Archive for category: Open Research Positions

Division/Department: Center for Global Asian and Pacific Health
Lab website: https://www.uclahealth.org/departments/medicine/internal-medicine/research/research-programs/center-global-asian-and-pacific-health
Expected Weekly Time Commitment: 8-12 hours/week; maximum 20hours/week

JOB DESCRIPTION

80% — Research

The Student Researcher will contribute to a defined CGAPH research project throughout the academic year.

Research activities may include:

• Conduct literature searches and literature reviews
• Develop annotated bibliographies and evidence summaries
• Assist with research question development
• Conduct environmental scans
• Collect, organize, and clean research data
• Assist with qualitative or quantitative data analysis under supervision
• Develop research tables, figures, and summaries
• Conduct background research on ANHPI health topics
• Support community-engaged research activities
• Assist with program evaluation and assessment
• Prepare research briefs, abstracts, posters, or presentations
• Assist with manuscript preparation, as appropriate
• Participate in research meetings and training
• Maintain organized research documentation

20% — Administration & Communications

The Student Researcher will provide limited, structured support for ongoing CGAPH operations.

Administrative Support

• Maintain CGAPH research/program trackers
• Update project and activity databases
• Organize shared research and program files
• Assist with event preparation and follow-up
• Track program participation and basic metrics
• Prepare meeting materials
• Assist with surveys and post-event evaluations
• Update internal resource lists and calendars
• Support quarterly reporting and documentation

Newsletter & Content Support

• Identify relevant ANHPI health research and news for the CGAPH newsletter
• Draft newsletter blurbs and research highlights
• Develop faculty, student, partner, or program spotlights
• Compile upcoming CGAPH events and opportunities
• Assist with newsletter content calendars
• Draft social media/content ideas based on CGAPH research
• Coordinate with CGAPH staff on content review and approvals
• Maintain a bank of potential newsletter topics

Important: The student supports content development, but final editing, approval, and publication remain with CGAPH staff.

ELIGIBILITY

Required

• Current UCLA undergraduate student, 2^nd year+
• Able to commit to the full Fall–Spring academic year
• Available for approximately 8–12 hours/week, with a maximum of 20 hours/week
• Able to attend required orientation and regular team meetings
• Good academic standing

Preferred

• Interest in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander health
• Interest in global health, public health, medicine, health equity, or community-engaged research
• Prior coursework in public health, biology, neuroscience, social sciences, statistics, or a related field

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill out the application link here: Center for Global Asian and Pacific Health Student Researcher Application – Fill out form

2. Email a resume and optional writing sample to mdesphy@mednet.ucla.edu.

All application materials required:

• Resume (1 page) – Required, send by email to program manager
• Short Statement of Interest (150 – 300 words) – Required in application form
  • Why are you interested in serving as a Student Researcher with the Center for Global Asian and Pacific Health? What health issue, population, or area of research are you particularly interested in exploring?
• Research/Analytical Question (150 – 250 words) – Optional in application form
  • Identify one health issue affecting AANHPI communities that you would be interested in researching. Briefly describe:

• • 1. 1. Why the issue interests you
       2. One research question you might ask
       3. What type of information or data you would want to examine

• • Writing Sample – Optional, send by email to program manager
    • Acceptable examples: Research paper, Course paper, Policy brief, Literature review, Op-ed, Published article, Academic writing assignment
  • Availability – Required in application form

UCLA PI Name: Brittany Wolff
Division/Department: Department of Psychiatry
Lab website: https://www.semel.ucla.edu/initiatives/seedlab/
Expected Weekly Time Commitment: 10 hours

Job Description:

The SEED Laboratory (Signatures of Early Emergence and Divergence) investigates why some individuals with shared familial liability for psychosis and bipolar spectrum disorders develop serious mental illness while others remain resilient. Our research seeks to identify the earliest developmental markers of risk and resilience by integrating neuropsychology, digital health, artificial intelligence, electronic health records, natural language processing, and multimodal clinical data. Through collaborations with large national and international research studies, the laboratory develops innovative approaches to improve early identification, precision risk stratification, and personalized intervention for serious mental illness. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of clinical psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, and data science.

Undergraduate research assistants will become active members of the SEED Laboratory and receive training in clinical research methods, responsible conduct of research, and scientific communication. Responsibilities may include literature reviews, data management and quality assurance, participant recruitment and scheduling, preparation of study materials, coding and organization of behavioral and clinical data, assistance with systematic reviews and scientific manuscripts, and participation in weekly laboratory meetings and journal discussions. Depending on their interests, experience, and project needs, students may also gain exposure to neuropsychological assessment, digital mental health technologies, machine learning, natural language processing, and electronic health record research. Motivated students will have opportunities to contribute to conference presentations and scientific publications while developing research skills relevant to graduate study and careers in psychology, neuroscience, medicine, psychiatry, and related fields.

Application Instructions:

Please email your CV and a one-page cover letter explaining your interest in our research to laboratory PI, Brittany Wolff, Ph.D. at bwolff@mednet.ucla.edu.

UCLA PI Name: Dr. David Meriwether, PhD
E-Mail: vwli@mednet.ucla.edu
Project Title: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Lab website: https://www.uclahealth.org/departments/medicine/gastro/research/labs-and-groups/meriwether-lab
Expected Weekly Time Commitment: 10-15 hours

Job Description:

We are focused on understanding how oxidized lipids (oxLDL) modulate macrophage efferocytosis—the clearance of apoptotic cells—and how this process drives the transition from pro-inflammatory (M1) to pro-resolving (M2) macrophage phenotypes in the inflamed gut. We seek to uncover how these immune shifts orchestrate intestinal epithelial repair and barrier restoration.

We are recruiting 1–2 highly motivated undergraduate volunteers. In this role, you will take ownership of modeling gut inflammation and epithelial injury in vitro. This position offers rigorous training in primary cell culture and functional cellular assays, with the long-term goal of adapting these established models to cutting-edge 3D-derived systems.

Responsibilities:
Primary Immune Cell Culture: Isolate and derive human primary monocytes and macrophages from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) for downstream phenotypic analysis.

Epithelial Injury Assays: Perform and quantify Caco-2 scratch wound models to evaluate epithelial cell migration and restitution.

Barrier Function Modeling: Manage Transwell monolayer injury models, utilizing Transepithelial Electrical Resistance (TEER) measurements to continuously monitor and assess barrier integrity following inflammatory insults.

Protocol Advancement: Collaborate directly with lab personnel to progressively adapt these conventional 2D culture workflows to human intestinal epithelial organoid-derived monolayers.

Requirements:
Currently enrolled UCLA undergraduate majoring in Molecular Biology, Immunology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biology, Psychobiology, or a closely related field.

Strong organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a proactive approach to troubleshooting.

Ability to commit a reliable 10–15 hours per week to laboratory research.

Prior experience with cell culture or sterile technique is highly desirable, but comprehensive, hands-on training will be provided for dedicated candidates.

Major:  Molecular Biology, Immunology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, or a closely related field.

What You Will Gain:
Proficiency in aseptic technique, mammalian cell culture, and quantitative in vitro injury models.

Deepened understanding of macrophage polarization, lipid signaling, and mucosal healing mechanisms.

Direct mentorship and integration into a collaborative lab environment alongside staff, graduate researchers, and fellow undergraduates.

The opportunity to contribute to translational research with direct implications for treating inflammatory bowel disease and related gastrointestinal pathologies.

Application Instructions:

Please email your CV and a brief cover letter explaining your interest in our research to Dr. David Meriwether, PhD at vwli@mednet.ucla.edu.

PI Name: Andrea Bertozzi
E-Mail: bertozzi@ucla.edu
Division/Department: Math/Mech E
Expected Weekly Time Commitment: 40 hours

Job Description:

Looking for undergraduate researcher who has no lab experience outside of the classroom, and is eligible for nomination for the SRS program at UCLA.
Research will involve conducting table top experiments on particle laden flow including camera imaging, particle image velocimetry (lasers), and data processing from the experiment. Some background in fluid dynamics is a plus. You will be working alongside three other REU students who are part of the math department computational and applied mathematics REU, with mostly overlapping time with the SRS program. You need to be eligible for all dates in the SRS program from June 22 to Aug 28, 2026. The lab is in the Math Department right next to Boelter Hall.

Application Instructions:

Send your transcript or DPR to bertozzi@ucla.edu along with names of two faculty with whom you have finished taking a class who can provide a letter or feedback about your performance in the class.

UCLA PI Name: Louis Bouchard
Division/Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Lab website: https://sites.google.com/view/bouchardlabucla/
Expected Weekly Time Commitment: 10 hours per week

Job Description:

Our lab, led by Professor Louis Bouchard, focuses on developing computational methods at the intersection of chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and data science. We are looking to onboard students to join the dry lab side of our project.

The dry-lab position is centered on numerical modeling, data analysis, and algorithm development. One of our current projects investigates signal denoising, the process of recovering clean signals from noisy measurements, which is a major topic in spectroscopy, medical imaging, and other data-intensive experimental sciences. The project explores a generalized denoising framework based on stochastic differential equations (SDEs), drawing inspiration from modern diffusion models and score-based generative modeling.

As a research assistant, you will work with modern Python-based tools for signal processing and machine learning, benchmark SDE-based denoising methods against established baselines, and contribute to the theoretical and computational validation of a framework with potential applications across multiple scientific domains. This position is particularly well-suited for students interested in applied mathematics, machine learning, computational chemistry or physics, and data-driven modeling. Prior experience with Python programming is required, and familiarity with scientific computing or statistics is a plus.

Application Instructions:
Please fill out the following Google form, and attach your resume/CV. For inquiries, email jonathankim1626@ucla.edu.

Recruitment Form:
https://forms.gle/8PiVqzdeLLoYqJic7