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Junior Specialist - Lapate Laboratory, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Position overview
Application Window
Open date: January 8, 2026
Next review date: Thursday, Jan 22, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The Lapate Laboratory within the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara invites applications for an open, full-time Junior Specialist position, with an anticipated start date of February 1, 2026 or later. The laboratory is looking for an exceptional individual with particular emphasis in the areas of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Under the direction of Dr. Regina Lapate, the Lapate Laboratory seeks to understand the neural mechanisms underlying behaviors related to emotional processing and regulation using techniques including neuroimaging, EEG, and psychophysiological recordings (EMG, EDA). Ongoing projects include studies of the prefrontal organization of cognitive control in emotion, emotion-motor interactions, and temporal coding and memory during emotional processing.
DUTIES
Responsibilities of the Junior Specialist will include engaging in specialized research associated with ongoing projects, including behavioral and neuroimaging studies interrogating neural mechanisms of cognitive regulation of emotion and the influence of emotion on memory and cognitive control. The Junior Specialist will assist with recruiting, organizing, and scheduling participants, conducting literature reviews, developing/programming experiments, acquiring and analyzing data (behavioral, EEG, fMRI), and preparing results for presentation. The Junior Specialist will also assist with training of research volunteers, and managing research protocols.
Further information about the Lapate Laboratory can be found at: https://lapatelab.psych.ucsb.edu/
Lab: https://lapatelab.psych.ucsb.edu/
Department: https://psych.ucsb.edu/
Qualifications
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree in psychology or a related field (neuroscience, computer science, applied mathematics, biology, etc.) at the time of application.
Demonstrated potential for excellence in research as evidenced by previous laboratory experience or research assistant positions (12+ months duration).
Will have a demonstrated record of academic excellence as evidenced by outstanding grades in relevant courses (major GPA of 3.5 or higher).
Preferred candidates will have experience with programming tools (UNIX, bash, MATLAB/Python programming), a strong college math background (linear algebra) and/or statistics, and previous research experience with human subjects (1 or more years), and previous experience with fMRI.
Application Requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Cover Letter
Undergraduate Transcripts
- 3 required (contact information only)
Applicants that are chosen for an interview will have their references contacted after the interview
Help contact: pamelawilks@ucsb.edu
About UC Santa Barbara
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 or discrimination as defined by the employer.
- UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
- UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, students and third parties
- APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment
Additionally, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health 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.