The Maternal Influence on Neurodevelopment (MIND) Lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke, VA, directed by Dr. Brittany Howell, aims to understand the biological pathways (e.g., specific breast milk components, the infant gut microbiome, etc.) through which mothers affect their infant’s brain and behavioral development. We accomplish this by collecting several concurrent measures, including milk samples, infant fecal samples, measures of infant structural and functional brain development using MRI collected during natural sleep, as well as other functional neuroimaging methods in awake behaving infants, and behavioral measures including parent-report and direct assessment in the lab.

The MIND Lab is seeking a Research Assistant that will be part of the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study at Virginia Tech. The Research Assistant will be responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day functioning of all research activities in the lab for this project and assisting the Project Coordinator and Lead RA in overseeing the execution of each study component including data collection (MRI, EEG, Bio samples, Biosensors, Questionnaires, and Behavioral Observations), processing, quality control, training, and operations. The successful candidate should be detail oriented, keeping careful records of interactions with participants. They should also be flexible and expect to work some nights and weekends. Previous work with rural communities and/or people in recovery from substance use disorder preferred.