Clinical Research Officer - Quality Assurance (Psychologist)

 

The Schizophrenia Research Institute (SRI) is a medical research institute whose goal is to find the ways to prevent and cure schizophrenia.

 

To support this aim, SRI has established collaboration with researchers in Sydney, Newcastle, Orange, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to create a national research infrastructure facility - the Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank (ASRB). Supported by an NHMRC Enabling Grant and the Pratt Foundation, the ASRB will contain comprehensive, cross-referenced data (including clinical and cognitive characterisation, blood banking involving DNA extraction and structural MRI brain scans) from a large sample of volunteers with schizophrenia and healthy volunteers. The ASRB will provide Australian and international researchers with access to this facility, to support schizophrenia research across the clinical, cognitive, genetic, brain imaging and linked domains.

 

We are seeking an experienced clinician to oversee clinical quality control for the ASRB. The full time Clinical Research Officer - Quality Assurance position will be located with the SRI group at the Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, James Fletcher Hospital, Newcastle. However the position will be mobile, and will require some travel to other ASRB sites across Australia. The position will be primarily responsible for the coordination of quality assurance procedures for the ASRB clinical data collection in people with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Depending on the successful candidate, there may also be an opportunity to undertake postgraduate research in relation to the ASRB.

 

Essential criteria include: minimum Honours degree in Psychology; registered psychologist or clinical psychologist; experience in clinical interview and neuropsychological assessment, experience in research management and understanding of the methodology of quality control and data reliability analysis; computing and data analysis skills; excellent interpersonal skills and a current driver’s license. Desirable criteria include: experience in schizophrenia research; experience with people with mental health problems.

 

For further information please contact Dr Carmel Loughland (Carmel.Loughland@newcastle.edu.au or 02 4924 6611). Salary will be in accordance with experience and qualifications. Closing date: 24 September 2008. A more detailed job description is available via the Careers section of the SRI web site ( http://www.schizophreniaresearch.org.au ).

 

Submission of applications (via email):

Liesl Duffy

Research Coordinator

Schizophrenia Research Institute, 384 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010.

E-mail: l.duffy@schizophreniaresearch.org.au