Junior Specialist - Moxon Lab

University of California, Davis; Davis (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, Davis invites applications for a Junior Specialist in the laboratory of Professor Karen Moxon within the Center for Neuroengineering and Medicine. The role focuses on pedagogy and AI in engineering education, data collection, and analysis to enhance student education experiences.

The successful candidate will be actively involved in publishable research, assist in manuscript preparation, and participate in professional societies and conference presentations, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent research experience is required.
• Strong interest in pedagogy and in incorporating AI in engineering education.

Responsibilities

• Organize events for neuroengineering graduate students.
• Collect data on student satisfaction with the graduate program.
• Design hypothesis-driven questions to analyze educational data.
• Identify ways to revise training events for better learning outcomes.
• Assist writing and reviewing manuscripts and presenting data at conferences.
• Read and summarize literature on education and neural engineering.
• Present results during Center meetings.
• Maintain Center organization, scheduling, and documenting software/hardware.

Skills

Data collection

Data organization

Data presentation

Literature review

Academic writing

Conference presentations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, engineering, neurobiology, biology or related field

Job description

The Department of Biomedical Engineering invites applications from qualified candidates for Junior Specialist positions in the laboratory of Professor Karen Moxon. The successful candidate will join the Center for Neuroengineering and Medicine under Professor Karen Moxon.

NATURE AND PURPOSE

The position of Junior Specialist has a narrow focus in a specialized area and provides technical or specialized expertise (e.g., with instrumentation and research equipment, or with research methods) in the planning and execution of a research project. Junior Specialists are required to be actively and significantly involved in publishable research activities, including reviewing journal articles and engaging in discussions on research and the interpretation of research results. Junior Specialists are also expected to participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations as well as review research proposals, journal manuscripts, and publications as applicable related to their research area of expertise.

JOB SUMMARY AND DESIGNATED AREA OF EXPERTISE

The candidate will join the UC Davis Center for Neuroengineering and Medicine and report to the co-Director Professor Karen Moxon. The Center is focused on developing new methods for training students in the broad field of neuroengineering. The position is an exciting opportunity for students interested in pedagogy or the broader field of neuroengineering. The candidate should have an interest in understanding how to incorporate AI in engineering education and how to assist students in maximizing their education experience and find jobs in the technology field. Under the direction of the PI, the candidate is expected to collect, organize, and present data, engage in Center meetings and discussions on educational methods and best practices, and assist in the interpretation and publication of those data. The candidate should have a strong interest in the role of social media in graduate education. The candidate will be mentored regarding career paths in academia or industry and be supported to present data at conferences and contribute to the publication of peer reviewed manuscripts. The candidate’s significant and meaningful contributions will lead to authorship or acknowledgement on published work.

MAJOR RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITIES (60% EFFORT)

• Organize events for neuroengineering graduate students.
• Continue to collect data on student satisfaction with the neuroengineering graduate program.
• Design hypothesis driven research questions to analyze the data that provide new understanding of different education methods to build a professional identity by students.
• Identify creative ways to address any need for revision of training events.
• In collaboration with members of the Center, support the writing and reviewing of manuscripts and presentation of data at conferences.
• Read, review, and summarize literature pertinent to education and neural engineering in particular and/or the direction of the research.
• Present research results during Center meetings.
• Center maintenance and organization including pre-purchasing efforts, scheduling volunteer activities, documenting software and hardware.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (30% EFFORT)

• Candidate will participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations.
• The candidate will present their work formally to the team in an open forum once every two months and meet with the PI weekly to discuss progress.
• The candidate will attend workshops related to scientific writing and be fully supported to improve writing and presentation skills.
• The candidate will have opportunities to present abstracts describing their work at national meetings and be first author on key publications of their work.
• The candidate is expected to attend workshops at Davis or other institutions for writing skills for both grants and manuscripts, as well as other topics including plagiarism, presentation skills, diversity and inclusiveness and academic job hunt.
• With support from the PI and other researchers in the lab, write journal articles based on the research conducted, analyzed and synthesized.

UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (10% EFFORT)

• Help organize meetings, workshops and public outreach events in neuroengineering.

A bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering, engineering, neurobiology, biology or related field, or equivalent research experience is required. The appointment is limited to BA or BS degree holder.