Research assistant – McGill University

The SPINDL laboratory, led by Dr. Julien Doyon, and the Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience lab, led by Dr Robert Zatorre, are seeking to hire a Research Assistant who will provide support to the personnel, graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the two labs. The position would be split 50/50, with considerable flexibility in terms of how the hours are distributed according to need. In our laboratories, we use a variety of techniques (behavioral testing, sleep electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, brain stimulation, and magnetoencephalography) in two domains: Dr Doyon’s lab studies the role of sleep in memory consolidation and the role of the spinal cord in motor learning as well as the functional and micro-structural changes in the spinal cord associated with Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dr Zatorre’s lab studies complex auditory cognition, especially speech and music in healthy volunteers, with an emphasis on auditory-motor interactions and the role of the reward system in musical pleasure.

Position Title:Research Assistant
Hiring Unit:McConnell Brain Imaging Centre ‐Montreal Neurological Institute
Supervisor:Dr. Julien Doyon and Dr. Robert Zatorre
Work Location:3801 University, Montreal Neurological Institute
Hours/Week & Schedule:full-time (joint position to be shared between two labs)
Hourly Wage:$29.89/hour (salary commensurate with experience)
Planned Start Date & End Date:ASAP – one year (renewable)
Date of Posting: (post for 5 working days minimum)June 15th, 2022
Deadline to Apply:July 1st, 2022
Mandatory hiring condition:This position is open exclusively to Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents or individuals who currently have the right to work in Canada legally and who can maintain their status for at least 2 years after the hiring date.

Salary will be commensurate with the education level and experience.

PRIMARY DUTIES

We are looking to hire a full-time research assistant to provide support for all ongoing research projects in the two labs.

The main duties include:

  • developing new and/or modifying the existing GUI stimuli presentation and data recording software (written in Python),
  • Helping to prepare protocols for internet-based testing
  • providing assistance to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in carrying out behavioral and neuroimaging studies in cognitive neuroscience,
  • developing and maintaining of data analysis pipelines in conjunction with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows,
  • duties related to data management (organization, backup, documentation)
  • helping students and postdocs with preparation of ethics documents, and keeping track of submissions, renewals, etc.
  • helping with MRI, EEG or MEG data acquisition,
  • supervise undergraduate students, as well as casuals

REQUIREMENTS

Education

A minimum of B.Sc degree in computer sciences or neurosciences or psychology

Specific skills/Experience

  • Good proficiency using Matlab and coding in Python in neurosciences (preferably in human brain imaging);
  • Proficiency in using UNIX/Linux and Windows operating systems
  • Knowledge of neuroimaging software such as FreeSurfer, FSL, AFNI or SPM (experience in MRI data analysis would be an asset).
  • Good communications skills in French or English (both ‐ preferred).

Other skills

  • Social and interpersonal skills.
  • Team player and dedication to the work at hand.
  • Ability to work autonomously and deliver on set deadlines.
  • Willingness to learn new imaging and data analysis techniques.

How to apply

To apply for this position, please send a motivation letter, your CV along with a list of 3 individuals who can provide references to Dr. Julien Doyon at the following email address: julien.doyon@mcgill.ca

The applications will be reviewed starting on June 30th, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled. Only selected candidates will be contacted.