Clinical Research Assistant - Levin Lab

Boston Children’s Hospital; Brookline (MA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Children’s Hospital is seeking a Clinical Research Assistant to support the Translational Neuroscience Center’s CNRC. The role focuses on data collection, EEG setup, and coordination between clinical and research teams to advance neurodevelopmental studies in autism and related conditions.

The CRA will work with children and individuals from diverse neurodevelopmental backgrounds, assisting with protocol development, data organization, and ensuring informed consent procedures are followed

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in STEM or Psychology is required.
• Experience with children with autism is ideal.
• Experience in a research setting is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Consent and recruit patients for studies through interviews and communications with families.
• Perform EEG and related data collection methods (ERP, eye-tracking) with participants aged 0-65.
• Assist in training newly hired study staff as required.
• Coordinate activities between hospital and research labs to ensure proper testing and data handling.
• Perform miscellaneous administrative duties as assigned.

Skills

Data collection

Recruitment & communication

Team training

Education

Bachelor's Degree in STEM or Psychology

Tools

EEG setup

ERP

Eye-tracking

Job description

Position Summary: The Translational Neuroscience Center (TNC) at Boston Children’s Hospital is dedicated to furthering our understanding of brain and cognitive development in children diagnosed with or at risk for various neurodevelopmental disorders. Our multidisciplinary team of researchers brings together experts from a wide range of fields, including neuroscience, signal processing, psychology, and computer science. In collaboration with clinical experts in fields such as child neurology and developmental pediatrics, we are working to expand our knowledge of neurodevelopmental disorders. Through this collaborative and comprehensive approach, we aim to advance our current scientific understanding and translate what we learn into earlier identification, improved therapies, and better outcomes for children and families affected by neurodevelopmental disorders.

The Clinical Research Assistant (CRA) will play a primary role in collecting data for the Translational Neuroscience Center’s Clinical Neurophysiology Research Core (CNRC). The CNRC seeks to understand neural network function among children with autism, other neurodevelopmental conditions, and typical development, primarily using electroencephalography (EEG) to do so. The responsibilities of the CRA will include data collection among participants with diverse neurodevelopmental conditions, EEG and related equipment set‑up and maintenance, study protocol development, data uploading and organization, and other relevant data collection tasks.

Key Responsibilities:

• Consents and recruits patients for research studies through personal interviews and written communications with patients/families. Provides detailed background information regarding studies to families, communicates all policies and procedures, and responds to all inquiries. Evaluates suitability of prospective study candidates and makes selections based upon clinical knowledge of each study.
• Performs EEG and other data collection methods (e.g., ERP, eye-tracking) on participants aged 0-65 years. Serves as liaison to the families/patients in the research studies, conducted at both on‑site and off‑site locations, guiding and advising them during data collection. Acts as a resource to study participants, addressing any concerns they may have. Troubleshoots resolution of any issues that may arise during data collection.
• Participates in the training of newly hired research study assistants, as required.
• Coordinates activities between the hospital and research laboratories to ensure correct testing/processing and send out instructions specific to the study. Communicates project policies and procedures to personnel. Monitors and reviews data collection and data entry, and informed consent procedures - ensuring consistency of application for each study.
• Performs other miscellaneous administrative duties as assigned or required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• A Bachelor’s Degree in STEM or Psychology is required.

Experience

• Previous experience with children with autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions is ideal.
• Previous experience working in a research setting (preferably paid professional experience, but may include undergraduate research experiences) is also a plus.