Pediatrics Neurology - Research Series - Jeste Lab

Position overview

The Jeste Lab in the UCLA Department of Pediatrics seeks a Researcher to serve as a senior scientific partner to the Principal Investigator. This person will help lead a translational research program on early biomarkers, diagnosis and intervention in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID) and genetic neurodevelopmental syndromes.

The role combines independent scientific work with lab leadership. The Researcher will direct the lab's EEG and eye-tracking biomarker research, co-write grants and manuscripts with the PI, oversee daily lab operations, and supervise postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and research staff on their own projects and analyses.

About the lab

The lab is led by Shafali Jeste, MD, Professor and Mattel Executive Endowed Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Executive Medical Director of Pediatrics in the UCLA Health System, and Executive Director of the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute. Dr. Jeste is a behavioral child neurologist with more than 160 peer-reviewed publications.

The lab's work aims to improve precision in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Current and recent areas include:

* Early predictors of autism that integrate EEG and other biomarkers with behavioral measures to identify atypical development before diagnosis

* Biomarker and outcome measure development in genetic syndromes, including Dup15q and Angelman syndromes

* Early intervention trials, including the first randomized controlled trial of behavioral intervention for infants with a genetic form of autism

* Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA), a large initiative Dr. Jeste has co-led since 2024 to accelerate discovery and therapeutic development

The research is closely tied to multidisciplinary clinical programs for children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders. Funding comes from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the Simons Foundation, the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, the Dup15q Alliance and the Sergey Brin Family Foundation.

Responsibilities

Scientific leadership

* Partner with the PI to set the lab's scientific direction, develop new research aims and design studies

* Lead acquisition and analysis of EEG data (resting-state spectral power, event-related potentials, connectivity) and related biomarkers such as eye tracking

* Establish and maintain standardized pipelines for data processing, quality control and harmonization across studies and sites

* Pursue an independent line of inquiry within the lab's program, with first- and senior-author opportunities

Grants and publications

* Co-write federal and foundation grant applications, including NIH R01 and U-series mechanisms, renewals and progress reports

* Lead and co-author manuscripts, conference presentations and data-sharing submissions

* Contribute to reviews, white papers and consortium deliverables, including ARIA

Lab management

* Oversee daily lab operations, study timelines, staffing and budgets in coordination with the PI

* Manage IRB protocols, regulatory compliance and data security

* Coordinate with clinical programs, collaborating sites and family foundations

Mentorship and supervision

* Supervise postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduates and research staff on their independent projects and analyses

* Train lab members in EEG and eye-tracking acquisition with infants and children with ASD and ID, and in analytic methods

* Review analysis plans, code and drafts, and help trainees develop their own funding applications

Interested candidates can apply online at:

UCLA Academic RECRUIT-JPF11383

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* PhD in neuroscience, psychology, biomedical engineering, cognitive science or a related field. Candidates with a master's degree and substantial equivalent research experience will be considered.

* Hands-on experience acquiring and analyzing functional imaging data, with EEG strongly preferred

* Research experience with neurodevelopmental populations, particularly children with ASD and/or ID

* Proficiency in programming, such as MATLAB, Python or R, and some experience in EEG analysis tools such as EEGLAB, MNE or FieldTrip

* A record of first-author peer-reviewed publications

* Experience supervising or mentoring students, trainees or staff

* Strong scientific writing and the judgment to work independently while advancing a shared research program

* Experience with eye tracking (e.g., Tobii, EyeLink) or other candidate biomarkers

* Work with infants, toddlers or minimally verbal children

* Research in genetic neurodevelopmental syndromes

* Contributions to funded grant applications, or a record of independent fellowship or foundation funding

* Experience with multisite studies, data harmonization or biomarkers in clinical trials

* Advanced statistical methods, including longitudinal and mixed-effects modeling or machine learning

• 3 required (contact information only)

Applicants must provide the names and contact information of their references. The hiring unit will request confidential letters from the references of those applicants who are under serious consideration.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
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