Social & Behavioral Researcher

This role focuses on supporting translational research efforts of the Center through the integration of behavioral, imaging, and quantitative data to enable high-impact scientific discovery. The GRA will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of imaging research core scientists and statisticians working across neuroimaging, data science, and AI-driven imaging analytics. This position provides a hands-on training opportunity with growing, innovation-driven research environment, with exposure to advanced neuroimaging methods, data integration workflows, and translational research applications. Minimum Qualifications This position requires a Bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the research or data analysis responsibilities and a minimum of one year of research experience; or a Master's degree in one of the same fields. Four years of progressively responsible work experience in a field directly related to the research may substitute for the Bachelor's degree. Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.

• SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
• A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed: (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree; (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree; (c) Six years of direct experience for a master's degree; (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree • Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.

Preferred Qualifications Master's degree in psychology, neuropsychology, behavioral neuroscience, linguistics, computational linguistics, audiology, speech-language pathology, or related field Experience with statistical and/or programming tools such as R, SPSS, E-Prime, or Python Familiarity with behavioral data collection and analysis tools Strong attention to detail with a commitment to data quality and reproducibility

• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary research environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly in scientific or research settings Experience working in neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience, or related research environments Exposure to integrating behavioral data with imaging or other physiological datasets Familiarity with reproducible research practices, data preprocessing, or structured data workflows Experience with speech or language analysis software Exposure to basic machine learning or quantitative data analysis methods 1.

Behavioral and Cognitive Phenotyping

• Administer standardized behavioral, cognitive, and/or speech-language assessments aligned with neuroimaging protocols
• Conduct domain-specific testing including attention and executive function, memory and speech processing, language production and comprehension, and auditory processing
• Assist in defining and characterizing behavioral phenotypes aligned with imaging-derived biomarkers to support brain-behavior analyses 2. Pre-Imaging Participant Preparation
• Conduct pre-scan evaluations to determine participant readiness for imaging procedures
• Train participants on in-scanner task paradigms (e.g., language, auditory, and cognitive tasks) to ensure protocol adherence
• Identify communication and cognitive barriers that may impact data quality and implement mitigation strategies to optimize scan readiness 3. In-Scanner Task Development and Execution
• Support the design and implementation of task-based neuroimaging paradigms, including language activation, auditory processing, and executive function tasks
• Monitor participant performance in real time during scanning to ensure data integrity and protocol compliance
• Collaborate with imaging technologists and investigators to optimize task delivery and alignment with study objectives 4. Behavioral Data Acquisition and Reproducible Workflows
• Acquire high-quality behavioral data in MRI and related research environments
• Assist in the development of analysis-ready datasets integrating behavioral and imaging data
• Support data processing, annotation, and quality control workflows
• Contribute to reproducible data pipelines using R, SAS, SPSS, and/or Python
• Maintain version-controlled code repositories and documentation to ensure transparency and reproducibility of analyses 5. Multidisciplinary Research and Data Integration
• Collaborate with imaging scientists, biostatisticians, and investigators to integrate behavioral, imaging, and psychological datasets
• Assist in building structured datasets for downstream statistical and AI/ML analyses
• Contribute to interpretation of brain-behavior relationships within translational research studies
• Support acquisition of high-quality data across in-scanner and out-of-scanner research activities 6. Research Operations and Core Support
• Ensure secure and compliant handling of imaging and behavioral data in accordance with IRB protocols and Core standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Assist with protocol development, study documentation, and workflow standardization
• Perform data entry, validation, and quality control for behavioral and speech datasets
• Participate in Center meetings and collaborative project discussions
• Contribute to preparation of manuscripts, conference abstracts, and grant submissions