Data Science Research Assistant Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

The Research Assistant I assists behavioral and neuroimaging research focused on children with neurodevelopmental conditions with the Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research Center. The Research Assistant I will play an integral role in all phases of research, including participant recruitment and assessment, MRI data acquisition, neuroimaging data processing, quantitative analysis, and dissemination of research findings. This role interacts with children and families in a clinical research environment and works independently with complex neuroimaging datasets and computational tools.

1. Assist with study enrollment, including screening potential participants, determining eligibility, scheduling appointments, preparing participant materials, and supporting participant retention and longitudinal follow-up efforts.
2. Prepare pediatric participants for MRI scanning, including mock scanner training, behavioral support, and facilitation of a positive and engaging research experience for children and families.
3. Administer, score, and support psychosocial, behavioral, clinical, physiologic, and neuroimaging research activities in accordance with study protocols and Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements.
4. Maintain accurate study documentation, participant records, regulatory records, and research databases to ensure accessibility, completeness, and compliance with IRB standards.
5. Coordinate and support MRI and diffuse optical tomography (DOT) scanning sessions involving pediatric participants, ensuring adherence to study protocols and MRI safety procedures.
6. Coordinate and support collection of actigraphy, EEG, wearable sensor, biological motion capture, and computer vision-based data to assess physical activity, sleep health, physiological function, motor functioning, and movement patterns.
7. Perform quality assurance procedures for MRI, DOT, wearable sensor, and biological motion capture data acquisition; monitor scan and data quality; and troubleshoot issues during data collection.
8. Process structural and functional neuroimaging data using established pipelines and software tools, conduct image quality control, and identify imaging artifacts.
9. Assist with neuroimaging analyses, including brain morphometry, connectivity analyses, longitudinal modeling, and other analytical approaches across research modalities.
10. Process and analyze actigraphy, EEG, wearable sensor, biological motion capture, behavioral, and clinical datasets to quantify physical activity, sleep health, physiological outcomes, and motor function.
11. Manage, clean, integrate, organize, and maintain neuroimaging, wearable sensor, biological motion capture, behavioral, clinical, and imaging archive databases.
12. Write and maintain scripts for automated data processing, quality assurance, database management, data visualization, and reproducible research workflows using tools such as Python, MATLAB, R, or Bash.
13. Generate figures, tables, reports, and other materials for manuscripts, presentations, conference abstracts, grant applications, grant reporting, and academic, clinical, or community audiences.
14. Participate in laboratory meetings, research discussions, and meetings with research and administrative partners; assist with scheduling, agenda preparation, discussion facilitation, and note-taking as needed.

EDUCATION:
Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Biology, or a related field, required.

EXPERIENCE:
• Demonstrated interest in neurodevelopment, child development, neuroscience, or clinical research, required.
• One (1) year of experience with biomedical or social research experience preferred.
• Familiarity with neuroimaging software such as FreeSurfer, FSL, AFNI, SPM, MRICloud, or related platforms, preferred.
• Experience working with children, families, or clinical populations.
• Experience with statistical analysis and data visualization and proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB), preferred.