Call for Postdoctoral Fellows

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The Harvard University Data Science Initiative is seeking applications for its Harvard Data Science Initiative Postdoctoral Fellows Program for the 2020-2021 academic year. The duration of the Fellowship is two years. Fellows will receive a generous salary as well as an annual allocation for research and travel expenses.

We are looking for researchers whose interests are in data science, broadly construed, and including researchers with both a methodological and applications focus. Fellows will be provided with the opportunity to pursue their research agenda in an intellectually vibrant environment with ample mentorship. We are looking for independent researchers who will seek out collaborations with other fellows and with Harvard faculty.

The Harvard Data Science Initiative Postdoctoral Fellows Program is supported by the Harvard Data Science Initiative. The Harvard Data Science Initiative involves faculty from across the University.

Deadline: Applications must be submitted online by 5:00 p.m. on December 2nd, 2019.

Post-doctoral fellowships at Georgia State University

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Post-doctoral fellowships are available as part of the Center for Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language & Literacy (RCALL) at Georgia State University

RCALL is an innovative collaborative effort crossing colleges and departments. Our research is conducted by faculty and students from two colleges (Arts & Sciences and Education & Human Development) and ten departments including the departments of Applied Linguistics, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Learning Sciences, and Psychology.

We have a distinctive interdisciplinary postdoctoral training program focused on the acquisition of language and literacy in children and adults. Our research programs address not only basic conceptual and methodological issues in the area of language and literacy acquisition, but also the design and evaluation of interventions that may help individuals overcome challenges in the acquisition of language and literacy. Fellows will work with interdisciplinary teams on one or more funded research projects.

As part of the university’s Next Generation initiative, the two-year fellowship will provide trainees with intensive training in intervention research with special populations, analyses of existing databases using advanced statistical techniques, and in professional development, including grant writing and professional presentations and publication. We are seeking individuals who bring cutting edge skills (e.g., in adaptive technologies, virtual reality, neuroimaging, complex methods of analyses) to their own programs of research.

Competitive two year fellowships are currently available. To apply, please submit your cv, research statement, examples of publications, and three letters of recommendation either electronically to Keneé Stephens at kstephens@gsu.edu, with the subject line “RCALL Post-Doctoral Search” or mail to Attn. Ms. Keneé Stephens, Georgia State University, Language & Literacy Initiative, P.O. Box 5010, Atlanta, GA 30302-5010, USA. The review of applications will continue until the positionisfilledwithreviewtostartonOctober15th. Formoreinformation,viewourwebpage:www.researchlanglit.gsu.edu or contact Program Co-Directors, Dr. Rose A. Sevcik (rsevcik@gsu.edu) or Dr. Julie Washington (jwashington@gsu.edu).

An offer of employment will be conditional on background verification. Georgia State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, ethnicity, gender, veteran status, or on the basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Looking for Phd Students and Postdoc

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Looking for highly motivated Postdoc Fellow for a newly funded NIH project

The Neuroimaging for Language, Literacy and Learning (NL3) Lab (https://www.thewanglab.com) invites applications for Ph.D. Student and Postdoc Fellow. The NL3 Lab led by Wang aims to use neuroimaging techniques to understand cognitive processes (Language, Literacy, and Learning) in the brain. We are located at the Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior (CB3) of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). UNL was founded on February 15, 1869, and has been recognized by the Legislature as the primary research and doctoral degree-granting institution in the state for fields outside the health professions. CB3 (http://cb3.unl.edu) is housed within 30,000 square feet of dedicated space in Memorial Stadium, constructed in collaboration with Nebraska Athletics. CB3 is also close to the Holland Computing Center, home to the fastest supercomputing resources in the state. The facility’s centerpiece is a Siemens 3 Tesla Skyra scanner equipped with an MR-compatible 256-electrode high-density EEG system and an eye tracker. The center also features a salivary bioscience core facility, as well as several specialized laboratories, including NIRS, high-density EEG/ERP, eye tracking, psychophysiology, and genetics. There are currently 20 CB3 resident faculty and 35 additional CB3 affiliated faculty from across the UNL Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Human Sciences, Engineering, Journalism and Mass Communications, and Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Omaha campuses.

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2019, and continue until the position is filled.

Qualifications for Postdoc Fellow: A Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, or related field is required. The successful candidate must have expertise in fNIRS data processing and analysis techniques and have passion in advancing cutting-edge technologies and algorithms used to complex fNIRS and BCI data. Expertise in techniques of functional MRI/MRI/DWI is not required but is highly desirable. The salary is based on experience and will be highly competitive. Your appointment of duties will be 100% research activities, including collection of fNIRS and BCI data, optimization of fNIRS data collection, and creation of fNIRS data analysis pipelines. You will be able to mentor students and collaborators as you develop your expertise in fNIRS and BCI.

How to apply: To be considered for this position, please email your most recent version of CV and one representative publication to yingying.wang@unl.edu. Please combine all required documents in one PDF file. Addition materials related to research are optional. Reference letters will be requested later in the process. If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Dr. Wang at yingying.wang@unl.edu or 402-472-0106

As an EO/AA employer, qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See http://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination.

We also accept PhD student. If you are interested in doing a PhD in Human Science or Biomedical Engineering, please contact Dr. Wang at yingying.wang@unl.edu or 402-472-0106.

Postdoctoral Position in Neuroscience of Bilingualism

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Postdoctoral Position in Neuroscience of Bilingualism Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
Applications are invited for a full-time post-doctoral position in the Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab at the Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. The position is funded by the Polish National Science Centre grant Mechanisms of language control underlying bilingual speech production: fMRI investigation (PI: Dr. Zofia Wodniecka; the Co-Investigators are:  Dr. Marcin Szwed(UJ) and Dr. Jakub Szewczyk (University of Illinois) and Dr. Michele Diaz (Penn State University, USA).
 
The project investigates neural bases of language production in bilinguals and its primary methodology is fMRI. The focus will be on Polish-English bilinguals; some knowledge of Polish will be an asset, but is not essential. Most importantly, we are looking for an innovative postdoctoral candidate with a strong background in cognitive neuroscience, computer science or related fields. The length of the appointment will depend on the start date of employment, but at least 2 year commitment is required.  
 
Requirements: Candidates must have a Ph.D in Psychology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Computer Science or a related field, or they must have completed the Ph.D by the time of appointment. Other requirements include: prior experience in fMRI and sMRI data acquisition and analyses, strong scientific record (including high quality dissertation, publications in peer-reviewed journals), research interests in neurobiology of cognitive functions,  advanced statistical knowledge, extensive experience in planning and conducting experiments in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, fluency in English, and a documented ability to work well both independently and in a team. Prior experience in fMRI technique is strongly preferred. Strong statistical and programming skills (including knowledge of Unix commands) is a plus.

Applications should include: 1) a CV (with min. 3 reference contacts and a publication record); 2) a cover letter with a statement of research experience, interests and the motivation to contribute to the project; 3) a copy of the diploma or statement about the dissertation progress and a planned date of its completion (signed by the Ph.D. supervisor); 4) pdfs of two most important publications.  

All applications should be sent by October 7th, 2019 to Dr. Zofia Wodniecka at zofia.wodniecka@uj.edu.pl.
 
The start date: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Interviews with selected candidates will be held either at the Institute of Psychology or via Skype. For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Zofia Wodniecka.
 
IMPORTANT: An official call for this post can be found under the link. Please note that apart from the documents mentioned above, the candidate will be required to fill in Polish application forms (see the university HR website for details; download and sign the documents that have “Plik doc PL/EN” in the title). 

SLHS Colloquium: Dr. Rupal Patel

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Just a reminder that the next SLHS Colloquium is October 2nd at 12:30 in Theater 2 HBL.  The speaker will be:

Dr. Rupal Patel, Northeastern University    http://web.northeastern.edu/cadlab

Voice Sharing and the Creation of Personalized Vocal Persona 

If anyone is interested in going to lunch after Dr. Patel’s talk, or meeting with her after lunch please let me know.

Carl Coelho

NICHD funded post doctorates, Baby’s First Years Study

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We are seeking one or more post-doctorate candidates to apply for postdoctoral funding to work with a principal investigator of the Baby’s First Years Study, through an NIH administrative supplement. The candidates must meet the NIH’s specified eligibility as a member of an under-represented group in the health-related sciences.

If approved for funding, the position will be a 2-year appointment at one of the PI universities (Duke; Teachers College Columbia University; University of California, Irvine; University of Wisconsin-Madison). Which university the position is housed in will depend on whether the successful applicant is best matched with one of the PIs in the social and behavioral sciences (Drs. Greg Duncan, Lisa Gennetian or Katherine Magnuson) or neuroscience (Dr. Kimberly Noble).

Once a candidate is identified, details about the position appointment and formal application with the named candidate will move forward to NICHD for review. This process can take up to a year.

Please submit a cover letter describing your interest and fit with the job and a CV to info@babysfirstyears.com. Applications will be reviewed as received. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

BFY Study description

The Baby’s First Years study is a pathbreaking random-assignment study of the impact of monthly unconditional cash gifts to low-income mothers of infants during the first three years of their child’s life. The aim is to understand the causal effects of poverty reduction on family life and early childhood development in order to inform policy. As of June 2019, 1,000 racially and ethnically diverse mothers have been recruited from hospitals shortly after giving birth in each of four metropolitan areas —New York City, New Orleans, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Omaha, Nebraska. Forty percent of the mothers in each site were randomized to receive $333/month in cash and 60 percent receive $20/month in cash. More about the study, media coverage, and its motivation can be found here, here and here.

Data are being collected by the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center: mothers and children will be visited in their homes at child ages 12 and 24, and then will be brought to university labs at child age 36 months. Data collection includes surveys about economic and employment, child care, and other aspects of family life, mother’s mental and physical health, and well-being; maternal and children’s hair cortisol, epigenetics, child EEG measures of brain activity, and a full battery of child cognitive and behavioral assessments at 36 months.

This unique multi-institution, multi-site, and multi-year study is led by principal investigators Greg Duncan (University of California Irvine), Nathan Fox (University of Maryland), Lisa Gennetian (Duke University), Katherine Magnuson (Lead, social and behavioral science, University of Wisconsin Madison), Kimberly Noble (Lead, neuroscience, Teachers College, Columbia University), and Hirokazu Yoshikawa (New York University). The PIs are also collaborating with a team of neuroscientists at each site who will assist with measurement of children’s brain development at 36 months old. Finally, Sarah Halpern-Meeking (UW Madison) is also directing a longitudinal qualitative study with a random subset of families from two of the four sites.

BFY Post docotorate Qualifications

Qualifications

  • Within 5 years of a PhD in child development, economics, neuroscience, public policy, psychology, sociology, or related field.
  • Strong quantitative research skills
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Oral and written fluency in Spanish; fully bilingual/bicultural a plus
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Experience with experimental (randomized) study designs a plus
  • Meets NIH’s definition of a scholar from an under-represented group based on race/ethnicity, disability, or a disadvantaged background:
    • Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see data at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27) and the
      report       Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering). The following racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. In addition, it is recognized that underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting; individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be demonstrated convincingly to be underrepresented by the grantee institution should be encouraged to participate in this program. For more information on racial and ethnic categories and definitions, see NOT-OD-15-089.
    • Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. See NSF data
      at       http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/2013/pdf/tab7-5_updated_2014_10.pdf.
    • Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as: 1) Individuals who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These thresholds are based on family size, published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml. OR 2) Individuals who come from an educational environment such as that found in certain rural or inner-city environments that has demonstrably and directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career.

CogSci Colloquium: Aaron Shield

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Friday, November 1st

Time: 4:00pm

Room: Oak Hall 117

The Cognitive Science Colloquium Series is proud to present Aaron Shield, Professor in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Miami University of Ohio.

Dr. Shield will provide a talk entitled “Insights into cognitive and linguistic processes from research on autism and sign language”

Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss how research into the signed languages of the deaf has the power to illuminate big questions about human language. By comparing spoken and signed languages, we gain a better understanding of what language is, how children learn languages, and how to best characterize and treat language disorders. In particular, I will show how research into the acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) by deaf children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) sheds new light on various questions about acquisition, such as how children imitate linguistic forms, how children use pronouns and other words that refer to self and other, and how language exposure may affect other aspects of cognition.

Contact Inge-Marie Eigsti (inge-marie.eigsti@uconn.edu) to schedule a meeting with Prof. Shield.

Learn more about Aaron Shield.

Post doctoral positions at Indiana–developing visual environments

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Post-doctoral fellow position(s) to the study of the natural visual environments of infants and young children and their implications for visual, cognitive and language development and machine learning at Indiana University.    The larger collaborative project involves analyses of the properties of a very large corpus of head camera images (500 million) collected by infants 1 to 24 months of age with respect to low, mid and higher level properties, the examination of the statistical structure of early learned visual categories (and their in-home naming by parents), the design and implementation of computational experiments using machine learning and computer vision models, as well as experiments with infants testing novel predictions from these analyses and models.  The post-doctoral fellow(s) will take part in the intellectually rich cognitive science, computational neuroscience, vision, developmental, and computer science communities at Indiana University under the Emerging Areas of Research Initiative titled Learning: Brains, Machines and Children.  Collaborators on the larger project include Linda Smith, David Crandall, Franco Pestilli, Rowan Candy, Jason Gold, and Chen Yu. 

This is an excellent opportunity for individuals with past training in one or more of the following:  infant statistical learning, infant visual development (including face and object perception), visual neuroscience, adult vision, computer vision. Other areas of training with computational and/or experimental backgrounds will be considered.

Please apply to Linda Smith, smith4@indiana.edu, with Visual Environments in the subject heading by sending a cover letter stating your interest in this project, your cv, and a research statement.  References will be requested after initial contact.

The filling of these position(s) are open in their timing; although we hope to appoint one position this fall, January or this spring are also possible start dates. 

Linda B. Smith
Distinguished Professor
Psychological and Brain Sciences
1101 East 10th Street
Indiana University
Bloomington IN 47405
www.iub.edu/~cogdev

Message from Dean Juli Wade: CLAS Research Conversations

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Dear CLAS faculty:

 One of the priorities of CLAS is to facilitate interdisciplinary scholarship, and the diversity of disciplines within the college provides substantial and unique opportunities.   In an effort to stimulate connections that will lead to novel cross-cutting research (and potentially graduate training), CLAS will host CLAS Research Conversations this academic year based on faculty ideas for areas of synergy.

These events will be held 3:30-5pm on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.  The first half of the event will involve 5-minute talks by several faculty members describing their work on the topic and related areas of interest – 3 slide maximum (and no cheating with animation)!  The second half will allow time to discuss opportunities and next steps as a group and in smaller conversations.  CLAS will provide beverages and appetizers.

 Proposed ideas for topics should be submitted to mackenzie.murphy@uconn.edu and should span at least 4 CLAS departments.  The document must include a paragraph of rationale, proposed speakers, and a list of up to 20 additional faculty members to invite.  The CLAS dean and associate deans will review the proposals and may add faculty members who work in related areas for events that go forward.   Our office will issue invitations and take care of the logistics related to hosting.   The proposer(s) is(are) expected to emcee.

 The first event will be on October 16th in the Heritage Room of the Library (4th floor), and they will continue throughout the year in the same location as long as solid ideas are proposed (11/20, 12/18, 1/22, 2/19, 3/18, 4/15, 5/20).   Please submit proposals at any time for dates that are good for you; they will be reviewed as they come in.  We are looking forward to seeing what develops!

 Juli

Juli Wade

Dean

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

University of Connecticut

215 Glenbrook Rd., U-4098

Storrs, CT 06269

Postdoc vacancy in early child development/ neuroscience/ mHealth

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We are looking for a talented and motivated postdoctoral researcher in developmental psychology/neuroscience and autism to work on an international project on early child development. The researcher will be joining a multi-institution project funded by the Medical Research Council UK, led by the University of Reading. Partner institutions on this project include the universities of Cambridge, Harvard, Liverpool, Birkbeck, Keele, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Sangath NGO, and Malawi College of Medicine.

The aim of this project is to develop, test, and refine a mobile platform (i.e. app) that incorporates measures of key domains of human behaviour (e.g. cognition, social-emotional behaviour) in 0-6-year-old children. This platform would be used in low-resource settings in India and Malawi to collect normative data from a large sample of children, to eventually help identify children who might have neurodevelopmental/mental health issues. The postholder is expected to contribute to the design and piloting of the mobile platform, as well as analyse data collected by the platform to be reported in conferences and peer-reviewed publications. The appointed individual will receive strong mentoring from well-established scholars as part of this project and be supported in developing new ideas. 

More details on the vacancy and the application process are available at https://jobs.reading.ac.uk/displayjob.aspx?jobid=5316
Deadline for applications: 07 September, 2019
—
Bhismadev Chakrabarti, PhD

Professor of Neuroscience & Mental Health
Research Director, Centre for Autism
School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading

+44 (0)118 378 5551 | www.reading.ac.uk/autism | www.bhismalab.org