Sleep and Performance Scientist Details

Sleep and Performance Scientist

ICON GPHS - Silver Spring, MD

Employment Type : Full-Time

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Reasonable Accommodation Statement:

To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The contractor shall, with broad guidance from branch and/or Center leadership (i.e., with the level of independence that would be expected of an associate research professor at an academic institution), be able to lead a multidisciplinary team of doctoral level scientific researchers, to include physicians, psychologists, physiologists and statisticians. The contractor shall critically analyze and review multidisciplinary research proposals and publications for military relevance and scientific adequacy.
• The contractor shall prepare and obtain approvals for human scientific protocols to investigate the relationships between sleep parameters and cognitive performance, alertness, personality, and militarily relevant disorders (e.g., PTSD, mTBI) – in accordance with department mission requirements and in support of the Physiological Health Program Area and the Psychological Health Program Area of the Military Operational Medicine Research Area Directorate (RAD III).
• The contractor shall collect and analyze data and present preliminary findings at military, national, and international scientific conferences. The contractor shall be skilled in presentation techniques including design, construction and public speaking skills.
• The contractor shall serve as author or coauthor on manuscripts resulting from data collection efforts, incorporating computer generated displays into a written document. The contractor shall formulate and organize ideas into coherent manuscript design. The contractor shall assist other researchers in the Branch of Behavioral Biology, WRAIR, involved in RAD III-related scientific investigations through discussion, site visits, and collaborative efforts and participate in branch and research team meetings and conferences.
• The contractor shall perform literature searches and literature reviews as part of the protocol development and manuscript writing process. The contractor shall be comfortable with written English and capable of writing in scientific prose. Important in this job will be writing and submitting for publication scientific research.
• The contractor shall collect, process and prepare data for computer entry as well as create computer database files for the purpose of analyses and archiving. The contractor shall also perform standard and advanced statistics, using computer-based programs such as SPSS, SAS, etc.
• The contractor shall be familiar with standard Microsoft programs such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• The contractor shall be familiar with statistics and statistical packages for the purpose of data analyses and database management. The contractor shall have an understanding of relevant databases and accompanying analyses.
• The contractor shall be able to work independently and with minimal supervision. The contractor shall also be able to function effectively as a leader of an interdisciplinary team composed of researchers from a variety of backgrounds/institutions including WRAIR, MRMC, NIH, various universities, etc.
• The contractor shall provide technical support in actigraph utilization for all research studies (field and laboratory) to include maintenance, testing, trouble-shooting, and repair of actigraphs.
• The contractor shall be able to train, lead, and/or coordinate technical staff members in all areas of polysomnography, performance testing, and actigraphy, and additional functions to include (but not limited to) PC-based initialization of devices with appropriate parameters and power sources; data acquisition; and data processing.
• The contractor shall design graphics for display of study designs, signals, processed data, etc. as necessary for manuscripts for publication in refereed journals, poster presentations, technical publications, instructional manuals, etc.
• The contractor shall assist in Subject recruitment and physicals, including administration of standardized psychological evaluations.
• The contractor shall train research assistants responsible for executing tasks required by the study, including but not limited to driving simulators, psychomotor vigilance tasks, neurocognitive assessment batteries, and MWT/MSLT.
• The contractor shall personally perform any tasks necessary for an experiment including those mentioned above, initializing and downloading actigraphs and other data, scoring polysomnographic variables for sleep, and other tasks as needed for specific studies.
• Maintains a safe workplace ensuring that he/she is aware of and observes appropriate safety and occupational health rules and regulations. Employee is required to attend safety training relative to his/her position and report any infractions of safety procedures to the facility Safety Officer.
• Performs light duties and other related duties as required and assigned.

ICON Government and Public Health Solutions specializes in preclinical through phase IV support of clinical research and clinical trial services for biologics, drugs, and devices. We help our customers get their products to market faster with a wide array of research, regulatory, and sponsor services both within the US and around the globe and respond rapidly to global health crises.

• Minimum Experience: 3 years of research experience in lab-based and/or field settings. At least 4 publications in the peer-reviewed literature demonstrating scientific merit of work and expertise as an experimental psychologist is desirable.
• Physical Capabilities: Ability to attach psychophysiological equipment (small electrodes, etc.) requiring manual dexterity; ability to see small print on a computer monitor; ability to speak clearly; ability to hear. Light lifting and moving of equipment may be required. Must be capable of moving about and standing for long periods of time during study work shifts.
• Work Environment: Works primarily in a sleep laboratory or in the field. Handles biological materials and lab equipment. Exposure to blood-borne pathogens, chemical fumes, and other hazardous agents.
• Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Proficiency in most Windows programs (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint); ability to oversee multiple tasks simultaneously; must be able to develop excellent and professional rapport with research volunteers, research assistants, and other staff members.
• Must be able to work independently following a brief period of specific technical training.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)