Position Description:
Every great life-changing discovery begins the same way—with new knowledge. It can change everything, from a single life to the future of entire communities. That’s why academic medicine, and the continuous pursuit of knowledge, is at the center of everything we do at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW).
The Brain, Environment, and Addictions Research Lab (BEAR Lab, PI: Dr. David Baranger) in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Medical College of Wisconsin is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join the team in an NIH-funded position (R00 and start-up funds). We study the neurobiology of addiction using human neuroimaging, genomics, mental health, personality, and neurocognitive assessments, as well as a variety of statistical and computational approaches.
Ongoing projects include: 1) characterizing heavy substance use with precision functional mapping; 2) studying the association of substance use/exposure with longitudinal brain development in large multi-site cohorts; and 3) developing advanced machine learning models of task-related brain function. The fellow will have the opportunity to contribute to these projects and will also be expected to develop their own research direction in a related area.
Beyond publications, there will be several opportunities for career development. The fellow will be encouraged to present findings at national and international scientific conferences, apply for independent funding (both internally and from the NIH), and mentor junior trainees in the lab. As such, the candidate should be highly motivated, self-directed, and possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
Characteristics of a postdoctoral appointment:
It is expected that postdocs at MCW, with the assistance of their supervisor, will:
- Transition to career independence through the development of professional skills that enable the postdoc to actively pursue a career of his/her own choosing.
- Be supervised by at least one senior scholar who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
- Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates equally the postdoc's career and training goals and the mentor's research goals.
- Pursue basic, clinical, or translational projects so long as effort is focused primarily on research.
- Publish results of the postdoc's research and scholarship during their appointment.
- The postdoctoral appointment is temporary by nature, the aggregate amount of time spent as a postdoc is recommended to not exceed five years (not including family medical leave or maternity/paternity leave).
- As postdocs are important members of the host institution's community, appropriate levels of compensation, health care, and other benefits commensurate with their essential status should be afforded, independent of the postdoc's source of funding.
Responsibilities:
- Plan, design, and execute experiments.
- Participate in discovery projects.
- Coordinate research study activities; lead and manage one’s own projects.
- Oversee organization, synthesis and analysis of data and findings.
- Prepare scientific reports, outcome findings and scientific manuscripts.
- Participate in meetings with principal investigator and research staff in which you will evaluate/interpret the validity of data, develop methodologies, and design and evaluate lab procedures.
- Present research findings at local and national meetings
- Write and submit manuscripts for publication and fellowship applications as appropriate
Knowledge – Skills – Abilities
- Strong background in neuroimaging, computational modeling, or longitudinal data analysis
- Proficiency in R, Python, or MATLAB
- Experience with neuroimaging data analysis
- Willingness to learn new techniques and skills
- Ability to independently design and conduct experiments
- Willingness to think critically
- A passion for research and a high level of self-motivation
- Outstanding organizational skills, excellent written and oral communication skills
- A commitment to maintaining a positive and productive work environment
- Applicants should have 0-3 years of prior postdoctoral experience
Preferred Schedule:
Position Requirements:
Minimum Qualifications:
Minimum education: PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience, or related field
Minimum experience: 0-3 years of prior postdoc experience
Why MCW?
- Outstanding Healthcare Coverage, including but not limited to Health, Vision, and Dental.
- 403B Retirement Package
- Competitive Vacation, Sick Time, and Paid Holidays
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Paid Parental Leave
For a brief overview of our benefits see: https://www.mcw.edu/departments/human-resources/benefits
MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants, or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.
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