Postdoctoral Fellowships in Psychosis, and Mood Disorders and Aging
The Center for Cognitive Medicine
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
https://www.vumc.org/ccm/
The Center for Cognitive Medicine is excited to announce two (2) newly available Postdoctoral Fellowships in Psychosis, and Mood Disorders and Aging. We are seeking highly motivated Ph.D. graduates with research experience in cognitive neuroscience, psychosis, mood disorders, or aging. The ideal candidates will have a strong publication record and may have either significant training and experience in neuroimaging, or strong training in clinical psychology or neuropsychology. Preference will be given to individuals interested in pursuing an academic career with a desire to lead independent projects and publish as a first author. Both recent graduates and those pursuing a second postdoctoral fellowship are welcome.
As a member of the Woodward lab (www.woodwardlab.com), the Psychosis Fellow will work on studies examining brain dysconnectivity and cognitive impairment in psychotic disorders. Current work is focused in particular on thalamocortical connectivity and cognitive networks supporting attention, working memory, and processing speed.
Working with Dr. Taylor, the Mood Disorders and Aging Fellow will work on studies examining functional and structural neuroimaging biomarkers related to clinical and cognitive outcomes of depression in older adults. Current work focuses on neuroimaging markers of response to antidepressant medications, clinical-behavioral phenotyping of late-life depression, and determination of target engagement of novel therapeutic approaches.
Both Fellows will also have opportunities to pursue additional scientific research interests through access to secondary datasets, including local repositories of clinical, cognitive, neuroimaging, and genetic data; publically-available datasets (e.g. Human Connectome Project, Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange, etc.); collaborations with other faculty in the Center and within the Vanderbilt community, including the Medical Imaging and Statistical Interpretation lab (https://my.vanderbilt.edu/masi/); and availability of competitive pilot data funding.
The Center for Cognitive Medicine is housed within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The Center has a series of dynamic and collaborative programs investigating the neural basis of psychiatric and cognitive disorders, focusing on depression, cognitive changes with aging, dementia, and psychosis. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a national leader in research and provides world-class neuroimaging facilities. Nashville is ranked as one of the best cities to work and live.
Qualifications:
- Graduate degree (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline;
- For individuals with clinical backgrounds, interest in and preferably experience with neuroimaging analysis, including structural and functional MRI and/or diffusion tensor imaging;
- For individuals with neuroscience backgrounds, expertise in neuroimaging analyses and experience with neuroimaging software packages (e.g., SPM, FSL, etc.);
- Experience with statistics as demonstrated by graduate-level coursework and publication record;
- While not required, familiarity with MATLAB is advantageous.
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) indicating which Fellowship they are interested in (psychosis and/or mood disorders and aging) and describing their research interests along with their CV to Dr. Warren Taylor ([log in to unmask]) and Dr. Neil Woodward ([log in to unmask]). Eligible candidates may then be asked for up to three references.
|