Staff Scientist

About the Role

The Staff Scientist works closely with the Principal Investigator (PI) to provide scientific leadership and methodological expertise, supporting ongoing research in the Neuroscience of Risk and Development (NeRD) Lab’s research program. In close collaboration with the PI and under their scientific guidance, the Staff Scientist will lead the development, execution, and dissemination of interdisciplinary psychiatry research focused on normative brain development, neuroimaging, sleep physiology, big data, electronic health records, digital phenotyping, and the biological mechanisms underlying risk and resilience for psychiatric disorders across childhood and adolescence.

Responsibilities

• Work with the PI to provide scientific expertise and leadership for multiple research projects within the NeRD lab.
• Lead the design, implementation, and interpretation of advanced statistical analyses, particularly longitudinal, multilevel, and normative modeling approaches.
• Develop and supervise the maintenance of reproducible computational workflows for neuroimaging, sleep physiology, wearable, EHR, and other multimodal datasets.
• Conduct autonomous work and contribute to the development of research projects' strategy and outcomes.
• Collaborate with the PI in preparing scientific papers, grant proposals, technical meetings, and symposia as needed.
• Manage and/or advise lab personnel (including postdoctoral fellows and research staff) with latitude in decision-making.
• Evaluate and implement emerging analytical methods and technologies that strengthen the lab's research program.
• Assist the PI with prioritizing projects, troubleshooting scientific challenges, and advancing the overall strategic direction of the laboratory.

The individual remains under the supervision of the PI and is generally not expected to submit grants as a PI, except for those grants that might not require faculty rank for submission. This is not considered a faculty-level position.

Requirements

• A master's degree in a science field.
• At least 7 years of original and relevant research experience.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be an independent and collaborative scientist with exceptional quantitative skills, excellent scientific writing abilities, and a demonstrated record of leading complex research projects. They will possess strong expertise in:

• Longitudinal data analysis.
• Neuroimaging and/or sleep research.
• Reproducible programming (e.g., R and Python).
• Mentoring multidisciplinary research teams.

Strong interpersonal skills, a collaborative and collegial working style, and a sense of humor are highly valued, as they contribute to a positive, productive, and intellectually engaging lab environment.

Benefits

• Flexible schedules.
• Affordable health, vision, and dental insurance.
• Child care and student loan subsidies.
• Generous levels of time off.
• 403(b) Retirement Savings plan and Pension.
• Tuition and certain License and Certification Reimbursement.
• Cell phone plan discounts and discounted rates on T-passes.

Pay

The posted pay range is Boston Children’s reasonable and good-faith expectation for this pay at the time of posting. Any base pay offer provided depends on skills, experience, education, certifications, and a variety of other job-related factors.