Description

Required Qualifications (as evidenced by an attached resume): 

Bachelor's Degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in Biomedical/Health Sciences, Engineering or related field.  Three (3) years of full time related research experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

MD or PhD or foreign equivalent in Biomedical/Health Sciences, Engineering or related field.  Grant writing, editing, and related experience.  Evidence of scientific writing skills.  Experience with MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint.  Experience in brain imaging.  Experience working with contracts and subcontracts related to research and clinical trials.  Experience with preparation of budgets and financial reports as they relate to proposals and grants.  Experience with grant submission platforms such as HURON Click and NIH Assist.

Brief Description of Duties:

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Stony Brook Medicine seeks to fill a Clinical Research Associate II position.  The successful candidate will be part of a team dedicated to improving the lives of those with mental illness.   This includes collaborations with clinicians, image analysts and researchers in the Center for Understanding Biology Using Imaging Technology (CUBIT).  Within CUBIT, multiple Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain imaging studies, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and other funding agencies, are performed in order to better understand, diagnose and treat psychiatric illnesses.

The CUBIT environment is cutting-edge, collaborative and educational.   A critical role of the successful candidate will be to work with CUBIT members to generate and submit successful grant proposals to the NIMH and other agencies.  Proposals will focus on applications of PET imaging including mood disorders, substance abuse and neurodegenerative diseases.  Specific duties will include: overseeing research coordinators performing imaging studies to generate pilot data for grant proposals, collaborating with several departments in the medical school and university to develop proposal ideas, and drafting/editing scientific proposals and supporting documents.  These experiences will provide the successful candidate with critical expertise needed to transition to an independent researcher.

CUBIT members have a strong track record of obtaining external funding from NIH and other institutions, as well as in guidance and career development of junior faculty members.  CUBIT works closely with several other excellent departments including Neurology, Neurobiology and Behavior, Psychology, and Biomedical Engineering.  The Department also has strong programs in Psychiatric Epidemiology and Behavioral Sciences and is affiliated with Stony Brook’s Center for Cognitive-Affective Neuroscience of Anxiety and Depression (CANAD).

The successful candidate will have immediate access to brain PET data acquired from multiple universities, including Stony Brook.  This includes >1000 PET imaging datasets from tracers that bind serotonergic, dopaminergic, glutamatergic and other targets.  This rich dataset can be used for the successful candidate’s publications and grant proposals, with guidance from expert PET researchers and statistical support (from the Biostatistical Consulting Core).  In addition, the candidate will have access to numerous internal funding mechanisms to obtain funding for independent research initiatives.

The successful incumbent will receive regular guidance from experts in the field of PET imaging, who have established track records of continuous NIMH funding, access to state-of-the-art facilities, pilot funding and data.  With such opportunities, a submitted R01 application will be expected by the end of the first year.  As such, the faculty member should expect significant training in grantsmanship and PET study design – skills that can be used to launch a successful research career.  If successful and productive, the candidate could be considered for a future tenure-track position. Successful track record of securing grants and strong communication and interpersonal skills. Highly organized, flexible, able to multi-task and work on multiple projects with tight deadlines.

The Stony Brook PET Core, directed by Dr. Ramin Parsey, consists of three units (Facility for Experimental Radiopharmaceutical Manufacturing, PET Ex Vivo Radiometabolite Laboratory and CUBIT).  A focus of the PET Core is to advance widespread use of PET and PET/MRI technology.  As such, it provides outreach, including talks to various departments regarding the facilities and support available. Training topics include: understanding the regulatory and practical aspects of new PET and PET/MRI studies, available radiotracers for clinical/pre-clinical studies, setting up study protocols with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Radioactive Drug Research Committee (RDRC), PET analysis and outcome measures.

 

The PET/MRI (Biograph mMR) facility at Stony Brook is equipped with a SwissTrace Twilite system for direct arterial blood sampling and counting. This allows for measurement of the time-course of radioactivity in whole blood with high temporal resolution.  Stony Brook is one of the only institutions that has implemented this method for counting blood radioactivity in PET/MRI studies. In addition to these facilities, the Medical and Research Translation (MART) Facility (to be completed this year) is a 465,000 sq ft building that houses a new imaging facility, including a radiotracer chemistry laboratory for short-lived positron emitters with an onsite cyclotron, a 100% research-dedicated PET scanner, cGMP ¹¹C and ¹⁸F radiopharmaceutical laboratory, ¹¹C research laboratory and organic chemistry facilities. The building is designed to bring together translational scientists and clinicians to bring clinical problems into the laboratory for intense study and basic science innovation to the clinic.

Grant proposal development, writing, and editing:  Work with faculty to translate novel research ideas and concepts into proposals.  This includes multi-disciplinary and multi-investigator research proposals.  Clearly explain the novelty and impact of the team’s research ideas in proposals to be read by lay or scientific reviewers.  Write specific grant sections as appropriate for the proposal.  Provide proposal development assistance to proposal team members.  Provide critiques of proposal documents in terms of proofreading, clarity, editing, format and consistency with agency requirements.  Create relevant tables and figures as appropriate for the funding agency requirements

Oversight of imaging studies:  Oversee one or more research coordinators.  Oversee communication with IRB.  Ensure timely progress of imaging studies.  Assist in publication and presentation of research studies.

Budget and subcontract development:  Develop budgets appropriate for each grant proposal.  Generate subcontract packages appropriate for the funding agency requirements and correspond with the subcontract institutions around the world.

Administrative:  Organize timelines to meet specific deadlines for grant submissions.  Coordinate efforts and aims from multiple departments and partnerships in order to meet specific deadlines.  Organize meeting to discuss organization and timelines.  Develop and refine boilerplate documents and update and maintain existing document such as data tables and NIH biosketches.  

Other duties or projects as assigned as appropriate to rank and departmental mission.

Special Notes:

The Research Foundation of SUNY is a private educational corporation.  Employment is subject to the Research Foundation policies and procedures, sponsor guidelines and the availability of funding.  FLSA Exempt position, not eligible for the overtime provisions of the FLSA. Minimum salary threshold must be met to maintain FLSA exemption.

Stony Brook University has been tobacco free since January 1, 2016. See our policy and learn more at stonybrook.edu/tobaccofree.

About Stony Brook:

Long Island’s premier academic medical center, Stony Brook Medicine represents Stony Brook University’s entire medical enterprise and integrates all of Stony Brook’s health-related initiatives: education, research and patient care. It encompasses Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, the five Health Sciences schools — Dental Medicine, Health Technology and Management, Renaissance School of Medicine, Nursing and Social Welfare — as well as the major centers and institutes, programs and more than 50 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County. With 603 beds, Stony Brook University Hospital serves as Suffolk County’s only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center. Stony Brook Children’s, with more than 180 pediatric specialists in 30 specialties, offers the most advanced pediatric specialty care in the region.

Stony Brook University/Research is an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer.  We encourage all to apply including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

If you need a disability related accommodation, please call the University Human Resource Services Department at (631) 632- 6161 or the University Hospital Human Resources Department at (631) 444-4700.  In accordance with the Title II Crime Awareness and Security Act, a copy of our crime statistics is available upon request by calling (631) 632- 6350. It can also be viewed on line at the University Police website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/police.

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Job Field: Research Professional / Technical
Primary Location: US-NY-Stony Brook
Schedule: Full-time
Shift: Day Shift
Posting Start Date: Jun 17, 2019
Posting End Date: Jul 17, 2019, 10:59:00 PM