Find a Research Assistant

Timestamp	Email Address	First Name	Last Name	Level of Education	Affiliated School	What is Your Start Date?	What is Your End Date?	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Monday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Tuesday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Wednesday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Thursday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Friday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Saturday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Sunday]	What Kind of Opportunity Are You Looking For?	What Are Your Research Interests?	Please Provide a Short Bio	Please Upload Link(s) to Your CV & Resume	#1 Choice	#2 Choice	#3 Choice	#4 Choice	#5 Choice	Information Release Consent
10/24/2023 02:12 PM	chenmeij@usc.edu	Chenmeijing	Yang	Masters Student - 1st Year	Keck School of Medicine	10/26/2023	12/24/2024				12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm			Volunteer Research Assistant (Unpaid)	Tobacco, Cannabis, Mental Health,Opioids	My name is Chenmeijing Yang and I am a graduate student currently pursuing a master degree in Translational Biotechnology at USC. I discovered my interest in addiction science during my undergraduate years. I had a class called Drug Addiction which gave me an opportunity to learn different types of drugs, their effects on the brain and body and the dangers associated with drug use. Understanding the risks and potential consequences of drug use can help individuals make informed decisions about drug use and avoid harmful behaviors. Furthermore, I also learned from this class that many drugs sold in the market are contaminated to reduce costs. Most of the time, people cannot distinguish them, which is why the number of overdoses and even deaths is increasing. The Drug Addiction class provided me with an in-depth understanding of the physiological and psychological mechanisms underlying addiction. Learning about the brain's reward pathways, the role of neurotransmitters, and the impact of substance abuse on mental health piqued my curiosity. I became realized in the study of addiction as a disease, examining its genetic predispositions and environmental triggers, which together contribute to the complexity of this pervasive issue. What particularly triggered me was the way in which addiction affects not only the individual but also their surrounding social and familial networks. The class introduced me to the sociological aspects of addiction, exploring topics such as public health policies, and the profound impact of addiction on society. I was struck by the interconnectedness of biology, psychology, and sociology in understanding and addressing addiction.	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1adweTehMd9-Qvq1H7MXBrQy8EIsEWuLY/view?usp=sharing	Antoine Bechara	Barbara Turner	Cameron Kaplan	Eunjoo Huisung Pacifici	Matthew Kirkpatrick	I consent to having some information posted on the website.
01/16/2024 10:38 PM	weiyix@usc.edu	Weiyi	Xiang	Masters Student - 1st Year	Keck School of Medicine	01/12/2024	05/01/2025	1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm	1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	9am, 10am, 4pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm			Volunteer Research Assistant (Unpaid)	Tobacco,Mental Health, Alcohol	I am a graduate student from Masters in Addiction Science. After a semester of studying and researching Addiction Science, I am not only more aware of the development and needs of the industry, but I am also more enthusiastic about pursuing a career in the field. In this case, I would like to join an Addiction Science research lab so that I can further my study with my own hands on experience. Not only did I complete my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, but I have also completed courses in Epidemiology, Neuroscience, and Research Methods, as well as a year of experience as a research assistant. During my time as a research assistant, I collected and analyzed clinical data such as the SCID-5, the UCLA Life Stress Inventory Scale, and participated in bi-monthly academic review sessions held by the research lab. I am confident and enthusiastic to be able to participate in the laboratory research as a research assistant, and I hope to increase my research experience through this opportunity so that I can better prepare myself for my future PhD application.	https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-wlM2hru6dWpjDnq0lX0ta7PG31lDSPD/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113473465595653652578&rtpof=true&sd=true	Adam Matthew Leventhal	Jessica L. Barrington-Trimis	Antoine Bechara	Cameron Kaplan	Carolyn F. Wong	I consent to having some information posted on the website.
01/31/2024 07:46 PM	ghuang38@usc.edu	Grace	Huang	Undergraduate - Freshman	Mann School of Pharmacy	01/31/2024	05/08/2027	2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm	11am, 12pm, 1pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm	7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm	11am, 12pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm	7pm, 8pm, 9pm	11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm	11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm	Volunteer Research Assistant (Unpaid)	Alcohol addiction, disease outcomes, addiction prevention, addiction treatment drug research, role of genetics in addiction susceptibility, mental health disorders, neurobiology/neurochemistry of addiction.	My name is Grace Huang but I was born in Potomac, Maryland to my parents who are first generation Chinese immigrants. We later relocated to Hong Kong, where I grew up and attended high school. My academic interests include chemistry, biology (hence why I’m a pharmacology major), and economics. I enjoy studying these subjects due to how they explain the minutiae of everyday phenomenon. Specifically, my interest in pharmacology lies in neuropharmacology. The reason for this has to do with my grandfather, who’s a renowned writer in China. Growing up, I saw him as a true renaissance man, always being able to speak eloquently about any topic. However, in 2020, after previously being misdiagnosed with having a stroke, we found out that he actually had mid-stage Parkinson’s. I came to the daunting realization over the span of a few months that there was no solution to this. No medicine or treatment could cure my grandfather of his condition. I watched my active and talkative grandfather become quiet and bound to a wheelchair. While my family largely has a humanities background, my mother being a professor and author, my grandfather’s condition inspired me to pursue my studies in pharmacology and drug development. In terms of my academic and career goals, I hope to pursue a PharmD followed by an industry fellowship after graduating. Currently, my goal is to work in the pharmacy industry as a researcher ideally in the development stage of drugs. I also have burgeoning interests in regulatory science and addiction science, which I hope to further explore. However, because I’m only a freshman and I am still in the early stages of discovering my true career passions in STEM, I am open to studying a variety of topics and fostering new interests. Over the past three summers, I interned at a muscle STEM cell research lab at HKUST, to which I developed much needed skills to go down this career path. The faculty there know me for being diligent and having a bubbly personality. When it comes to my personal hobbies and interests, one can say they’re quite disconnected from one another. For one, I’m quite crafty and am quite good with doing things with my hands (which is why I would be good in a lab!). I enjoy sketching, painting, and scrapbooking. I am also very passionate about beauty related things such as nail art, makeup and fashion. I also enjoy playing the piano, surfing the web, and watching scary movies.	https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qUrMZ-CPzzEAL0UGbaBelTFHS154hOT7-51MZatNwos/edit?usp=sharing	Daryl Davies	Antoine Bechara	Rachel Ceasar	Jungeun Olivia Lee	Michael Menchine	I consent to having some information posted on the website.
03/08/2024 11:57 PM	chelinak@usc.edu	Chelina	Kim	Undergraduate - Sophomore	Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences	05/30/2024	08/10/2024	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm	10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm	Volunteer Research Assistant (Unpaid), Lab for Course Credit (ex: HP 490, ADSC 490, etc.)	Medicine, Healthcare, Pharmacology	As comedic as it sounds, watching “Hospital Playlist”, a Korean drama that illustrates the story of four doctor friends that each specialize in different fields of medicine, was the point in my high school career in which I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. I was convinced that I would be just like those doctors – smart, reliable, and most importantly, surrounded by the privilege of creating strong bonds with the various types of people that they get to encounter. While I’ve always been interested in healthcare prior to this eye-opening experience, it was not until I experienced personal struggles with topical steroid withdrawal that I started to solidify my passion within the healthcare field – more specifically, in pharmacology. I associate the field of pharmacology with a lock and a key: each lock represents an aspect of human health that requires a key – a drug or medicine – that has to be meticulously crafted to unlock new paths toward healing and greater medical knowledge. Even the slightest variation in the key’s design can determine whether the lock opens or not, just as the smallest chemical interactions can have the largest effect on an individual’s health. The most minimal deformation or rust on the key can prevent opening the lock; the challenge lies in the fact that various biological locks are ever-changing, influenced by genetics, environment, and countless other factors, and therefore requires the constant crafting and re-crafting of such “keys”. Through various research opportunities offered at USC, I hope to take my first step into the field of making these keys that so heavily influence our health today. As a second-year undergraduate student with a passion for pharmacology, I am working to achieve academic excellence and expand more hands-on experience in the field to attend medical school in the future. Having personally experienced the struggles of topical steroid withdrawal, I am particularly interested in the exploration of topical steroids and the ways in which they work to affect our bodies and hope to participate in in-depth research regarding this field. Currently, I am actively involving myself in various volunteer and shadowing opportunities within a large hospital to not only observe the numerous fields in healthcare but also get a chance to directly interact with various types of patients as well as healthcare workers. I hope to take my experiences to a more academic level, which I believe can be perfectly provided by the research opportunities provided at USC. The blend of rigorous research training, mentorship, and exposure to cutting-edge research that various programs offer can not only allow me to build upon my foundational knowledge but also provide an opportunity to apply those principles in a research context focused on pharmacology. I am eager to bring my dedication, curiosity, and collaborative spirit to any project I take part in, and am confident that it will significantly advance my preparation towards my desired career path.	https://docs.google.com/document/d/1awMGUfJrTGUlaf7_FjgBY-nCrxMceprF-eJt5ftRr1w/edit?usp=sharing	Amanda Burkhardt	Daryl Davies	David Dadiomov	Eunjoo Huisung Pacifici	John Clapp	I consent to having some information posted on the website.
04/15/2024 11:31 AM	seskinne@usc.edu	Sarah Skinner	Skinner	Undergraduate - Sophomore	Mann School of Pharmacy	06/10/2024	07/10/2024	8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm	8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm		Volunteer Research Assistant (Unpaid)	My research interests include women's health, behavioral pharmacology, regulatory sciences, psychology, and addiction sciences.	Hello, My name is Sarah Skinner. I am a second-year undergraduate student at USC studying biopharmaceutical sciences. I am reaching out to express my interest in your research. I am looking to join a lab long-term that focuses on addressing a prominent health issue, particularly in the context of pharmacy. I am especially interested in women's health, as women are so under-studied! One of the reasons I am so excited about research is that I have a passion for health and wellness, and I hope I can contribute to a research effort be it in women's health, addiction sciences, or another field I am interested in. I did some work last summer in Dr. Daryl Davies lab on alcohol use disorder, where I was focused on learning wet lab techniques, but found that I was more interested in collecting data in humans than mice. Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies are very interesting to me! I wanted to introduce myself and see if there was any way for me to get involved. Please let me know if you need any additional information from me, and I look forward to hearing from you! Best wishes, Sarah Skinner	https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a6BFlTzs-awv7-kBSckZX7wEus3G2Z0WdlPqxv4VS0U/edit?usp=sharing	Tyler Mason	Rael Cahn	Rachel Ceasar	Lina D'Orazio	Susan Elizabeth Luczak	I consent to having some information posted on the website.
Timestamp	Email Address	First Name	Last Name	Level of Education	Affiliated School	What is Your Start Date?	What is Your End Date?	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Monday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Tuesday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Wednesday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Thursday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Friday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Saturday]	Select the Days and Times You Are Available to Work [Sunday]	What Kind of Opportunity Are You Looking For?	What Are Your Research Interests?	Please Provide a Short Bio	Please Upload Link(s) to Your CV & Resume	#1 Choice	#2 Choice	#3 Choice	#4 Choice	#5 Choice	Information Release Consent