Research Assistant II - Laboratory of Dr. Talmo Pereira

The Pereira laboratory is seeking a Research Assistant II to be a member of our teams focused on cutting-edge research in computational and behavioral neuroscience through the development and implementation of software for behavioral analysis. As a Research Assistant II, the incumbent can work at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence, utilizing the latest technologies to extract quantitative measures of unrestrained behavior across animals and humans. The Research Assistant II will assist with the implementation of the software used to analyze multi-terabyte-scale datasets at unprecedented resolution. Working closely with software engineers and research scientists, they will assist in the development of a deep learning-based software framework (SLEAP) and its ecosystem.

Length of contract: 5 months

Who We Are

The Salk Institute is an internationally renowned research institution that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We seek bold and interactive leaders passionate about exploring new frontiers in science. Our collaborative community embraces diverse perspectives and unique life experiences, fostering innovation, and a sense of belonging. Together, we strive to improve the wellbeing of humanity through groundbreaking research.

Founded by Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, the Institute is an independent, nonprofit research organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature, and fearless in the face of any challenge. Salk's vibrant community comprises a diverse and talented group of individuals, each playing a crucial role in driving our mission forward. From visionary leaders to dedicated administrators and brilliant faculty members, the Institute is united by a shared passion for scientific exploration and innovation.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• Performs tasks and duties that pertain to data preparation.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of computational pipelines for deep learning in Python and data analysis in Python.
• Execute software engineering tasks related to implementing computational pipelines.
• Performs guided data analysis tasks to extract and visualize patterns from high-dimensional and large-scale behavioral and neural data.
• Manage software library maintenance and testing.
• Required to keep abreast with developments in technology and tooling for tasks related to scientific software development.
• Develop documentation and other training materials to support usage of computational pipelines and scientific software.
• Active participation in team meetings to discuss project progress.
• Coordinate and collaborate with other Salk labs.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

What we Require

• Bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, physics, computer science, bioinformatics, or related field.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience required.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree or post-baccalaureate certification.
• Intermediate to advanced programming experience in Python.
• Basic experience with data analysis and visualization, including associated tools and frameworks (e.g., Jupyter Lab, numpy, scipy, matplotlib, pandas, etc.).
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including tact, diplomacy, and flexibility.
• Proficiency with data science and deep learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Jax).
• Experience with physics simulators (e.g., MuJoCo, Pybullet, Isaac Gym)
• Experience with behavioral analysis software (e.g., SLEAP, MoSeq, JAABA, SimBA, A-SOiD, BENTO, MARS, Anipose, BORIS, etc.)
• Experience with deep reinforcement learning.

 What We Can Offer

The expected pay range for this position is $21.15 to $25.00 per hour. Salk Institute provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the institute reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, department budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.  

Benefits

Salk Institute offers competitive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, patient advocacy services, and transit/parking program.

Salk Values

The Salk Community, both scientists and administrators, worked together to define values that we believe support Salk’s pursuit of excellence. To be truly the best scientific institution requires not only incredible discoveries, but a common understanding of how we should work together to enable those discoveries.

The acronym “I CARE” provides a simple way to remember each of the values and reminds each of us of the importance of what we do each day.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal access to opportunities for students, employees, applicants for employment and other visitors. Salk has also adopted and maintains a policy to encourage professional and respectful workplace behavior and prevent discriminatory and harassing conduct in our workplace.

Accordingly, the Institute prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment on the basis of, and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to, actual or perceived race (race is inclusive of traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include, but not limited to, such hairstyles as braids, and twists), color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status (disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era, other covered veteran status), political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Discrimination is prohibited with any intersectionality of the above-mentioned characteristics, including:

1. Any combination of characteristics.
2. A perception that the person has any of the characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.
3. A perception that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.

Salary : $21 - $25