Research Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Psychiatry

Research Postdoctoral Associate

A post-doctoral research associate position is available in the Brain and Mood Health (BaMH) Lab in the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine. BaMH is directed by Professor Jordan Karp. This lab seeks to identify treatments to reduce the burden of depression in mid-life and older adults and understand neural and behavioral mechanisms of both depression and its treatment.

The post-doc will assist in the conduct of current and planned clinical and translational trials. This includes assistance with recruitment, consent, clinical oversight of research staff, administration of some psychometric surveys to research participants, and training in study interventions. Working alongside Dr. Karp, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will be responsible for the high-quality conduct of these trials and development of future programs of scientific inquiry.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will also develop their own area of research, prepare manuscripts for peer review, and develop a career development application. This postdoctoral position is suitable for an individual who wants to learn the nuances of running high-quality depression clinical trials and is on the path to a supervised, then independent, career in clinical behavioral medicine research. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more! The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocation services, please visit the provided link.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Working alongside the PI, oversee overall study coordination of ongoing and planned clinical trials including subject recruitment, obtaining informed consent, maintaining all aspects of Good Clinical Practice, and research technician training and education. Write protocols, reports, grants, and publish in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Serve as study interventionist and assessor.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Licensed clinical psychologist with strong training in evidence-based assessment and treatment of depressive disorders (e.g., CBT, IPT, behavioral activation). Ability to conduct structured/semi-structured diagnostic interviews, risk assessments, and differential diagnosis in adults with mood disorders. Knowledge of clinical trial design and conduct (e.g., randomization, blinding, outcomes, adverse event monitoring) in psychiatric or behavioral health populations. Ability to implement study protocols with high fidelity, including recruitment, informed consent, data collection, and adherence to Good Clinical Practice and IRB requirements.

Ability to work with clinical/translational datasets, including data cleaning, management, and interpretation of statistical outputs in collaboration with biostatisticians. Knowledge of basic statistical concepts relevant to clinical trials, including effect sizes, mixed models, and longitudinal analyses, with the ability and willingness to expand proficiency in statistical software. Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with patient participants, multidisciplinary healthcare teams, including psychiatry, psychology, nursing, and clinical coordinators, as well as community partners.

Ability and interest in mentoring trainees (e.g., research assistants, students) and contributing to manuscript preparation, presentations, and grant-related activities.

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD in clinical psychology. License to practice psychology in the state of Arizona or submitted application for license at time of application. Experience working with patients with mood, cognitive, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Demonstrated proficiency with at least one biostatistical software package (e.g., R, SAS, Stata, or SPSS) for data management and statistical analysis.

Preferred Qualifications

FLSA
- Exempt

Full Time/Part Time
- Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week - 40

Job FTE - 1.0

Work Calendar
- Fiscal

Job Category
- Research

Benefits Eligible
- Yes
- Full Benefits

Rate of Pay - NIH salary guidelines, Depends on Experience

Compensation Type - salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Type of criminal background check required:

- Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies - 1

Contact Information for Candidates
- Jessica Bodzioch, bodzioch