Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuroimaging of Psychotic Disorders
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
www.woodwardlab.com
The Woodward Lab in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University is seeking candidates interested in the neural basis of psychotic disorders for an investigator-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuroimaging of Psychotic Disorders. The Woodward Lab uses a variety of approaches to investigate the neural basis of psychotic disorders, including neuroimaging, neuropsychological testing, and cognitive psychology methods. The successful candidate will work primarily on an NIMH funded study examining brain dysconnectivity and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This project uses multimodal imaging, including task-based fMRI, resting-state fMRI, and diffusion tensor imaging, to investigate thalamocortical networks in chronic and early stage psychosis. The successful candidate will be expected to oversee collection of neuroimaging data; analyze structural, functional, and diffusion tensor imaging data; and help write/prepare manuscripts and conference presentations. The Fellow will also have opportunities to pursue additional scientific research interests through access to existing datasets, including a large repository of clinical, cognitive, neuroimaging, and genetic data collected on healthy subjects and individuals with a psychotic disorder; and several publically-available datasets.
Qualifications:
- Graduate degree (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline;
- Expertise in neuroimaging analysis, including functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, and statistics as demonstrated by graduate-level coursework and/or publication record;
- Experience with neuroimaging software packages, including SPM and FSL;
- Programming experience with Matlab;
- Clinical and/or research experience in psychotic disorders, as demonstrated by graduate-level coursework, clinical training, research experience, and/or publication record, is preferred, but not mandatory;
- While not required, familiarity with the neuroimaging informatics platform XNAT, UNIX, and Python is advantageous.
Setting: The Vanderbilt Psychotic Disorders Program (VPDP) is a collaborative, multidisciplinary program interested in the study and treatment of individuals with a psychotic illness. The VPDP consists of a 22-bed unit within the Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (VPH), a partial hospitalization program, and an outpatient clinic. The clinical focus of the program is on acute stabilization of psychotic inpatients at VPH and the implementation of long-term treatment plans through outpatient services affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Members of the VPDP, including the Woodward Lab collaborate with faculty in the Vanderbilt Institute of Imaging Sciences (VUIIS) and School of Engineering.
Duration: 2 years with advancement to the second year dependent upon satisfactory progress during the first year. The appointment may be extended beyond 2 years contingent on funding and satisfactory performance based on annual reviews.
Salary and Benefits: Salary will be commensurate with NIH postdoctoral stipends (see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-16-131.html). Fellows are also eligible for benefits provided to regular employees of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, including health insurance. Interested candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.
Applying: Interested candidates should send a cover letter (250 words or less) describing their research interests, CV, and the names of three references to Neil Woodward ([log in to unmask]).
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