Technical Research Assistant

Position Summary

The Department of Ophthalmology is looking to hire a detail-oriented, self-motivated and reliable undergraduate student interested in learning technical skills related to vascular imaging data analysis to support ongoing research in the Department of Ophthalmology for multiple research studies involving human subjects.

You will work as a key member of the translational research team of Dr. Elizabeth Cretara, Assistant Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, who focuses on studying the impact of various risk factors for glaucoma, a blinding eye disease, including female sex hormones. Your position will be funded through the Young Clinician Scientist Award Dr. Cretara received from the American Glaucoma Society.

What You'll Do:
Work with Dr. Cretara and other experts in ocular imaging for approximately one year, possibly longer.
Gain expertise in processing and analysis of optical coherence tomography angiography images through a funded externship at the University of Washington in Seattle and then bring these skills back to our lab to support our ongoing research.
Collaborate with our team, including biostatistician, on data preparation and have opportunity to work with experts from various backgrounds, including clinicians and research scientists.
Participate in abstract presentation and/or manuscript publication.

Why Join Us?
Learn valuable skills related to data management and processing with broad applicability in academics and industry.
Gain hands-on experience in signal processing and bioinstrumentation by working with state-of-the-art biomedical imaging devices, such as optical coherence tomography angiography.
Contribute to cutting-edge, funded vision research at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
Opportunity for funded travel to Seattle, Washington for training.
Flexible hours with ability to work independently once fully trained with ongoing support as needed.

Job Duties:
Learn how to screen optical coherence tomography angiography images for quality and apply inclusion and exclusion criteria on which images to further analyze.
For included images, correctly apply algorithm according to techniques learned at the University of Washington with ongoing support as needed.
Work closely with clinical team at UNM Ophthalmology Clinic to collect and process images in a timely, organized and secure manner.
Communicate continually with research team, particularly with Dr. Cretara, regarding any issues that may arise that impact data collection and analysis.
Document all aspects of the workflow carefully and consistently so that another individual could easily understand what you did and why.
Follow guidelines for protection of patient identifiers and secure data-sharing according to IRB protocols.
Work on a team to write and edit abstract and/or manuscript.
If desired, patient interaction may be a part of this role, although it is not required.
Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned. Minimum Qualifications

Equivalencies not found for this position

Preferred Qualifications

Enrolled in a degree seeking program at UNM, Enrolled at least half-time (6 hours) at UNM for fall and spring semesters (Audit hours do not count), and if Work Study, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Demonstrated excellence in engineering and/or bioengineering strongly preferred. Strong communication and organization skills required. Passion for management of biological data, optics, and/or vision science would be a plus.

Detail-oriented and is able to commit at least one year to project, including funded externship to Seattle, Washington.