Postdoctoral Researcher

Position Description:

As a Postdoctoral Researcher, you will engage in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced research training to enhance professional skills and research independence needed to pursue your chosen career path. Postdocs are essential to the scholarly mission of the mentor and host institution and expected to publish the results of their scholarship.

The DREAM (Developing Resilience to Ease Anguish in Mourning) Lab, led by Dr. Joseph Goveas, seeks a Postdoctoral Fellow to join our neuroimaging research team. Our mission is to uncover neurobiological biomarkers predictive of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) onset and treatment response. With an extensive longitudinal dataset already collected, we are scaling up analytic efforts to answer fundamental questions about how grief unfolds over time, especially in older adults.

Current projects include developing predictive models of chronic grief outcomes, characterizing grief trajectories, and investigating how interventions modulate brain networks related to clinical improvement in PGD.

The Fellow will contribute to developing computational brain models of grief and resilience, employing advanced fMRI techniques to investigate brain mechanisms underlying diverse grief trajectories.

Expected outcomes for postdocs at MCW include:

• Transitioning to career independence through professional skills development.
• Supervision by a senior scholar promoting professional development.
• Establishing an individual development plan (IDP) incorporating career and training goals.
• Pursuing research-focused basic, clinical, or translational projects.
• Publishing research results during the appointment.
• Maintaining a temporary appointment not exceeding five years.

Responsibilities:

• Perform advanced computational analyses on longitudinal datasets.
• Design and implement neuroimaging data processing pipelines.
• Collaborate with teams across various research centers and departments.
• Lead manuscript preparation and contribute to scientific publications.
• Engage in regular meetings with the PI and research team.
• Attend and present at scientific conferences.

Knowledge – Skills – Abilities

• Programming: Proficiency in Python and experience in a Linux environment.
• Neuroimaging Analysis: Experience with neuroimaging data analysis.
• Statistical Analysis: Foundation in statistical modeling; experience with advanced techniques is desirable.
• Software Proficiency: Experience with neuroimaging tools like AFNI, SPM, FSL, or Freesurfer is a plus.
• Communication: Strong presentation skills.
• Scientific Literacy: Excellent English skills in scientific contexts.
• Research Output: Experience preparing scientific reports and manuscripts.
• Problem Solving: Critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Mentoring: Aptitude for mentoring students and research assistants.

Position Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications: PhD in a relevant field.

Preferred Qualifications: Strong programming and neuroimaging analysis experience; familiarity with machine learning techniques is desirable.

Why MCW?

• Outstanding Healthcare Coverage including health, vision, and dental.
• 403B Retirement Package.
• Competitive Vacation, Sick Time, and Paid Holidays.

MCW is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering a diverse community and ensuring equal opportunity without regard to protected characteristics.