Research Specialist

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Academic Staff

Regular

Research Specialist

The Waisman Center is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases throughout the lifespan. One of 15 centers of its kind in the United States, the Waisman Center encompasses laboratories for biomedical and behavioral research, several scientific research cores, and a clinical biomanufacturing facility for the production of pharmaceuticals for early stage human clinical trials.

In addition to its research efforts, the Center provides an array of services to people with developmental disabilities, offers numerous educational and outreach programs to young children and their families, and trains scientists and clinicians who will serve our nation in the future.

This position will work within the Gibbs Auditory Encoding and Processing Optimization (AEPO) Laboratory (PI: Bobby Gibbs). The AEPO lab's goal is to increase the benefit of signal enhancement algorithms such as noise reduction when auditory neural encoding is altered. The lab focuses on multiple types of altered encoding, including sub-optimal electric stimulation (as occurs for cochlear implant recipients) and older age.

Links are analyzed between enhancement algorithms, speech cue discrimination in noise, and objective (electrophysiological and behavioral) indices of auditory encoding. The AEPO lab also uses machine learning and automated speech recognition models to ultimately guide enhancement algorithms based on different neural degeneration profiles.

The Research Specialist will assist with ongoing research projects related to auditory perception experiments in listeners with typical acoustic hearing and listeners with cochlear implants. The Research Specialist will lead the coordination of research experiments in the lab and supervise undergraduate workers. Primary responsibilities will include maintaining research databases using REDCAP, OnCore and eBinders, maintain AEPO lab protocols (which include unique considerations for cochlear implant recipients), training staff to adhere to our protocols, updating inventory, coordinating subject recruitment, and maintaining software code unique to AEPO lab experiments and data analysis.

Additional responsibilities will include Internal Review Board (IRB) correspondence and providing timely research synthesis for lab publications.

This position is a part-time to full-time position with a full-time equivalency (FTE) of 75% - 100% (an estimated 30-40 hours per week).

• Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of research equipment and research area. Tracks inventory levels and places replenishment orders
• Performs literature reviews and writes reports
• Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and/or documents results for presentations and/or reporting to internal and external audiences
• Participates in the development, interpretation, and implementation of research methodology and materials
• Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project(s). Collects data and monitors test results

Waisman Center

$45,879 minimum;
Salary is negotiable and will be based on education, experience and skills. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts and retirement benefits.

• Previous experience with direct stimulation and electrophysiological measures in cochlear implants.
• Previous experience writing code to analyze auditory perception data.
• Previous experience coordinating research experiments.

• Previous experience assisting with auditory perception research experiments in listeners with typical hearing, cochlear implants, and cochlear implant simulations (vocoders).
• Experience using research databases (REDCAP, OnCore, eBinders).
• Experience using MATLAB, R, and plotting software such as Prism.

Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience, Communication Sciences and Disorders, or related field is required.

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