Research Assistant

PRIMARY DETAIL

The Computational NeuroSurgery (CNS) Lab at Macquarie University (Sydney) is looking for a Research Assistant.

THE ROLE- Salary Package: from $76,908 -$87,443 per annum (HEW level 5) plus 17% employer’s superannuation contribution and annual leave loading- Appointment Type: Full time, fixed term (2 years)- Macquarie University (Wallumattagal Campus, North Ryde)

The Role

This role will contribute to the research activities related to the Computational NeuroSurgery (CNS) Lab projects.

This project aims to investigate the role of computational analysis and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the analysis of pre
- and post-operative neuroimaging, digital pathology and connectomics of patients affected by brain tumours and other diseases of neurosurgical interest.

The Research Assistant will support the Investigators’ activities in the Computational Neurosurgery field, including computational analysis of medical images (e.g., MRI and pathology slides). Artificial Intelligence tools and fractal-based computational modelling will be used to characterise images, to improve features extraction and pattern recognition for machine-based automatic diagnosis of brain tumours.

The project will be conducted within the research frame of the Computational NeuroSurgery (CNS) Lab at Macquarie University, led by Prof Antonio Di Ieva, neurosurgeon, neuroanatomist and computational neuroscientist, in collaboration with other investigators, including A/Professor Yang Song (computer scientist, UNSW), Dr Sidong Liu (computer scientist), and Professor John Magnussen (neuroradiologist).

This role will be required to support the CNS Lab activities, in terms of research, administrative functions and coordination of students, researchers and research participants. The RA will work in collaboration with the above-mentioned investigators. The Research Assistant will be requested to contribute to the production of scientific literature and drafting of grant proposals and documents required by the ethics committee, as well as to coordinate the team’s activities.

Key Accountabilities- Work closely with researchers, external stakeholders, and clinicians to understand user requirements and functional specifications for the development of a software solution to support neuroimaging research projects and document the technical design in alignment with these requirements.- Develop, test, and maintain the software solution and ensure that it is compliant with privacy, security and research ethics policies and protocols.- Review, evaluate and maintain the software program and laboratory performance by identifying and resolving issues that arise during development and implementation phases to ensure optimum performance at all times.- Monitor data integrity, data collection and management of software used for image analysis and make amendments to accommodate data quality issues.- Support the chief investigators with research by contributing to data analyses and writing of manuscripts for publication.- Contribute to the logistic supervision of HDR students.

About You

You will have experience in computer science with a particular interest and capability in image analysis. You will have capability to coordinate the team’s research activates and meetings.

About Us

The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences (FMHHS) is ambitiously pushing the boundaries of progressive thinking and challenging what’s possible to solve some of the big issues of our time, both nationally and on a global scale.

The Faculty’s current education suite includes courses in clinical science, physiotherapy, medicine and public health, psychology, cognitive sciences, linguistics, audiology, and speech pathology. The Faculty forms part of MQ Health, an integrated academic health sciences enterprise which incorporates Macquarie University Hospital and primary and speciality clinics. We have active research programs in neurosciences, health systems and patient safety research, cancer medicine, and clinical sciences, amongst others.

The Research Assistant will mainly work at the Computational NeuroSurgery (CNS) Lab (head: Professor Antonio Di Ieva, neurosurgeon), aimed to analyse diseases of neurosurgical interest by means of computational modelling and AI methodologies.
- To Apply_

Essential- An emerging well-articulated research agenda- Demonstrated knowledge of basic programming skills- Knowledge of ethics protocols for research- Proven expertise in the use of software useful for the management of the CNS Lab’s activities (Microsoft 365, software for statistical analysis, etc.)- Experience in web page drafting and management- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of data management, data and image analysis, statistical analysis- Demonstrated evidence of written and verbal communication skills to consult and negotiate with other stakeholders to ensure project objectives are met- Demonstrated ability to work both as team member and as a