Clinical Research Assistant I - Social and Attention Lab, Center for Autism Research

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We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

A Brief Overview

The Social Attention and Language (SoAL) Lab led by Dr. Julia Parish-Morris at the Center for Autism Research (CAR) conducts a wide range of studies focused on language, social communication, and social behavior in autism and related conditions. Working at SoAL provides the opportunity to work with collaborators such as the University of Pennsylvania's Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC).

We are seeking a full-time Clinical Research Assistant I (CRA I) to collaborate on multiple studies focused on language and social communication. A 2-year commitment is required.

The ideal candidate is highly organized and self-motivated. Project coordination will be a key part of this position, requiring the CRA to lead study visits, organize workflows, oversee undergraduate students, and effectively assign and monitor multiple tasks simultaneously. The ideal candidate also has a strong interest in language or social communication.

The CRA will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team composed of developmental psychologists, linguists, speech-language pathologists, clinical psychologists, physicians, and computer scientists. CAR is a collaborative environment; we are looking for a self-motivated team player with excellent problem-solving and interpersonal skills to support our research efforts. Prior experience with some or all these duties is a plus but is not necessary; many CRA duties can be learned on the job. Successful applicants will be fast learners who enjoy working in a bustling research environment. There are potential opportunities to attend talks and/or present at conferences.

What you will do

• CRA duties may include but will not be limited to:

• Running online and/or in-person study sessions with autistic and non-autistic youth
• Overseeing language coding pipelines; training and managing undergraduate student workers on this pipeline
• Performing data entry, coding, and analysis, including coding/transcription of audio recorded data
• Maintaining and building REDCap projects for data collection
• Compiling and reducing large quantities of data under the direction of the principal investigator
• Statistical analysis of data using R and Excel
• Assisting with IRB protocol amendments, poster presentations, and publication preparation
• Organizing meetings with collaborators

Education Qualifications

• High School Diploma / GED Required
• Bachelor's degree in psychology, linguistics, or similar with prior research experience Preferred

Experience Qualifications

• Previous relevant clinical research experience Required
• At least one (1) year of relevant clinical research experience Preferred
• Previous experience working with children or families Preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Familiarity with IRB and human subject protection.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively with a team
• Functions independently and proactively in a clinical research setting
• Effectively prioritizes and meets deadlines, while paying attention to detail
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Interest in research relating to autism, other developmental conditions, social communication, and/or language
• Experience with project coordination and managing teams
• Statistical knowledge and interest or ability to use/learn a statistical software package (e.g., R, SQL, Python)
• Computer skills including Microsoft Office, REDCap, and other database software
• Candidates looking to pursue research-oriented higher education programs are preferred

To carry out its mission, CHOP is committed to supporting the health of our patients, families, workforce, and global community. As a condition of employment, CHOP employees who work in patient care buildings or who have patient facing responsibilities must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive an annual influenza vaccine. Learn more.

Employees may request exemptions for valid religious and medical reasons. Start dates may be delayed until candidates are immunized or exemption requests are reviewed.

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