Research Assistant (Contractor) – Neuropsychopharmacology

About the role

Discovery Sciences at RTI International conducts innovative research to better understand biological mechanisms underlying health and disease. Our research teams in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, conduct nonclinical and preclinical studies across a range of areas, including neuropsychopharmacology. This position will support a neuropsychopharmacology laboratory focused on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying reward, stress, and pain. The Research Assistant will contribute to laboratory studies involving behavioral testing, pharmacological interventions, neural activity monitoring, and data collection in rodents. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a background in neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, or a related field who is interested in gaining hands-on experience in preclinical research and laboratory operations.

Responsibilities

• Conduct behavioral and dosing experiments in laboratory rodents.
• Perform rodent surgeries, including intracranial procedures, and provide pre- and post-operative care.
• Manipulate and monitor neural activity in rodents during behavioral tasks.
• Collect, document, and maintain accurate behavioral observations and study data.
• Review study data and associated records for accuracy and completeness.
• Monitor laboratory rodents and assess animal health and well-being.
• Maintain laboratory supplies, equipment, records, and inventory.
• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory equipment as needed.
• Follow established protocols, standard operating procedures, health and safety guidelines, and applicable regulatory requirements, including NIH, GLP, and DEA regulations, as applicable.
• Assist with laboratory inspections and preparation of inspection materials.
• Support the training of new or less experienced laboratory staff.
• Communicate effectively with supervisors, team members, and external collaborators.
• Occasionally work evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays based on study

Requirements

• Ongoing or completed bachelor's degree in neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accurate data collection and documentation.
• Ability to follow established protocols, standard operating procedures, health and safety guidelines, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Ability to work independently while also contributing effectively to a collaborative research team.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced research environment.
• Ability to perform mathematical calculations required for data analysis and drug dosing.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Qualifications

• Hands-on research or laboratory experience working with rodents.
• Experience with behavioral or pharmacological models in rodents.
• Experience with rodent surgery and/or pre- and post-operative care.
• Experience with neural recording techniques or monitoring neural activity in behaving animals.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting data generated from in vivo neural recordings.
• Familiarity with MATLAB, Python, R, or other statistical/data analysis software.
• Experience with microscopy or analysis of microscopy-generated data.
• Experience working in a regulated laboratory environment or following GLP principles.

Benefits

This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and