Research Associate - Psychiatry

Payroll Title

SRA 3

PSYCHIATRY

$75,448.50 - $76,916 / Year

Campus

Career

100%

RX Contract

1

Days, 8-Hour Shifts, Monday-Friday

#140942 Staff Research Associate - Psychiatry

Wed 9/16/2026

UC San Diego values and welcomes people from all backgrounds. If you are interested in being part of our team, possess the needed licensure and certifications, and feel that you have most of the qualifications and/or transferable skills for a job opening, we strongly encourage you to apply.

The UCSD Department of Psychiatry is one of the most innovative and productive academic departments in the country, offering challenging career opportunities in the diverse areas of advanced educational programs, cutting‑edge research, and state‑of‑the‑art clinical services. The department is committed to offering a dynamic learning environment and growing opportunities to its talented and dedicated employees.

Under general supervision, incumbent will be responsible for managing all aspects of animal research and focusing on rodent model experiments in a dynamic behavioral research lab, performing at full operational skill level for the ongoing diverse and complex research programs related to substance use disorders within the Department of Psychiatry. The position requires expertise in behavioral pharmacology, rodent behavioral assessment, surgical procedures and general laboratory skills.

Perform and direct others in the functional and neuropathological testing/exams of rodents including implementation of new testing paradigms, maintenance of animal testing laboratory/equipment, and independent oversight of research colonies;
Responsible for independent preparation and design of study, protocols, tracking data and data analysis, make significant innovative contributions towards research goals and independently perform experiments making technical determinations and/or observations related to research and pertaining to the design and overall direction of research projects and proposes possible changes or new directions when appropriate;
Present data in meetings, coordinate studies with collaborators;
Conduct wide variety of non-standard procedures;
Administer/dispense drugs/compounds to rodents including vapor inhalation methods and independently anesthetize rodents and perform surgical procedures including intravenous catheterization, tissue/sample collection including non-terminal blood collection;
Process postmortem tissues, as well as conduct initial preparation for laboratory assays. Also responsible for general laboratory maintenance and safety, shipping, handling biological substances, train and provide work direction to other research lab personnel. Must be able to assist with other project and miscellaneous duties as required.

• Theoretical knowledge such as Behavioral Pharmacology, Experimental Psychology OR equivalent combination of education and experience including lab experience.
• Demonstrated experience performing laboratory or experimental work that requires a combination of journey level knowledge and skill in two ordinarily distinct fields/scientific disciplines OR demonstrated experience undertaking research projects in collaboration with academic supervisors making innovative contributions pertaining to laboratory or experimental procedures.
• Extensive experience in research technical procedures, such as the behavioral training and testing of rodents, surgical implantation of intravenous catheters, drug administration, blood and tissue collection. Proven experience and demonstrated theoretical knowledge of normal physiological data of rodents, particularly rats, and skill in the recognition of abnormal behavior and health.
• Extensive experience with all aspects of rat handling methods, surgical procedures and injections (intravenous, inter-cranial, intraperitoneal, intramuscular, subcutaneous, and vapor inhalation) and maintenance of water system, cage and water bottles.
• Advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities in designing, creating and organizing research projects, under general direction. Strong experimental background in techniques applicable to studies involving rat models and performing testing/exams on rats.
• Demonstrated experience in animal surgery, tissue and blood collection.
• Demonstrated experience in rodent anesthesia and surgery.
• Extensive experience in the administration of…