Junior Specialist Position

Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science
UC Davis School of Medicine

PI lab: Yin Allison Liu, MD, PhD, and K. Thiran Jayasundera, MD
Start Date: 07/01/2026 End Date: 06/30/2026

The Junior Specialist will also be responsible for coordinating new clinical trial and research studies including assisting with recruitment, performing cognitive testing and other assessments, completing study documents, and tracking and entering data. Additionally, they will ensure compliance with university-stipulated safety standards.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESIGNATED AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

I. Research in Specialized Areas: (85% effort)
Dr. Yin Allison Liu and Dr. K. Thiran Jayasundera’s research team conducts clinical research on patient-reported outcome studies.

The incumbent in this position will:

Contribute to clinical research projects by:

• Coordinating patient-reported outcome research studies, including survey administration and follow-up assessments.
• Assisting with study start-up activities, IRB submissions/modifications, and regulatory documentation.
• Recruiting and consenting research participants.
• Support data collection by administering standardized questionnaires, cognitive tests, and visual function assessments to study participants.
• Maintain and update REDCap databases, ensuring accuracy and completeness of research data.
• Performing data entry, quality control, and dataset cleaning.
• Assisting with preliminary statistical summaries and data organization for analysis.
• Communicating with collaborators, sponsors, and study teams as needed.
• Ensuring compliance with university and human subjects research regulations.
• Supporting observational activities in the principal investigators’ clinical practices (medical retina, vitreoretinal surgery, neuro-ophthalmology) as related to research coordination.

General Responsibilities:

• Assist in maintaining research datasets, documentation, and regulatory binders..
• Track study milestones and maintain participant databases.
• Assist in coordinating multi-site collaborations when applicable.
• Mentor and oversee undergraduate research assistants as needed.
• Contribute to the refinement of study workflows and standard operating procedures.
• Participate in team meetings and assist with project management activities.

II. Professional Competence and Activity: (10% effort)

• Prepare manuscripts for publication in collaboration with the principal investigators. Responsibilities include literature review, drafting methods and results sections, preparing tables and figures, assisting with statistical interpretation, and revising manuscripts for submission.
• Present research findings at scientific conferences, research meetings, and departmental seminars.
• Assist with the preparation of progress reports and grant-related documents.
• Contribute to scholarly discussions and ongoing research development within the lab.
• Mentor undergraduate students involved in clinical research projects.

III. University and Public Service: (5 %effort)

• Participate in departmental research activities and committees as appropriate.
• Contribute to lab-wide discussions and collaborative initiatives.
• Maintain required institutional research certifications and compliance training.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (required).
• Experience in clinical research or patient-facing research settings preferred.
• Experience with REDCap, EMR systems, and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills and professionalism when interacting with patients.
• CITI Human Subjects training (or willingness to obtain upon hire).
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Experience with basic data analysis and manuscript preparation preferred.

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, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• “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.
• 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

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UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus.

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 for federal law.

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