• Job Type: Support Staff - Non-Union
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $54,000 - $54,000

Position Summary

Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute brings together world-class scientists across academic disciplines conducting pioneering research to transform our understanding of how the brain works – and gives rise to mind and behavior. The Institute fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment across 50+ labs, advancing insights into human health by exploring how the brain develops, performs, endures and recovers.

At the Zuckerman Institute, we are committed to becoming a more inclusive, equitable and diverse place of scientific discovery and support a culture of respect. Promoting diversity in science will help drive the transformative science that can change the world.
Situated in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center on Columbia’s Manhattanville campus, the state-of-the-art building offers an environment where the highest level of scholarly scientific research takes place on a daily basis, with the benefit of being located in the heart of New York, one of the world’s most vibrant and culturally rich cities.

The research assistant will work closely with a postdoctoral researcher to conduct laboratory experiments and data analysis within a project studying olfactory neural processing and olfaction-guided learning and memory in mice. This position provides the opportunity to participate in the vibrant intellectual community of the Axel laboratory within the Zuckerman Institute, located in the state-of-the-art Jerome L. Greene Science Center on Columbia’s Manhattanville campus in Manhattan. The Axel laboratory is a world leader in the study of the brain’s transformation of olfactory information in the external world into thoughts, meaning, and action. We seek someone who is eager to learn, enthusiastic about our science, organized, and responsible.

This is a full-time grant-funded role.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Under the direction of the PI, perform animal manipulations including non-survival and survival surgeries.
• Perform behavioral training on rodents.
• Perform data collection and basic behavioral and imaging data analysis.
• Collecting and analyzing behavioral and neural activity data using Matlab, Excel, and/or Python.
• Assist with administrative and documentation relating to experiments.
• Other duties assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in neuroscience, biology, chemistry or another related area of science is required. 
• A minimum of 2 years of related experience in a research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with molecular biology, histology, micro-dissection, or programming (Matlab, Python, or similar language) a plus.
• The ideal candidate must show an ability to work independently with accuracy and attention to detail. They must be flexible in nature and exhibit a willingness to learn new techniques and function in a fast-paced and changing work environment.
• Must possess strong organizational skills, keep excellent notes, show sound judgment, and have a collaborative style that fosters teamwork and cooperation as well as the ability to work independently within a diverse and dynamic team environment.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.