Interested in working with the Cognition, Action, and Neurodynamics lab? Some current opportunities are listed below. In all cases, for general information, visit the lab homepage or PI homepage or email the lab PI, Santani Teng, at santani@ski.org. For other opportunities at SKI, visit our Current Opportunities page, Fellowship Opportunities page, or Volunteering page.
[Open] Laboratory Assistant
The Cognition, Action, and Neurodynamics laboratory at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco, CA seeks a full-time Laboratory Assistant for ongoing studies of auditory, visual, and tactile perception in sighted and blind/visually impaired persons. This is an ideal position for someone seeking intensive, hands-on experience before graduate training in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or related fields.
Duties & Responsibilities. Under the supervision of the lab Principal Investigator and in collaboration with the lab’s postdoctoral fellow(s), you will assist with the following:
Collection of behavioral, survey, EEG and/or MEG experimental data from blind and sighted participants
Development and refinement of experiment presentation, data preprocessing, and analysis code; presentation of results as needed
Organization and administration of participant recruitment and scheduling; IRB protocols and other records; and lab computing infrastructure
Please note this position requires in-person presence at the lab and testing sites in San Francisco for certain tasks, e.g. experimental sessions
Qualifications. Successful candidates will have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent skills and experience) in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, biology, engineering, applied math, or computer science. In addition, the following are essential or strongly preferred:
Experience with experimental psychology methods and M/EEG procedures; specialties in auditory and tactile modalities are a plus
Familiarity with scientific presentation/analysis programming environments such as Matlab, Python, and the Psychtoolbox/PsychoPy packages
Basic IT proficiency (maintaining software licenses, Dropbox accounts, data storage, Mac/Win/Linux troubleshooting, etc)
Fluency in office and web/email/productivity software, academic literature searches, and communication with professional colleagues and participants
Experience and/or strong interest in sensory processing, visual impairment, neuroplasticity, assistive technology, cognitive/computational neuroscience
Engineering and tinkering experience with embedded systems, Raspberry Pi/Arduino, etc, is a bonus!
If you are dependable, organized, self-motivated, and attentive to detail, please get in touch! For a lab overview, visit https://www.ski.org/lab/teng-lab. For questions, contact the PI, Santani Teng, at santani@ski.org. To apply, send a cover letter, 2-3 references, and CV to jobs@ski.org. This is a full-time, non-exempt, benefits-eligible position with a 1-year appointment, extensible contingent on performance, available funding, and mutual interest.
The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute offers a professional work environment, competitive pay, and benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance coverage, pension plan, and vacation/sick/holiday pay. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and comply with applicable laws ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals including applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
[Closed] Postdoctoral fellow
Smith-Kettlewell annually invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships funded by an NEI grant and internal sources. Applications are submitted as proposals for specific PIs -- see here for details. Basically, you contact a PI you would like to work with, then jointly prepare and submit the application materials. So if you are interested in working with us, get in touch! Deadline is in late January each year. Keep an eye out.
[Ongoing] Interns/volunteers
We welcome queries from research assistant interns/volunteers for ongoing research projects related to auditory, visual, and tactile perception; assistive technology; and neural information processing. We are investigating these topics in sighted and blind/visually impaired persons across a wide range of ages.
Interns would work under the direct supervision of the lab Principal Investigator (PI) and/or a postdoctoral fellow specific to the project. Specific duties will be determined in interviews to fit project needs and candidate skills and interests. Duties may include the following: recruiting, enrolling, and scheduling research participants; assisting the PI with behavioral, survey, and electroencephalographic data collection; assisting the PI with data processing and analysis; organizing and maintaining research notes and records; debriefing participants; and lab maintenance. We will train you to perform the necessary tasks, including training in human subjects protection, the responsible conduct of research, and procedures appropriate to your project.
Ideal candidates will be working toward a degree in psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, biology, engineering, or computer science (or have skills and experience consistent with those tracks). Our most successful interns are dependable, collegial, able to work in interdisciplinary teams, receptive to feedback, self-motivated, and attentive to detail. Basic proficiency in office and web/email software, academic literature searches, and professional communication are required. Coursework and experience with experimental procedures, scientific presentation/analysis programming environments such as Python or Matlab, and standards of scientific practice are pluses.
We will consider applications as long as positions are available.
[Ongoing] Experimental participants
If you are interested in participating in a study, contact the PI to inquire about currently active recruitment. Alternatively, visit SKI's Participation page.