Assistant Project Scientist

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 79,000 - 101,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Psychology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is seeking an Assistant Project Scientist to support projects on cortico-amygdala-striatal circuits involved in reward learning, motivation, and decision making. The candidate will work under the PI to design and conduct studies, analyze data, and contribute to manuscripts.

Requirements include a PhD in neuroscience or equivalent and strong experience in behavioral neuroscience, in vivo imaging, and computational

Qualifications

• PhD in Neuroscience or equivalent.
• Strong background in behavioral neuroscience, learning and memory, in vivo microendoscopic cellular resolution imaging and analysis pipeline, behavioral tracking, machine learning and computational analysis approaches, and neural circuit dissection methods.

Responsibilities

• Assist the PI in experimental design and execution of extramurally-funded projects.
• Perform data analysis and interpretation; contribute to manuscript preparation.
• Oversee ongoing projections of undergraduate and graduate students; supervise postdocs, graduate and undergraduate researchers.

Skills

Behavioral neuroscience

Learning & memory

In vivo imaging

Behavioral tracking

Machine learning

Computational analysis

Neural circuit dissection

Education

PhD in neuroscience or equivalent

Job description

The Department of Psychology is currently hiring for an Assistant Project Scientist. For more information regarding the Project Scientist series, please refer to Call Appendix 36: Project (e.g. Scientist) Series

Criteria

• Candidate must have a PhD in neuroscience or equivalent.
• Job responsibilities include supporting the PI in the design and execution of extramurally-funded projects examining the function of cortico-amygdala-striatal circuits in reward learning, motivation, and decision making.
• The candidate should have a strong background in behavioral neuroscience, learning and memory, in vivo microendoscopic cellular resolution imaging and analysis pipeline, behavioral tracking, machine learning and computational analysis approaches, and neural circuit dissection methods.
• In addition, the project scientist will supervise postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students conducting research projects.
• Responsibilities include assisting the PI in experimental design, execution of experiments, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript preparation, and oversight of the ongoing projections of undergraduate and graduate students.

The appointment will be for 100% starting November 1, 2026.

The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See Table 37-B for the salary range. The salary range for this position is for this position is $79400 - $101100. Off-scale salaries i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

PhD in Neuroscience or equivalent