The Substance Use Mechanisms, Motivations, and Interventions for Teens (SUMMIT) Lab, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, is directed by Dr. Samuel Meisel and is hiring a full-time research assistant to begin in the Summer 2024. The mission of the SUMMIT Lab is to improve the lives of adolescents through enhancing their connections to their caregivers and peers, reducing their risk to use substances, and improving treatment options for those teens who use substances. The SUMMIT lab is opening in July 2024 and will be located in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. This research assistant position is ideal for individuals interested in pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology or a related field. Primary responsibilities will include recruiting, screening, and collecting data for a study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism examining how caregiver behaviors, in real time in daily life, influence adolescent alcohol use and co-occurring disorders treatment outcomes as well as other studies. Other responsibilities will include managing data collected from study visits, scheduling study visits and tracking study compliance, assisting with IRB materials, and overseeing participant payments. A 2-year commitment is strongly preferred for this position, with an initial appointment of one year (renewable with satisfactory progress).

Requirements include a Bachelor's degree (in psychology or a related field); and strong communication, organizational, interpersonal, and time management skills. Desired qualifications include prior experience working with adolescents, with real- time monitoring data collection (e.g., EMA, passive mobile sensing, wearable biosensors); clinical populations; and IRB protocol submissions. Strong quantitative and technical skills are also desirable, including experience with data cleaning and statistical analysis in R and/or Python. The values of the SUMMIT Lab include having an environment that embraces diversity, promotes equity, fosters inclusion, and cultivates a sense of belonging for all individuals. Each member of our team brings their unique identities, perspectives, and lived experiences, and we leverage these differences to conduct meaningful and impactful research. We believe that clinical science will only be able to maximize its impact on the well-being of individuals when its researchers and staff better reflect the identities, lives experiences, and demographics of the communities we serve.