Interested in Joining Our Lab?

 HBCD Postdoctoral Fellow. The Multiple Principal Investigators (MPIs) of the NYU Langone site of the NIH HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, Drs. Moriah Thomason, Lauren Shuffrey, and Uju Berry, are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. The HBCD Study is a multi-site pregnancy consortium that will follow over 7,000 families from pregnancy through early childhood with the goal of better understanding prenatal teratogenic, environmental, and social exposures on child developmental outcomes. This position will be split between administering infant, toddler, and early childhood behavioral and developmental assessments (50%; e.g., Bayley Scales of Early Learning, NIH Baby Toolbox, ERIKA) and using consortium-wide HBCD data to prepare manuscripts (50%). The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in early developmental assessment and be highly motivated to publish first-author papers using HBCD data in collaboration with Drs. Thomason, Shuffrey, and other lab members. Bilingual English–Spanish speakers capable of administering assessments in Spanish are preferred but not required. Required qualifications include a PhD in Clinical, Developmental, or School Psychology, Cognitive Science, Human Development, or a related field. The position will begin in September 2025, requires a one-year commitment, and offers the opportunity to contribute to one of the largest longitudinal studies of early brain and behavioral development in the U.S. Interested individuals should send a cover letter and CV to Maya Ruiz at maya.ruiz@nyulangone.org with “HBCD Postdoctoral Fellow” as the subject line.

Postdoctoral Fellow in Infant Behavior. Drs. Lauren Shuffrey and Moriah Thomason are recruiting a joint postdoctoral fellow to work on a pending NIH-funded project investigating infant gaze and behavioral predictors of subsequent externalizing problems. The ideal candidate will have experience in web-based or in-person eye-tracking and behavioral coding/assessment of infants or young toddlers, as well as strong data analysis and programming skills in multiple languages (e.g., R, MATLAB, and/or Python) and expertise in processing physiological data (e.g., eye tracking). The fellow will be highly motivated to publish first-author papers in collaboration with Dr. Shuffrey and other lab members. Responsibilities will include supervising data collection and design, implementing and deploying quality control procedures, leading data processing and analysis, writing manuscripts, preparing conference presentations, and developing mentored grant proposals. Required qualifications include a PhD in Psychology, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Cognitive Science, Human Development, Biobehavioral Sciences, or a related field. The position will begin in September 2025, requires a two-year commitment, and offers the opportunity to work closely with an interdisciplinary research team. Interested individuals should send a cover letter and CV to Joli Vidal at Joli.Vidal@nyulangone.org with “Postdoctoral Fellow” as the subject line.

 HBCD MA/MS Level Psychometrician. The Multiple Principal Investigators (MPIs) of the NYU Langone site of the NIH HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, Drs. Moriah Thomason, Lauren Shuffrey, and Uju Berry, are recruiting a full-time or part-time psychometrician. The HBCD Study is a multi-site pregnancy consortium that will follow over 7,000 families from pregnancy through early childhood with the goal of better understanding prenatal teratogenic, environmental, and social exposures on child developmental outcomes. This position will be 75% administering infant, toddler, and early childhood behavioral and developmental assessments for children enrolled in the HBCD Study (e.g., Bayley Scales of Early Learning, NIH Baby Toolbox, ERIKA) and 25% administrative work (e.g., data management, supervision of BA/BS-level Research Associates). The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in early developmental assessment, and bilingual English–Spanish speakers capable of administering assessments in Spanish are strongly preferred but not required. Required qualifications include an MS or MA in Clinical Psychology or a related field. The position is available beginning September 2025, requires a one-year commitment, and may be full-time or part-time; graduate students interested in a part-time role will also be considered. Interested individuals should send a cover letter and CV to Maya Ruiz at  maya.ruiz@nyulangone.org with “HBCD Psychometrician” as the subject line.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Volunteer Research Assistant (RA) in our lab! In the DOLPHIN Study, our research examines the role of the prenatal environment in vulnerability to both perinatal maternal mental health concerns and child neurodevelopmental outcomes, to identify mechanisms, objective markers, and modifiable factors associated with resiliency. 

RAs assist in activities related to the recruitment and retention of study participants and the administration of study procedures. Duties will primarily include assisting in the collection of infant behavioral and EEG data under the supervision of our Research Associates. Due to the extensive training we provide our research assistants (which enables you to be involved in various aspects of our research), we require a two-semester commitment. We also ask that you commit to a minimum of 6 hours per week.

Most of our RAs are current undergraduate or masters level students who are pursuing degrees in Psychology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Human Development, or a related field and have an interest in gaining research experience.  Because we work with young infants and pregnant persons, a flexible schedule and strong interpersonal skills are a must.

Interested individuals should complete this form. For any questions, please email Joli Vidal at joli.vidal@nyulangone.org.