Research Coordinator

The Plasticity in Neurodevelopment (PINE) Lab at Northeastern University, led by Professor Laurel Gabard-Durnam, is seeking a full-time Research Coordinator to work on a series of international, collaborative projects examining neurodevelopment. Projects include both cohort studies examining brain mechanisms linking experiences of stress and adversity to early cognition and language and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of early nutrition and public health interventions on neurodevelopment. These projects involve collaboration with multiple international sites in Sub-Saharan Africa. The person in this role will gain experience with all aspects of the research process, which could serve as a launch pad to graduate studies. This role and PINE Lab are part of the Institute for Cognitive and Brain Health at Northeastern University, a community of several labs examining mental and physical health across the lifespan. We encourage applications from members of under-represented groups in science!

Research coordinator responsibilities: 

• Supporting each of the international data collection sites (i.e. regular check-ins, assisting in troubleshooting technical issues, maintaining supplies)

• Data management and quality control 

• Acquiring data from infants, caregivers, and young adults using behavioral, biological, and brain imaging techniques

• Manuscript preparation and authorship opportunities

• Contribution to general administrative duties to maintain the workings of the lab and interacting with the Institutional Review Board

Qualifications:

B.A., B.S., or equivalent preferred. Background in developmental/clinical psychology, neuroscience, public health, or a related field. The coordinator must possess excellent organizational and communication skills, and must demonstrate the ability to work independently. Hours will vary week-to-week and will sometimes include evenings and weekends.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with EEG data acquisition and analysis is not necessary, but helpful. A two-year commitment is preferred. Experience with data collection in infants or populations that have experienced adversity or experience on international projects is preferred.

If you are interested, please fill out this application!

Software Engineer / Postdoctoral Fellow in EEG Methods Development

The Plasticity in Neurodevelopment (PINE) Lab at Northeastern University, led by Dr. Laurel Gabard-Durnam, is seeking a full-time software engineer or postdoctoral fellow with those interests. This is a single position that can be appointed either as a Postdoctoral Fellow or as a Software Engineer, depending on the candidate’s background, training, and career goals. 

The successful candidate will primarily be responsible for creating and optimizing HAPPE software for analyzing EEG data from different systems, working on the development of new methods for pre-processing and analysis of EEG data, and contributing to scientific papers. Other duties will include working with research assistants and graduate and undergraduate students, and providing video and text tutorials of HAPPE software functionality.  

The position will focus on a series of international, collaborative projects examining neurodevelopment. Projects include both cohort studies examining brain mechanisms linking experiences of stress and adversity to early cognition and language and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of early nutrition and public health interventions on neurodevelopment. These projects involve a collaboration with Huru Ltd, Dr. Santiago Morales at USC, and multiple international sites in Sub-Saharan Africa with the goal of making EEG more accessible so it can be used at scale to improve global health.  

Required Qualifications 

• PhD in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, computer science, signal processing, biomedical engineering, or related field 

• Experience with EEG acquisition and analysis in humans 

• Fluency in MATLAB/Python 

• Strong experimental and statistical skills 

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience with R 

• Experience with EEGLAB or MNE-Python 

• Experience with software development tools (version control, documentation, Git/hub) 

The position is open immediately and is for up to three years, with the possibility of an extension depending on grant funding.  

To apply, please upload (1) a cover letter describing your research interests, skills, and any links to publicly-available code you have generated, (2) CV, and (3) names and contact information for two references at this link. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Gabard-Durnam is hiring up to two postdoctoral fellows to join the Plasticity in Neurodevelopment (PINE) Lab community. Postdoctoral fellows would start in the summer of 2026. If you are a senior graduate student interested in doing postdoctoral studies with PINE Lab, please submit an application here.

We have funding to support projects across a variety of datasets (see Studies). Fellows may pursue any combination of projects to best build their programs of research.

Topics of interest within the overarching theme of experience-driven neurodevelopment include but are certainly not limited to early neuroplasticity mechanisms (indexed by EEG, MR-methods, or both), sensitive periods that scaffold language, vision, and cognitive development from infancy through childhood, and parsing the early environment’s influence on neurodevelopment (dimensions of experiences, caregiver inputs, adverse and buffering/promotional experiences, and evaluating public health interventions in infancy on brain and behavior development). 

Dr. Gabard-Durnam specifically encourages individuals from under-represented groups in science to apply.

Graduate Students

Dr. Gabard-Durnam is accepting graduate student applications for up to two positions in the Plasticity in Neurodevelopment Lab in the 2025 application cycle to start in the fall of 2026.

Students interested in addressing questions about how developmental experiences and exposures pre- and post-natally interact with neuroplasticity mechanisms (indexed with EEG, MRI/MRS, or both) to shape healthy, maladaptive, and/or resilient sensory, language, self-regulation development will best fit the scope of ongoing and future studies in the lab. Dr. Gabard-Durnam specifically encourages applications from individuals from under-represented groups in science.

If you are an interested prospective student, please check out our up-to-date pages on this site describing our research questions, areas of research interest, and current studies. While I am not responding to individual email introductions or requests to meet ahead of the application deadline to preserve equity in the process, I look forward to reading your application later this fall!

Dr. Gabard-Durnam is able to accept graduate students through the Northeastern Psychology Department. Click here to learn more about the Northeastern psychology program, faculty, and community.

As a graduate student in PINE Lab, you will also be welcomed into additional communities at Northeastern, including:

The Institute for Cognitive and Brain Health: an interdisciplinary group of labs that share research space and take a lifespan approach to understanding the changing brain, how we can change the brain through intervention and support experiences, and how we can rigorously and robustly measure these brain changes with state-of-the-art tools and computational approaches. Research programs within the institute explore scientific questions from basic principles through gold-standard Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) interventions related to the brain and mental or physical health across the lifespan.

The Connected Beginnings Research Collaborative: an unprecedented interdisciplinary alliance, poised to transform our understanding of caregiver-infant health and development on a global scale. By combining expertise across digital health, environmental science, psychology, communication sciences & disorders, kinesiology, neuroscience, nutrition, epidemiology, computer vision, and public health, we will establish a comprehensive research ecosystem that addresses critical gaps in caregiver-infant research while developing innovative solutions for real-world health challenges.

A note about the costs of applying to graduate school:

I know applying to graduate school is an extremely expensive process that places an undue burden on applicants.

Here are ways that I and Northeastern are trying to reduce that burden:

1. GRE score reports: I do not use GRE scores in making decisions about applicants. Northeastern’s application lists the GRE as optional, and if you are applying to primarily work with me, you do not need to pay to have your scores sent to Northeastern.

2. Application fees: We offer application fee waivers on a case-by-case basis. Please email me if the fee is an undue financial burden and we will make the case for a waiver.

3. Flight/hotel expenses: If you are invited to an in-person interview, Northeastern will pay for your flights and stay directly, so you do not need to worry about paying out-of-pocket and then filing for reimbursement.

4. Interview clothes: Come as you are to interview with me, I do not judge your merit based on looks or clothing.