Post-Doctoral Research Positions in Clinical Developmental Neuroscience at the University of Maryland College Park and San Diego State University

Drs. Lea Dougherty (University of Maryland College Park) and Jillian Wiggins (San Diego State University) are seeking to hire several post-doctoral research associates for NIMH-funded research projects examining neural mechanisms of youth irritability. The projects include new data collection in young children as well use of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study data. We use functional and structural MRI methods.

Post-doctoral research associates: Candidates must have completed or be in the process of completing a PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience, Biology, or other related discipline. Training in MRI and fMRI data analysis, programming experience and knowledge of advanced statistical methods (e.g., machine learning, multilevel modeling), clinical diagnostic assessments, mastery of English speaking and writing, and experience working with human subjects, particularly children, are preferred. Successful candidates should have keen attention to detail; and strong organization, problem solving, and analytic skills. Prior background in developmental or clinical neuroscience is also a plus but not required. The position will provide opportunities for training in big data management and analysis, advanced computational methods and longitudinal data analysis.

The position start date is flexible (from immediate to Summer 2021). Review of applications will continue until the positions are filled. Renewal of contract is contingent on performance and funding. Interested individuals should email a cover letter, CV, and names and contact information of 3 references to Lea Dougherty at ldougher@umd.edu.  Please include all documents in a single pdf file and include your last name in the file (i.e., “LASTNAME.pdf”).

 UMD and SDSU are equal opportunity affirmative action employers with a commitment to racial, cultural, and gender diversity.  Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

IES Postdoctoral Research Fellow Position at UTHealth

     The Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) within the UTHealth Department of Pediatrics seeks acandidate for postdoctoral research training focused on developmental and academic outcomes of preschool and early elementary children with or at risk for disabilities. Candidates need interest and background in: (1) Early Interventions & Assessments, and/or (2) Scalable Professional Development (PD) for Educators of Young Children. Our training framework is focused on the benefits of Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) and developing skills to become valuable partners with practitioners.

     This is a competitive training program funded by IES NCSER that will support a total of four fellows for two years each. The Fellows will be matched with one of three primary mentors – Susan Landry, Ph.D., Tricia Zucker, Ph.D., April Crawford, Ph.D. Fellows will also work with secondary mentors, including Yoonkyung Oh, Ph.D., Michael Assel, Ph.D., and Cheryl Varghese, Ph.D. The primary and secondary mentors along with a team of educators, clinicians, and experts will provide training on education research design, partnerships, data collection, statistical analyses,dissemination, and developing grant applications. We expect Fellows will produce scholarly publications, participate in preparation of research grants, and conduct original research within an active project (detailed below).

Topic 1: Early Interventions & Assessments

1.     Expansion of the CIRCLE Progress Monitoring (CPM) System

2.     Development of Reading RULES!

3.     Pre-K Home and Classroom Interventions for Spanish-Speaking English Learners

Topic 2: Scalable Professional Development (PD) for Educators

4.     Developing Talkers: Building Effective Teachers

5.     Continuous Improvement for Teachers

The position is for two years and the salary will be $60,000 annually with benefits. Fellows will receive a small stipend to cover research costs.

Minimum Requirements:

·      Ph.D. or Ed.D. in a relevant discipline (e.g., education, public policy, psychology, sociology, or related fields).

·      U.S. Citizen

Description of Qualified Candidates:

·      Record of research productivity through publications and presentations related to child development, education, or school-related public policy

·      Skills in applied statistical methods

·      Ability to work both independently and as a collaborative team member

·      Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication

·      Strong organizational skills

Required Application Materials:

Interested applicants should submit the following materials to Dr. Tricia Zucker, Ph.D. at tricia.zucker@uth.tmc.edu

1.     A cover letter detailing:

a.     The applicant’s research interests and fit with the position

b.     How research experience and interests align with one or more active training grants

c.     Note that you are a U.S. citizen, as applicants must be U.S. citizens

2.     Curriculum vitae

3.     Scholarly writing sample

4.     Names and contact information for three references

UTHealth is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment-related activities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law or university policy. Reasonable accommodation, based on disability or religious observances, will be considered in accordance with applicable law and UTHealth policy. The University maintains affirmative action programs with respect to women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and eligible veterans in accordance with applicable law.

Two positions for postdoctoral associates are available for human imaging studies in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University. One or two positions of research assistant/research associate are also available to support these studies.

Postdoctoral Positions

Key Responsibilities: The candidate will work on NIH-funded studies to examine the neural processes of substance and alcohol misuse. Human imaging data are being collected with various paradigms to examine inhibitory control, reward processing, stress and cue exposure in both addicted and neurotypical populations. The lab incorporates various approaches, including functional and structural imaging, computational modeling, recording and analyses of physiological responses, as well as detailed clinical assessments, in these studies to understand the effects of substance/alcohol use on the brain and the neural processes disposing individuals to substance/alcohol use. We also have access to public domain/consortium data, including those available from the HCP, ABCD study, UK Biobank and ENIGMA Addiction Consortium. Candidates will enjoy state-of-the-art imaging facilities at the Yale MRRC, career guidance/support, and opportunities to develop their own research areas within the lab’s broad scope of studies. Candidates will work with the PI and other investigators in a highly collaborative environment.

Required qualifications: A PhD in cognitive neuroscience or cognitive/clinical psychology. Candidate should be familiar with brain imaging routines and data analyses with SPM or other toolboxes. Proficiency in MATLAB is preferred but not required. Candidate are expected to show a track record of publications and/or scientific presentations.

Salary: Contract is for 12 months and renewal for multiple years. Salary is based on NIH scales.

 Research Assistant/Associate Positions:

One or two Research Assistant/Associate positions are also available to support clinical imaging studies. Primary obligations involve subject recruitment and assessments, execution of MR scans and clinical/behavioral data management. There would also be plenty of opportunities to write and publish for those who plan to apply to medical school or PhD program in neuroscience or psychology.

Contact: Please send CV and any inquiries to Prof. Chiang-shan R. Li, MD, PhD at

chiang-shan.li@yale.edu

The Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is recruiting postdoctoral trainees for its NICHD-funded Postdoctoral Training Program in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research. Appointments will be for 2 years beginning in the summer of 2021. The program provides multidisciplinary training with an emphasis on social affective processes, communication, family processes, epidemiology, genetics, and biobehavioral research on intellectual and developmental disabilities. Faculty use sophisticated statistical approaches, longitudinal research methods, brain imaging methods, GWAS, social genomics, and psychobiology, among other approaches to data collection and analysis as applied to intellectual and developmental disability. 

The Concordia Infant Research Lab, directed by Dr. Krista Byers-Heinlein, is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join our dynamic and friendly lab. In non-pandemic times, the lab is housed in the Psychology Department of Concordia University in Montreal, on the beautiful Loyola Campus. We study the development of bilingual infants and preschoolers across language, cognitive, and social domains. Our methods are diverse and include eye-tracking, LENA home recordings, direct observations of parents and children, and analysis of large-scale datasets.

 The postdoctoral fellow will coordinate an NIH-funded longitudinal, two-site study investigating language development in bilingual infants and children, working in close collaboration with Dr. Casey Lew-Williams and the team at the Princeton Baby Lab. The postdoc will be encouraged to develop their own research ideas within the context of the lab.

Requirements:

–       PhD in Psychology, Linguistics, Cognitive Science, or a related field (experience with infants and children is an asset)

–       Excellent organizational and communication skills

–       Strong computational, statistical, and technical skills (knowledge of R is an asset)

–       Commitment to open and collaborative science practices

–       Knowledge of French is an asset

Start date will ideally be prior to January 2021. It may be possible for the post-doc to work remotely until in-person testing can resume, at which point they would be expected to relocate to Montreal.

 Applicants should forward a cover letter, CV, copy of (unofficial) transcripts, and the names of three potential referees to Hilary Killam (kbh.coordinator@concordia.ca). Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis starting immediately.

Post-Doctoral Fellow in Community-Based Playful Learning: Temple University Infant and Child Lab