We are currently advertising a PhD project entitled 'Elucidating the
impact of childhood emotional neglect on hippocampal function: a
neurocognitive and neuroimaging approach' which may be of interest to
current (or past) masters students with an interest in MRI,
psychopathology, and hippocampal research. Please see below for further
details.
Project Description:
The impact of early adversity on the risk of depression is well
recognised but mechanistically, poorly understood. Moreover, putative
models of the relevant relationships are simplistic and inadequately
tested. Rodent studies show that reduced maternal care causes a linear
reduction in hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) regulation which,
most likely via epigenetic mechanisms, is sustained into adulthood.
Reduced hippocampal GR function reduces homeostatic control of cortisol.
Cortisol excess has been shown to be neurotoxic and may underlie the
reduced hippocampal volume seen in imaging and post-mortem studies in
patients suffering from depression.
In a recent study we demonstrated a striking negative correlation
(r=-0.86, p <0.01) between the degree of reported childhood emotional
neglect and performance on a range of hippocampal-dependent tasks of
episodic memory and episodic future thinking (i.e., the ability to
imagine ones' personal future) in a cohort of current undergraduate
students. In this studentship, we will use a combination of cognitive
testing, neuroimaging (both structural and functional MRI) and an
ex-vivo measure of GR function to probe this relationship further. In
addition, structural equation modelling will be used in the development
and testing of hippocampal-dependent models of the mediation of the
impact of early adversity on depression.
In this way we aim to shed light on the neural, and ensuing cognitive,
cost of early childhood adversity, to determine whether cognitions,
intimately linked with the functionality of the hippocampus, are
especially vulnerable to the impact of early adversity and offer an
explanation as to how, and why, these early experiences have the
potential to unleash such devastation on future mental health.
The supervisory team will include Dr Sinéad Mullally
(
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/staff/profile/sineadmullally.html#background),
Dr Stuart Watson
(
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/staff/profile/stuartwatson.html#background)
and Prof Stephen Rushton
(
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/biology/staff/profile/stevenrushton.html#background).
For further details and to apply online please see
http://www.findaphd.com/search/projectdetails.aspx?PJID=70308
Informal enquiries should be made to either myself
(sinead.mullally(a)ncl.ac.uk) or Dr Stuart Watson (stuart.watson(a)ncl.ac.uk).
Please note that the closing date for this application is 22nd January
2016, and is a MRC DiMeN (Discovery Medicine North) Doctoral Training
Partnership studentship.
============================
We are seeking to recruit a non-clinical research associate / fellow in
paediatric neuroimaging to join our group at the University of
Nottingham's Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre (QMC Campus). The
successful applicant will lead on the structural and functional image
analysis of the CATNAP (Childhood Ataxia Telangiectasia Neuroimaging
Assessment Project) MRI dataset. This dataset comprises neuroimaging
from children with the inherited neurodegenerative condition Ataxia
Telangiectasia and healthy control children, and includes structural
images, resting state fMRI, DTI, perfusion and spectroscopic data. The
study is funded by the A-T Children's Project and Action for A-T.
The position is open to post-docs, and we would also be happy to receive
applications from researchers who have submitted their soft-bound PhD
thesis and are awaiting viva or performing PhD thesis corrections.
The post is available immediately, and will finish on 16th August 2016.
The closing date for applications is 19th January.
More information can be found at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/MED377615
I'd be very happy to take informal enquiries about the post, and provide
further information or arrange visits as required.
Best Wishes,
Rob
(Dr Rob Dineen, Clinical Associate Professor of Neuroimaging, University
of Nottingham)
===========================
The Institute
Established in 2003, Queensland Brain Institute
(
http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/) is housed on the St Lucia campus of
University of Queensland, Australia. It is home to more than 400 staff,
including 34 group leaders, working across a range of disciplines,
focussed on discovering the fundamental mechanisms that regulate brain
development and function in health and disease. QBI has state-of-the-art
core facilities for super resolution microscopy, flow cytometry,
molecular genetics, histochemistry and cognitive testing. Access is also
available to an advanced imaging facility, including 16.4T MRI, 9.4T MRI
(with cryoprobe), 7T MR-PET and microPET/CT for animal imaging, and 7T,
3T and PET/CT for human imaging.
Over the past decade QBI has positioned itself as one of the world's
leading neuroscience research institutes. It played a key role in
contributing to UQ attaining the highest possible score of 5 for
neuroscience, in both the 2010 and 2012 Excellence in Research for
Australia (ERA) reviews, one of only two universities in Australia to
achieve this.
The Role
To goal of the lab is to determine neural endophenotype of diseases
using functional and molecular imaging. One of the focus is to
understand disease dependent functional connectome. Connectome refers to
how the neural circuits of the brain are organized and their functional
interaction. It stems from microscopic synaptic and cellular
connectivity to macroscopic cortical organization. Understanding the
brain connectome is a critical component for linking behaviour with
cellular and molecular changes. Especially, recent clinical researchers
have identified an association between brain connectome and clinical
phenotype/severity in various neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric
disorders. However, due to the complicated disease mechanisms, whether
and how the deficit of a particular functional network is caused by
specific protein pathology, such as amyloidosis or tauopathy, or genetic
mutation is not clear.
To understand the relationship with the molecular pathology, we are
developing advanced in vivo imaging techniques (MRI, PET and optical
imaging) to track the structural, functional and molecular changes
longitudinally in transgenic mice that express specific disease-related
mutations. Correlations can then be drawn between animal behaviour,
neuropathology, neurotransmission and the neural network. There are
opportunities for highly motivated postdoctoral research fellow and PhD
student to join this collaborative project. The postdoc/student will
learn, refine and develop in vivo functional imaging in rodents to
understand how neurotransmission and functional connectome are disrupted
in the disease progression. The results will be validated by PET,
electrophysiology and optogenetics.
The Person
The applicants must have a PhD (or close to completion) in neuroscience,
biomedical engineering or related field. Applicants will have
demonstrated track records and expert knowledge in the area of MRI
physics, animal experiment and neurophysiology. Experience in functional
MRI, MRS, and programming language (Matlab or C/C++) are required.
Applicants will also have demonstrated ability to bring research to
publication, excellent organisational and time management skills as well
as a high level of written, oral and interpersonal communication skills.
Remuneration
The research fellow position is a full-time fixed term appointment up to
three (3) years at an Academic Research Level A or B with the
possibility of renewal subject to successful funding. Level of
appointment will be commensurate with qualifications, experience and
academic achievements. The remuneration package will be in the range of:
Academic level A $74,042 - $82,510 p.a., plus employer superannuation
contributions of up to 17% (total package will be in the range of
$86,630 - $96,536 p.a.).
Academic Level B- $86,853 - $103,138 p.a., plus employer superannuation
contributions of up to 17% (total package will be in the range $101,618
- $120,671 p.a.).
Enquiries
Further information regarding the project can be obtained by contacting
Associate Professor Kai-Hsiang Chuang (k.chuang(a)uq.edu.au).
To submit an application for this role clearly state the title of the
role, and use the Apply button on the UQ Jobs website – see links below
for position advertisements:
http://jobs.uq.edu.au/caw/en/job/497432/postdoctoral-research-fellowresearc…
============================
Postdoctoral Scholar Position in Multimodal Neuroimaging of Pediatric
Concussion
Duration: 2-3 years
Start date: Fall 2016 or negotiable
Salary: $50,000/yr + benefits
The Departments of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychology, and Radiology at
the University of Calgary are accepting applications for a postdoctoral
scholar with interests in multimodal neuroimaging and its relationship
to outcomes and treatment of pediatric concusssion. The successful
candidate will work with Dr. Karen Barlow and Dr. Keith Yeates on their
CIHR-funded studies of pediatric concussion, and will receive advanced
training from Dr. Signe Bray, Dr. Brad Goodyear, and Dr. Catherine
Lebel, neuroimaging scientists at the Child and Adolescent Imaging
Research (CAIR) program (see
https://www.ucalgary.ca/ach-mri-research-centre/) and the Seaman Family
MR Centre (
https://mrcentre.ca/).
Dr. Barlow is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics and Clinical
Neurosciences and a member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research
Institute (ACHRI). Her research focuses on improving the outcome of
pediatric concussion in two ways: i) by designing clinical tools and
novel biomarkers, including imaging biomarkers (MRI, TMS and fNIRS), to
monitor outcome and treatment, and ii) by performing clinical trials
using both pharmaceutical and non-pharmacological agents. She is funded
by a CIHR Team Grant and directs a randomized controlled pharmacological
trial for post-concussion syndrome that includes the use of multimodal
imaging to monitor response to treatment (
www.playgametrial.ca).
Dr. Yeates is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Ronald
and Irene Ward Chair of Pediatric Brain Injury. He serves as program
lead for the Integrated Concussion Research Program (ICRP), an
interdisciplinary, campus-wide initiative supported by both ACHRI and
the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI). He has received substantial
external grant funding for research focusing on the outcomes of
pediatric traumatic brain injury, including a recent CIHR Foundation
Grant focused on the assessment and treatment of pediatric concussion.
Dr. Bray is an Asssistant Professor in the Department of Radiology and
scientific director of the Child & Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR)
program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Dr. Bray’s research is
supported by CIHR, NSERC, and the SickKids Foundation. She uses
structural and functional imaging to investigate typical and atypical
developmental changes in the brain, and their relationship with
cognitive development.
Dr. Goodyear is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology
and an imaging scientist at the Seaman Family MR Centre. Dr. Goodyear's
research interest is primarily in the development of signal processing
and analysis methods for resting-state fMRI, and the application of
these methods to the investigation of neurological and neurovascular
disease.
Dr. Lebel is an Asssistant Professor in the Department of Radiology, and
a member of the Child & Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) program at
the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Dr. Lebel’s research is supported by
CIHR, NSERC, and NeuroDevNet. Much of her work has used DTI to assess
white matter microstructure. Specifically, her research interests
include brain plasticity in response to learning, treatment, or
intervention, and brain maturation in children with developmental
disorders such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and autism
spectrum disorder (ASD).
The scholar will work with Drs. Barlow and Yeates on their CIHR-funded
studies, under the tutelage of Dr. Bray, Dr. Goodyear, and Dr. Lebel, to
examine multimodal neuroimaging correlates of pediatric concussion
outcomes. Current imaging protocols include 3D volumetric, DTI, ASL,
fMRI (task-related and resting state), and quantitative susceptibility
mapping. Applicants should have a PhD in neuroscience, biomedical
engineering, medical sciences, or other relevant discipline, and
experience with MR image processing and analysis. Applicants should
submit a letter of interest, CV, graduate transcript, and 3
recommendation letters to kyeates(a)ucalgary.ca or
Karen.barlow(a)albertahealthservices.ca.
The University of Calgary is a leading Canadian university located in
the nation’s most enterprising city. Named a cultural capital of Canada
and one of the best places to live in the world, Calgary is a city of
leaders – in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism.
Calgarians enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major
Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour’s drive from the majestic
Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway
network in North America.
=====================================
The Center of Alcohol Studies (CAS) at Rutgers, the State University of
New Jersey, invites applications for two post-doctoral positions in the
Cardiac Neuroscience Laboratory. Post-doctoral associates will become
part of an NIH-supported translational and transdisciplinary research
team led by Drs. Marsha Bates and Jennifer Buckman.
We seek a post-doctoral candidate with functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) experience to oversee neuroimaging sessions and
contribute to cutting-edge analytic approaches with our
multi-institution imaging team. We further seek a post-doctoral
candidate with clinical research experience to oversee intake and
screening assessments for a randomized clinical trial (RCT) that targets
parenting women who are receiving intensive outpatient treatment for a
substance use disorder. This new RCT assesses a brief biobehavioral,
breathing-based intervention as an adjunct to treatment as usual by
examining changes in neurocardiac signaling, BOLD reactivity, brain
connectivity, cognitive ability, psychopathology, and substance use from
pre- to post-treatment. Substantial training and publication
opportunities are available in psychophysiology, neuroimaging, and
clinical intervention within a translational science framework working
with physiologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, and computational
modelers. Opportunities exist to model and connect clinical, behavioral,
and biological level assessments within a team science paradigm.
The successful candidates will have a PhD in Psychology or a related
field with a background in addiction and research methods. Neuroimaging
experience, particularly with fMRI, is required for one position.
Clinical assessment experience, including SCID and Timeline Follow Back,
is required for the other. Some familiarity with or interest in
cardiovascular physiology and heart rate variability biofeedback is
preferred.
Application must include:
· A cover letter, no more than two pages, to demonstrate how
your knowledge and experience are matched to this position.
· A current CV of education, professional and research
experience, publication background, and the names and emails of three
references.
Please send materials by February 28, 2016 to:
Stephanie Peeters
Senior Administrative Assistant
ADDRESS:
Center of Alcohol Studies
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
607 Allison Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8001
EMAIL:
snsmith(a)rutgers.edu
===============================
A prospective, longitudinal birth mother-offspring cohort study (Growing
Up in Singapore Towards Health Outcomes; GUSTO) study provides a unique
opportunity to investigate 1) gene-environment influence on cognitive
and brain development; 2) the regulation of epigenetic memory on the
development of children’s mental health. GUSTO establishes the intense
assessment of cognition, emotional, brain imaging, genetics and
epigenetics from infancy onwards and environmental measurements, such as
maternal mental health, nutrition, social support etc. We are now
seeking researchers who are interested in mining GUSTO data at all
levels. We aim to identify new markers characterizing environmental,
genetic, and cognitive factors and hence explaining epigenetic markers
and children’s mental health. The position includes opportunities to
apply novel computational models to high-dimensional data sets and
develop expertise in 'big data' analysis in neuroscience and to work
within a highly multidisciplinary research setting that includes
expertise in bioinformatics and biostatistics.
Requirements:
· PhD on cognitive or affective neuroscience, neuroimaging,
bioinformatics, computer vision, statistics, or relevant field
· Experience on mining high dimensional data
· Good communication in English language
· English writing skill is a must.
If you are interested in the jobs listed above, please send your CV to
Associate Prof. Anqi QIU
Department of Biomedical Engineering
National University of Singapore
Email: bieqa(a)nus.edu.sg
Phone: +(65) 6516 7002
=============================
Postdoctoral Researcher – Mindfulness training and real-time
neurofeedback. Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School, MA USA
The Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical has an opening for a
postdoctoral researcher to conduct research aimed at furthering our
scientific understanding of mindfulness meditation and the extent to
which real time neurofeedback can track and augment mindfulness training.
This is an exciting opportunity to participate in projects using
real-time source-estimated EEG neurofeedback in conjunction with fMRI.
We have recently identified biologically plausible brain targets of
meditation (e.g. Brewer et al PNAS 2011, Garrison Neuroimage 2013), and
are currently running an NIH-funded trial to examine whether
neurofeedback from specific brain regions associated with meditation can
augment mindfulness acquisition.
The successful candidate will contribute to these efforts by providing
analysis of current datasets and developing her/his own mentored
projects. The candidate will work in an interdisciplinary team of
physicians, clinicians and basic scientists.
The successful candidate should be creative, able to work as part of a
multi-disciplinary group with physicians, psychologists, engineers and
computer scientists, and should have excellent communication skills in
English and good writing skills. Experience with fMRI techniques and
analysis is important, and an interest in therapeutic applications of
meditation and mindfulness training is preferred.
Preferred Qualifications for this position include:
• PhD in neuroscience, psychology, biomedical engineering or related field
• Experience with fMRI analysis (FSL, AFNI, SPM etc.)
• Experience with EEG application and analysis
• Basic programming experience (C++, bash etc.)
• A record of publication and/or conference presentations
The qualified candidate could begin work as early as February 2016.
Qualified candidates should submit their CV and three references to:
Judson Brewer MD PhD (judson.brewer(a)umassmed.edu), Center for
Mindfulness, UMASS Medical School.
The Center for Mindfulness was founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, and
now has over 20,000 graduates of its Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction
(MBSR) program (see
http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/index.aspx for more
details). Now housed in its own building, it has recently expanded to
include core research facilities to bring together clinicians and
scientists for truly collaborative basic and translational research.
========================
The Cognitive Neuroscience lab at the University of La Laguna, Tenerife,
Spain welcomes applications for a two-year postdoctoral Juan de la
Cierva position sponsored by the Spanish Government.
We are looking for a researcher with experience in fMRI. Experience with
other imaging modalities (EEG, DTI, MRS) is a strong plus. We have
direct access to an EEG lab, as well as daily access to a GE 3T MRI
scanner in the university hospital. Other imaging modalities such as
fNIRS and TMS are also available. Although the main research focus of
our lab is on the cognitive neuroscience of language, a significant
effort also involves improving analytical techniques in both EEG and fMRI.
Deadline for the position is January 29, 2016.
***An important requirement for the position is that your PhD degree is
obtained between January 2011 and December 2015.***
If you meet these requirements and want to be considered for the
position, please send your CV to Niels Janssen (njanssen(a)ull.es).
--
Niels Janssen
Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory
Institute of Biomedical Technologies
Center for Biomedical Research of the Canary Islands
University of La Laguna
Tenerife, Spain
http://www.neurocog.ull.es/en
=====================
Postdoctoral Position in Functional MRI
University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles
We would like to invite applications from bright researchers for one
year Postdoctoral Fellow position starting from February, 2016 (or as
soon as possible), with the possibility for two more years’ extension,
based on satisfactory performance.
Project details
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become a common
non-invasive procedure to examine task-specific brain activity and to
quantify functional connectivity at resting stage. The primary goal of
this project is to develop, optimize existing tools in the lab, and
apply them to model whole-brain functional connectivity, based on
resting stage fMRI data, and examine brain fMRI signal responses to
autonomic and other challenges using data collected from patients with
heart failure and obstructive sleep apnea.
Qualifications
A PhD in mathematics, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering,
neuroscience, or related field with background and research experience
in functional MRI-related research in humans, especially in functional
MRI data processing and MATLAB-based programming, reflected as data
based publications, is required. Experience in MRI data acquisition and
study design is also desirable. Excellent communication skills in
English are essential.
Environment
Our lab is part of neuroscience community at UCLA, the largest
neuroscience community in the nation, host a large number of
neuroscientists (>500), who provide a resource for neuroanatomic,
neuropathologic, neurophysiologic, neuropsychologic, and analytic
support. The laboratory is immediately adjacent to the Ahmanson-Lovelace
Brain Mapping Center, which provides a significant resource in
neuroimaging faculty (>28 faculty, both basic and clinical), software,
and analytic support, and there are ample of opportunities to interact
those scientists. Our lab uses a 3.0-Tesla (Siemens, Prisma) MRI
scanner, located in the proximal Department of Radiology Research
Laboratory, a unit devoted to research studies with on-site Ph.D.-level
Siemens engineers.
Appointment Terms and Salary
The initial appointment would be for one year, with possibility for two
more years’ extension, based on satisfactory performance. Salary and
benefits would be based on UCLA norms with research experience.
Application Procedure and Deadline
UCLA is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer
(
http://www.mednet.ucla.edu/), and all qualified individuals are
encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted until position is
filled. To be considered for this position, please send your CV and a
cover letter to:
Rajesh Kumar, PhD
Email: rkumar(a)mednet.ucla.edu
Rajesh Kumar, PhD
Associate Professor
Departments of Anesthesiology, Radiological Sciences, and Bioengineering
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
University of California at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1763, USA
Tel: 310-206-1679, 6133
Fax: 310-825-2236
Email: rkumar(a)mednet.ucla.edu
===============================
The Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4all: Models, Technology and Solutions
for Diagnostics, Restoration and Support of Hearing” at the Carl von
Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (in collaboration with the Medizinische
Hochschule Hannover and Leibniz Universität Hannover) is seeking to fill
the position of a
Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Field of Auditory Neuroimaging in
the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The position is available from 1st of May 2016 until the end of the
first funding period of the Cluster of Excellence (31st of October
2017). Payment is depending on previous experience (German TV-L E13,
full time). The position is in principle suitable for part-time work.
The successful candidate is expected to contribute to the research goals
of the cluster by participation in task group 3 "Functional
characterization of the individual" within research area A "Improving
diagnostics for better individualized treatment" (
www.hearing4all.de).
Candidates are expected to have an academic university degree in the
field of psychology, neuroscience, physics or a related discipline and
have shown their ability to perform excellent scientific work,
demonstrated by the outstanding quality of their Doctorate/PhD research
and a good publication record. We are seeking candidates with prior
experience in neuroimaging techniques (e.g. fMRI, MRI, DTI), advanced
analysis methods (e.g. functional or structural connectivity) and
research experience in areas of auditory attention, audiovisual
integration or auditory plasticity. Good programming skills (e.g.
MATLAB) are of advantage. The candidate will have access to
state-of-the-art brain imaging (MRI, NIRS, EEG and MEG), and
computational facilities.
The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increasing the percentage of
women in science. Therefore, female candidates are particularly
encouraged to apply and will be given preference in cases of equal
qualification. Handicapped applicants will be given preference if
equally qualified.
Please send your application including a cover letter, CV, list of
potential referees, links to recent publications and copies of
certificates for academic grades to Prof. Christiane Thiel, Department
of Psychology, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany;
(christiane.thieluni-oldenburg.de). Electronic applications (one pdf
file) are preferred. The application deadline is 4th of February 2016.
--
Dr. Sebastian Puschmann
Biological Psychology
Department of Psychology
European Medical School
Carl von Ossietzky Universität
26111 Oldenburg (Germany)
phone: +49-441-798-3931
office: A7-032 (Haarentor campus)
web:
www.uni-oldenburg.de/cogneuro
=======================