Imaging Research Analyst - School of Medicine, Neurology

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU's sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

https://vcujobs.com/why-richmond

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

Unit: School Of Medicine MBU

Department: Neurology

The Department of Neurology has a talented, robust team of faculty and staff members spanning nine divisions which includes representatives from every neurology subspecialty in adult and child neurology, plus award-winning educators, clinical and translational neuroscientists and master clinicians.

The Department of Neurology's vision is to provide the best patient-centered neurological care while fostering the career development, education and training of our team members. We endeavor to realize this vision by fulfilling the following three missions:

1. Improve the lives of children and adults with neurological disorders through compassionate, high-quality medical care and patient education.

2. Provide exceptional education to our students, residents, fellows and the wider community of medical professionals.

3. Advance the knowledge of neurological diseases by actively developing innovative treatments through basic, translational and clinical research.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Research Analysts provide analytical support for both clinical and non-clinical research staff and faculty. Typical duties include but are not limited to the analysis and reporting of research data. Research Analysts may serve as liaisons between technology services, such as CARI [Center for Advanced Research Imaging], Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research enterprise analytics, and other research departments in support of strategic and operational goals. They may work independently or as a member of a team. They work under general supervision, resolving most standard issues independently and referring complex issues to an upper-level manager. Research Analysts typically report to a manager or director or may report to a department administrator.

The Imaging Research Analyst will perform neuroimaging and clinical research analysis requiring expertise in physics, image processing, data analysis, and research methodology. The role includes analyzing and harmonizing imaging datasets, assisting the clinical research team in developing strategies that increase and improve participant recruitment and data collection, preparing manuscripts, and contributing to collaborative research projects under the guidance of senior scientists.

The Imaging Research Analyst will work with faculty and research team members in the PMDC to organize sources; build analysis protocol; build databases & utilize online computing methodologies to develop the neuroimaging framework that supports an application to become a Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence. This position will support the development of PMDC's comprehensive and state-of-the-art neuroimaging core that facilitates the acquisition and analysis of studies of brain structure and function to better understand underlying pathophysiology of movement disorders. This work will facilitate collaboration between PMDC and investigators in departments including Biomedical Engineering, Surgery, Neuroanatomy & Biology, and the VCU High-Performance Research Computing Core.

Core Responsibilities:

• Perform image processing and analysis on MRI, fMRI, DTI, and PET datasets using standard research software and computational tools.
• Conduct quantitative data analysis and assist with statistical modeling and data visualization.
• Harmonize multi-modal imaging datasets, ensuring data integrity and consistency.
• Clean and manage datasets from internal research cohorts, maintaining quality control and accuracy for analysis.
• Prepare research reports, figures, and manuscript sections for peer-reviewed publications.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including neurologists, neuroscientists, and data scientists.
• Apply knowledge of physics, signal processing, and computational techniques to research workflows.
• Assist in maintaining research protocols, documentation, and reproducibility of research methods.
• Assist research teams in developing methodologies to improve recruitment efficiency and collecting study-relevant data in accordance with research protocols and regulatory requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Physics, Neuroscience, Computer Science, or related field.
• At least 1- 2 years knowledge of image processing, data analysis, and research methodology.
• Three or more years of experience in data science, statistical methods, predictive modeling, and forecasting.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently under supervision and as part of a research team.
• Demonstrated proficiency in industry standard programing languages and analytics packages as well as visualization software.
• Ability to produce high quality, accurate results in a deadline driven environment
• Ability to prepare reports for a variety of stakeholders in a cohesive and intuitive manner
• Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to explain technical and statistical information in understandable terms.
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Medical Physics, Neuroscience, Computer Science, or related field.
• At least 1-2 years of experience with MRI, fMRI, DTI, and/or PET analysis.
• Familiarity with computational language and tools including Python, MATLAB, or R.
• Prior involvement in scientific manuscript preparation or publications.
• Understanding of research methods and data analytics needed in higher education

Salary Range: $55,000 - $65,000

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: Yes; This is a restricted position with no set end date; continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

ORP Eligible: No

Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Position will remain open until filled.

Please note that if you are employed as a university employee working in any of the health system"s facilities, you will need to follow VCU Health System policies, which will include but will not be limited to, vaccination requirements.

Contact Information:

Contact Name: Kelly Barnes

Contact Email: Kelly.Barnes@vcuhealth.org