This role focuses on supporting translational research efforts of the Center through the integration of behavioral, imaging, and quantitative data to enable high-impact scientific discovery. The GRA will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of imaging research core scientists and statisticians working across neuroimaging, data science, and AI-driven imaging analytics. This position provides a hands-on training opportunity with growing, innovation-driven research environment, with exposure to advanced neuroimaging methods, data integration workflows, and translational research applications.
Minimum Qualifications This position requires a Bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the research or data analysis responsibilities and a minimum of one year of research experience; or a Master's degree in one of the same fields. Four years of progressively responsible work experience in a field directly related to the research may substitute for the Bachelor's degree.
Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
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SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
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A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
(a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
(b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree;
(c) Six years of direct experience for a master's degree;
(d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
(e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
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Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
Preferred Qualifications - Master's degree in psychology, neuropsychology, behavioral neuroscience, linguistics, computational linguistics, audiology, speech-language pathology, or related field
- Experience with statistical and/or programming tools such as R, SPSS, E-Prime, or Python
- Familiarity with behavioral data collection and analysis tools
- Strong attention to detail with a commitment to data quality and reproducibility • Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary research environment • Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly in scientific or research settings
- Experience working in neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience, or related research environments
- Exposure to integrating behavioral data with imaging or other physiological datasets
- Familiarity with reproducible research practices, data preprocessing, or structured data workflows
- Experience with speech or language analysis software
- Exposure to basic machine learning or quantitative data analysis methods
Working at USF\n
With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF's rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida's best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state's 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.
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About USF \n
The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF's Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu .
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Compliance and Federal Notices\n
This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.
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Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws :
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The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.
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Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
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Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.
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Equal Employment Opportunity\n
The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. This job description does not constitute an employment contract.1. Behavioral and Cognitive Phenotyping
• Administer standardized behavioral, cognitive, and/or speech-language assessments aligned with neuroimaging protocols
• Conduct domain-specific testing including attention and executive function, memory and speech processing, language production and comprehension, and auditory processing
• Assist in defining and characterizing behavioral phenotypes aligned with imaging-derived biomarkers to support brain-behavior analyses
2. Pre-Imaging Participant Preparation
• Conduct pre-scan evaluations to determine participant readiness for imaging procedures
• Train participants on in-scanner task paradigms (e.g., language, auditory, and cognitive tasks) to ensure protocol adherence
• Identify communication and cognitive barriers that may impact data quality and implement mitigation strategies to optimize scan readiness
3. In-Scanner Task Development and Execution
• Support the design and implementation of task-based neuroimaging paradigms, including language activation, auditory processing, and executive function tasks
• Monitor participant performance in real time during scanning to ensure data integrity and protocol compliance
• Collaborate with imaging technologists and investigators to optimize task delivery and alignment with study objectives
4. Behavioral Data Acquisition and Reproducible Workflows
• Acquire high-quality behavioral data in MRI and related research environments
• Assist in the development of analysis-ready datasets integrating behavioral and imaging data
• Support data processing, annotation, and quality control workflows
• Contribute to reproducible data pipelines using R, SAS, SPSS, and/or Python
• Maintain version-controlled code repositories and documentation to ensure transparency and reproducibility of analyses
5. Multidisciplinary Research and Data Integration
• Collaborate with imaging scientists, biostatisticians, and investigators to integrate behavioral, imaging, and psychological datasets
• Assist in building structured datasets for downstream statistical and AI/ML analyses
• Contribute to interpretation of brain-behavior relationships within translational research studies
• Support acquisition of high-quality data across in-scanner and out-of-scanner research activities
6. Research Operations and Core Support
• Ensure secure and compliant handling of imaging and behavioral data in accordance with IRB protocols and Core standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Assist with protocol development, study documentation, and workflow standardization
• Perform data entry, validation, and quality control for behavioral and speech datasets
• Participate in Center meetings and collaborative project discussions
• Contribute to preparation of manuscripts, conference abstracts, and grant submissions