Author: Rodriguez, Atziri

3/2: Postdoctoral position at Boston Children’s: predicting language/cognitive development in global contexts of adversity

Posted on by

The Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, under the direction of Charles A. Nelson, Ph.D., seek a highly qualified postdoctoral scientist with interests in neurodevelopment generally, and with specific expertise in EEG in young children.  Specifically, the postdoc will become involved in a data analytic project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, under the joint supervision of Charles A. Nelson, Ph.D. and Laurel Gabard-Durnam, Ph.D. The overall goal of this project, Early Predictors of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes (EEG), is to make use of – and develop new tools for – using EEG to predict subsequent cognitive and language outcomes, including, in some cases, academic success. The postdoc will have access to data from a number of different projects (from both low- and middle-income countries), and will also work closely with other Foundation-funded teams focused on NIRS and MRI, all part of a broader neurodevelopmental consortium.


Eligible postdocs should have training in developmental psychology, developmental cognitive neuroscience, or developmental neurobiology, ideally with solid experience in neuroscience methods (particularly EEG). Familiarity with or interest in machine-learning approaches to predict individual language/cognitive outcomes is preferred. The postdoc will have the opportunity to engage in various aspects of the study, especially extensive involvement in data processing, analysis and manuscript preparation, as well as supervising undergraduate and graduate student projects, and opportunities for grant writing. 


This position is open for a possible start date of June 1st, 2020 or later. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. 

Interested applicants should email a copy of their CV and letter of interest to charles_nelson@harvard.edu and l.gabard-durnam@northeastern.edu.

Postdoc Position Available in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Posted on by

Postdoctoral Research Associate Position in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Laboratory for Child Brain Development

Department of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Division, Washington University- St. Louis

 

The Laboratory for Child Brain Development (LCBD-PI: Dr. Susan Perlman) has an open postdoctoral training position through newly-NIH funded R01 project MH124266.

 

The applicant’s main appointment will be in the Laboratory for Child Brain Development (http://www.childbrainlab.com) in the Washington University- St. Louis, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, William Greenleaf Elliot Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (https://childpsychiatry.wustl.edu/).  The LCBD is dedicated to using multi-modal methodology to understand the trajectories of cognitive and emotional development from infancy to middle childhood (with a strong preschool focus) in order to predict the onset of mental disorder.

 

This project is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.  The Child Affect and Resilience to Experiences (CARE) Study is designed to study the biological unfolding of early-life stress as a precursor to psychopathology.  We will employ intensive, state-of-the-art, multi-modal, neurodevelopmental measurement in a sample of 225 4-6 year-old children and their parent, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), interpersonal neural synchronization between parent and child using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), facial expression and behavioral coding, hair and salivary cortisol, and measurement of inflammatory markers.  The CARE study will recruit children experiencing attachment-related stress as a model for the biological unfolding of stress, while also examining external stressors and those that occur throughout the course of the study.  In this longitudinal study, families will be followed every 6 months across a 1.5 year time period.  The postdoctoral fellow will be an integral member of this scientific team and will have rich opportunities to publish throughout the study, drawing both on CARE study data and previously collected data from the Laboratory for Child Brain Development.  The fellow will also be encouraged and supported to develop supplementary studies via the NIH NRSA and/or K Award mechanisms in addition to smaller foundation grants.  The postdoctoral fellow will develop, implement, and disseminate cutting-edge fMRI and fNIRS analysis tools through Dr. Perlman’s Laboratory for Child Brain Development and in collaboration with study team member Dr. Damien Fair (University of Minnesota).  The translational investigative team also includes experts in inflammatory and HPA axis markers of stress, Drs. Nadine Melhem and Anna Marsland (University of Pittsburgh), as well as experts in early life stress and psychopathology Dr. Joan Luby (Wash U) and Irwin Sandler (Arizona State University).

 

The Washington University-St. Louis, Department of Psychiatry provides an ideal training environment for postdoctoral fellows, including the Career and Research Development Seminars designed to promote the professional, career development, and grantsmanship skills necessary to launch an independent career through the NIH K Award mechanism.  Wash U is home to a thriving neuroimaging community and is a leader in developmental psychopathology research.  St. Louis and the local surrounding areas offer an affordable, diverse, and family-friendly community with rich university resources.

 

Position requires a PhD or MD/PhD in a neuroscience, psychology, or engineering related field.  The ideal candidate will have fluency in MATLAB, Python, or related language and expertise in fMRI, fNIRS, or EEG and will be able to implement cutting-edge neuroimaging analysis techniques such as network analyses, Multi-Variate Pattern Analysis, or hyperscanning.  Experience with HPA axis and/or inflammatory markers will be seen as a valuable skill for the candidate.  The successful candidate will have an excellent publication record with demonstrated interest in developmental cognitive neuroscience and will combine a collaborative orientation with the ability to function well independently.

 

The postdoctoral fellowship is open immediately, however, the position will remain open until filled.  The study team is willing to hold the position for availability of the ideal candidate (e.g. spring graduation).  The fellow will be asked to commit to a minimum of 2 years on the project, however, the position may be extended up to 5 years contingent upon progress.  Applicants will be considered until the position is filled.  To apply please send a cover letter, C.V., and names and contact information of three references to: Susan Perlman, Ph.D. at perlmansusan@wustl.edu.  Questions can be addressed to Dr. Perlman directly.

2/17:Postdoctoral Position in Education and Cognitive Neuroscience

Posted on by

Postdoctoral Position in Education and Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Postdoctoral position in behavioral and neuroimaging research of language, literacy, and cognitive development.
Brain Organization for Language and Literacy Development (BOLD) Lab
Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto


Area of Research: The BOLD Lab at the University of Toronto has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to contribute to research on child development. We have several ongoing projects using a combination of behavioral and neuroimaging methods to study how children develop and learn in high-risk environments. Specifically, we are looking for an individual who can contribute to two projects: (1) a tech-based literacy intervention program including a neuroimaging study of brain development and reading outcomes, and (2), large-scale RCT aimed at supporting children’s developmental and academic outcomes by reducing poverty and improving quality of education, both in Ivory Coast. Both projects involve collaboration with Dr. Amy Ogan at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and Dr. Sharon Wolf at the School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Description of duties: Responsibilities will include the development, collection, and analysis of behavioral and neuroimaging data about language and cognitive development and learning outcomes in the context of educational interventions in school-aged children growing up in rural Ivory Coast. The position is based at the University of Toronto, and the postdoc will have opportunities to go to Ivory Coast over the duration of the position. 

Required qualifications: Successful applicants will have a background in several of the following areas: child development, language and literacy acquisition, impact evaluation, recording and analysis of fNIRS or fMRI data, design and analysis of complex behavioral experiments/tasks, longitudinal data analysis, global development (ideally in sub-Saharan Africa). High degree of fluency using R and/or Matlab is required. A Ph.D. in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Education, Linguistics, or Neuroscience is preferred. Familiarity with working in international contexts (preferably sub-Saharan Africa) and proficiency in French are preferred, but not required.

Application Instructions: Interested candidates should send via email their CV, two representative papers, the names of three references, and a cover letter to Dr. Kaja Jasinska (kaja.jasinska@utoronto.ca).

Contact Information
PI Website: www.haskins.yale.edu/staff/jasinska/
Lab Website: www.oise.utoronto.ca/boldlab/
Contact Name: Kaja Jasinska
Contact Email: kaja.jasinska@utoronto.ca

Position start date: May 1, 2021 (flexible). Applications will be accepted until filled.

Term: The position is for one year, with the option to renew for 1-2 years, given satisfactory performance and available funding.

FTE: The normal hours of work are 40 hours per week for a full-time postdoctoral fellow (pro-rated for those holding a partial appointment) recognizing that the needs of the employee’s research and training and the needs of the supervisor’s research program may require flexibility in the performance of the employee’s duties and hours of work. 

Employment as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto is covered by the terms of the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement. 

This job is posted in accordance with the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement. 

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Postdoctoral research position

Posted on by

Postdoctoral Research Position

Overview

Prof. Adele Goldberg invites applications for a postdoctoral research position to work on the role of generalization in language learning among individuals on the autism spectrum. The lab conducts research using a variety of methods, including lab-based experiments, online surveys, pupillometry, ERP and fMRI to study factors that influence the learning and use of language in neurotypical and atypical children and adults. The successful candidate will focus on autism research and will assist in other projects that range from conventional metaphor processing to diachronic change.

 

This is a one-year term position with the possibility of renewal contingent upon continued funding and satisfactory performance. Start date is negotiable. Please submit a CV, a cover letter describing research goals, and technical and research skills. Please also submit contact information for three references. Contact Adele Goldberg (adele@princeton.edu) for additional questions.

 

Qualifications

  • A recent Ph.D. in psychology, linguistics or related discipline
  • Experience designing and publishing experimental work
  • Expertise in statistics for language work (using R)
  • Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
  • Experience or strong interest in working with populations on the autism spectrum
  • Detail-oriented, motivated, efficient, and able to work independently
  • Strong writing skill

 

This position is subject to the University’s background check policy. Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

2/1: Post-doc opportunities

Posted on by

The TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health (TMW Center) is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Chicago that develops and scales evidence-based interventions designed to support parents and caregivers in their efforts to optimize the foundational brain development of children, birth to three years, through talk and interaction. TMW curricula integrate neuroscience, early childhood development research, adult learning strategies and stakeholder feedback on a multimedia platform. Our approach harnesses technology, works across systems, and informs how to bring best practices and interventions that work to scale.


Job Summary

The Managing Director of Research & Innovation will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer and oversee strategic development of TMW Center’s suite of tools, technologies, and programs aligned with the TMW Center mission and vision.

 

Please visit https://uchicago.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job/Hyde-Park-Campus/Director-of-Research—Innovation_JR10075 to apply.

CogSci Colloquium: Joseph Henrich & Barbara Rogoff on 2/26

Posted on by
WEIRD problems and potential solutions 

 

Since its inception, psychology’s Western-centric bias has been an impediment to a deeper understanding of human cognition. Our speakers argue that it is time for a radical transformation of social scientific research, and our understanding of human nature as a whole. 

 

The Cognitive Science Colloquium Series is proud to jointly present Joseph Henrich and Barbara Rogoff 

 

Friday, February 26th, from 2pm – 4:30pm, virtually via Zoom  

 

https://zoom.us/j/4361587368?pwd=NGova2g2RGlKUC9iRXRLQkxoOW1Mdz09 

Meeting ID: 436 158 7368 

Passcode: CogSci 

2.00 pm 

W.E.I.R.D. Minds 

Joseph Henrich, Professor and Chair of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard 

 

Over the last few decades, a growing body of research has revealed not only substantial global variation along several important psychological dimensions, but also that people from societies that are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic (WEIRD) are particularly unusual, often anchoring the ends of global psychological distributions. To explain these patterns, I’ll first show how the most fundamental of human institutions—those governing marriage and the family—influence our motivations, perceptions, intuitions and emotions. Then, to explain the peculiar trajectory of European societies over the last two millennia, I lay out how one particular branch of Christianity systematically dismantled the intensive kin-based institutions in much of Latin Christendom, thereby altering people’s psychology and opening the door to the proliferation of new institutional forms, including voluntary associations (charter towns, universities and guilds), impersonal markets, individualistic religions and representative governments. In light of these findings, I close by arguing that the anthropological, psychological and economic sciences should transform into a unified evolutionary approach that considers not only how human nature influences our behavior and societies but also how the resulting institutions, technologies and languages subsequently shape our minds.  

 

3.15 pm 

What is learning? Cultural perspectives 

Barbara Rogoff, UCSC Foundation Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Santa Cruz 

 

Many people who have spent decades in Western schools take for granted a particular way of thinking of learning — as either receiving transmitted bits of information or acquiring it from an external world. In this presentation, I will argue for a paradigm shift, to seeing learning as a process of growth, as people transform their ways of participating in ongoing endeavors to become more competent and helpful contributors to the collective good of all, across time. My perspective is inspired and informed by research observations of a prevalent way of learning in many Indigenous-heritage communities of the Americas — Learning by Observing and Pitching In to family and community endeavors (LOPI). I will discuss some implications of these ways of conceiving of learning, based in studies of how Indigenous American communities often organize children’s learning, with associated distinctions in children’s helpfulness, ways of collaborating, and ways of learning. 

Both speakers will join us in a GatherTown social following the event. Spots are limited to 10 graduate students and 10 faculty on a first come, first serve basis. Please email Dimitris Xygalatas, xygalatas@uconn.edu, if you are interested. 

If you’d like to meet individually with Dr. Henrich during the day on 2/26, please email Dimitris Xygalatas, xygalatas@uconn.edu. If you’d like to meet with Dr. Rogoff, please email Letty Naigles, letitia.naigles@uconn.edu. 

Responses for both GatherTown and one-on-ones are needed by Friday, 2/19. 

3-year Postdoc positions – Speech and Language Disorders

Posted on by

Dear colleagues,

The Research Group on Cognition and Language (GRECIL) at the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona (Spain) invites researchers working in any field of speech and language disorders, with special interest in advances on technological applications for these populations, to apply to one of the following call for post-doctoral grants that is now open:

  • Beatriu de Pinós post-doctoral grants (3 years, funded by the regional government; at least 2 years of postdoctoral experience outside Spain)

  • UOC post-doctoral  grants (3 years, funded by the Open University of Catalonia)

Applicants must hold a PhD. Knowledge of Catalan or Spanish is not required. Applicants need the approval of the host research group prior to the submission of their proposal at the call. Both grants are highly competitive and they are more suitable for candidates that are applying for their second postdoc. More information can be found here: 

  • Beatriu de Pinós post-doctoral grants (call for applications coming soon): Candidates of any nationality who have obtained a doctorate qualification between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2017 (understood as the date of obtaining the doctorate as the date of the reading and approval of the thesis).

  • UOC post-doctoral  grants (deadline for applications, March 1st): Candidates of any nationality who have obtained a doctorate qualification after 1 January 2014

Located at the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona (Spain), the Research Group on Cognition and Language (GRECIL) is part of the Department of Psychology and Education Sciences. Our group studies any aspect of human language and cognition, with a specific interest in speech, language, and cognitive impairments (more info on the group here). Our lines of research include:

  • Creation, implementation and evaluation of digital solutions to improve the detection, diagnosis and intervention of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

  • Acquisition of phonetic and phonological abilities in typical populations and populations with special educational needs (e.g., children exposed to non-native languages and children with NDDs)

  • Interaction between phonology, gesture, and pragmatics in language acquisition

  • Early intervention and evidence-based practice of language and communication disorders in childhood.

  • Gender differences in neurodevelopmental disorders

Applicants are invited to contact the research group by February 15, sending a CV and a statement of research interests to labgrecil@gmail.com with the subject “POSTDOC”,.

Decisions on whether support is granted will be taken by February 22.