code/file sharing.
• Coordinate weekly lab meetings and other lab events.

• At least one year of research experience.
• Previous research experience in a psychology or neuroscience lab.
• Experience with the collection and/or analysis of human participant data.
• Good organizational skills, good…