Student Research Assistant

About the role

The Department of Biology at McGill University is seeking a motivated undergraduate student to join Professor Jon Sakata's lab as a Research Assistant. This part‑time, work‑study position supports ongoing bioacoustic and behavioral studies while providing hands‑on experience in computational biology.

Key responsibilities

• Collect and curate bioacoustic and behavioral data from laboratory experiments.
• Assist with data analysis, visualization, and integration of new computational pipelines.
• Perform routine lab tasks, including animal husbandry and, when needed, histological procedures.
• Support the development and testing of machine‑learning models and Markov‑based analyses.

Required profile

• Enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at McGill University.
• Work‑Study approved and able to provide a Work‑Study letter.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work collaboratively in a research team.

Required skills

• Proficiency in Matlab or Python for scientific computing.
• Experience with neural networks, machine‑learning techniques, and Markov models.
• Familiarity with data analysis and visualization tools.

What we offer

• Hourly wage of $19.02 CAD for up to 20 hours per week.
• Opportunity to contribute to cutting‑edge research in bioacoustics and computational biology.
• Mentorship from faculty and exposure to advanced analytical pipelines.