Research Assistant - Otolaryngology

BASIC FUNCTION:

The Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Iowa is seeking a Research Assistant to provide critical support and management for a large interdisciplinary project that is applying tools and theories from cognitive science to understand how hearing-impaired people understand spoken language.  The research assistant will be situated in a team of cognitive scientists, audiologists and otolaryngologists in a medical setting.  They will support the research by assisting with the design and development of new experimental protocols, collecting data using eye-tracking, pupillometry and other techniques, working with otolaryngology staff to identify and recruit patients, and managing, and working with large datasets of medical history and research data.  Key areas of responsibilities include conducting experiments; contributing to IRB protocols and record-keeping; collecting, managing and analyzing data; contributing to manuscripts/publications; administrative and project management; ensuring that data collection in this project is aligned with other projects, facilities and equipment management; and supervision/staffing of students and other staff.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

Research:

• Perform research activities based upon protocols developed by other research staff or principal investigator of the research project.

• Read and review articles as directed.

• As individual skills develop: analyze literature to develop hypothesis for discussion with other researchers or principal investigator.

• Assist Principal Investigator (PI) in coordinating and managing undergraduate research assistants.

• Strive to promote continual process and quality improvement.

• Seek opportunities to enhance knowledge, skills and abilities in the area of spoken language processing, hearing impairment and cognitive aging.

• Collaborate on experiment design and development.

Experiments, Investigations, Evaluations:

• Read and understand IRB and research protocols.

• Arrange and plan daily activities to prepare for research protocols.

• Set up and operate research materials or equipment.

• Perform procedures assuring fidelity to protocols.

• Recruit, consent and enroll research subjects; perform varied tasks in the research environment.

• Adhere to safety and compliance guidelines.

• Collect, record and consolidate data as directed by the Principal Investigator.

• Track progress of research activities.

• Adhere to Quality Assurance protocols to maintain validity and integrity of research data.

• As individual skills develop: troubleshoot, analyze and propose modifications to protocols; perform complex techniques per protocol; test and evaluate current procedures; develop and implement procedures for monitoring data integrity; pay present results at team meetings.

• Coordinate with clinical staff in otolaryngology for recruiting and scheduling hearing-impaired participants.

• Recruit normal hearing participants.

• Run various study activities. These study activities may include: 1) Running participants on eye-tracking and other experiments; 2) Administering language, cognitive, and hearing assessments.

• Liaison with otolaryngology staff to ensure that measures are being collected adequately, and data is being integrated with experimental results from the laboratory.

• Oversee the operation of eye-tracking and audio equipment.

• Construct, manage, and coordinate the usage of new experimental paradigms, experiment scripts and stimuli for experiments (e.g., process recorded speech, synthesize speech sounds, and create visual stimuli).

• Describe study purpose and procedures to participants.

• Facilitate completion of informed consents, visit procedures and paperwork associated with recruitment visits (e.g., payments, travel arrangements)

• Help design new experimental paradigms.

• Create stimuli for experiments (process recorded speech, synthesize speech sounds, and create visual stimuli).

• Participate in quality assurance, fidelity of implementation and data monitoring procedures.

Collect, Analyze and Summarize Data; Prepare Reports; Contribute to Manuscripts, Publications:

• Collect and track, perform data entry for reports and maintain records of methods used.

• Coordinate data transfer and management between Otolaryngology and this study team.

• Manage complex datasets linking various experimental data, data from medical records and other teams, and records of study participant.

• As skills develop, analyze data.

• Prepare bibliographies and abstracts for publications.

• May present results/finding at team and departmental meetings.

• Oversee the operation of eye-tracking and audio equipment.

• Assist in training new lab members on fidelity to research protocol.

• Perform other administrative activities, such as organizing and maintaining files.

Administrative and Project Management:

• Assist with IRB or similar protocol submissions.

• Track various indicators of project progress and summarize in reports to the research team.

• Assist in documenting compliance with safety and regulatory guidelines.

• Manage data relating to study procedure and participation.

• Assist with managing IRB protocols.

• Implement IRB protocols and ensure compliance by research team; maintain documentation and other compliance issues.

• Maintain adherence with university and laboratory safety procedures.

Facilities and Equipment Management:

• Assist in the preparation, calibration, and maintenance of laboratory and facility equipment.

• Assist with procurement of supplies and materials.

• May initiate purchasing requests, monitor accounts/expenditures; reconcile statements.

• Maintain laboratory computers, equipment and facilities necessary in data collection.

• Maintain clean lab environment.

• Assist with purchases of lab supplies, including appropriate use and tracking of purchases on university procurement card.

Supervision/Staffing:

• As skills develop, may train, provide direction, assignments, feedback, coaching and counseling of employees and students to assure outcomes are achieved.

• Collaboration with post-docs, graduate students, and other labs is necessary.

• Supervision of undergraduate research assistants.