Postdoctoral Fellow in Affective and Clinical/Translational Neuroscience
University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
Candidates are being considered for a NIMH-funded postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Dr. Alex Shackman in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland at College Park.
The overarching mission of the lab is to have a deep impact on the fields of affective and clinical/translational neuroscience. To that end, we do our best to perform innovative studies that can lead to significant discoveries, to disseminate our discoveries as widely as possible, and to mentor trainees to become top-notch scientists.
The Postdoctoral Fellow will support a mix of on-going and recently completed studies focused on understanding the nature and brain bases of fear- and anxiety-related states, traits, and disorders, including internalizing illness, alcohol/substance use disorders, and schizophrenia/psychotic disorders. Measures include task-based fMRI, smartphone digital phenotyping (EMA/ESM, GPS/Geolocation), psychophysiology (SCL), self-report, and clinical assessments. Our group is also an active member of several active research consortia (e.g. ENIGMA, ANC, HiTOP).
This position encompasses 3 major foci:
(1) Data Collection and Data Wrangling/Archiving [25-45%]
(2) Mentorship/Instruction of junior staff and trainees [5%]
(3) Data Analysis and Manuscript/Figure Preparation [50%]. This last focus includes project-centered team meetings, training (e.g. workshops, bootcamps, or mini-sabbaticals in collaborating labs), conference/hackathon travel, and the development of mentored NIH grant applications (e.g. F32, K99/R00). There will be opportunities to develop new projects using existing data.
This position is suitable for candidates with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Social/Affective Neuroscience, or neighboring fields. We are particularly excited about candidates with excellent writing, organizational, troubleshooting, and quantitative skills, who are able to work well with a broad range of stakeholders. The position requires prior experience with MRI, EEG, or Psychophysiological data collection and processing, and a strong background in relevant areas of affective and clinical neuroscience. Basic proficiency with fMRI, HLM/MLM/LMM, psychometrics, and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop is highly desirable. Expertise with more advanced neuroimaging, psychometric, structural, and/or machine-learning approaches is desirable but not required.
This is a 1-year (minimum) to 5-year (maximum) position that is renewable on a yearly basis, contingent on performance and funding. We welcome applications from trainees currently based in the European Union, UK, South Korea, and other countries, and are happy to assist with the visa process. Applicants will be considered until the position is filled. We would prefer that the position begin in Summer or Fall 2022, but are open to negotiating a Spring 2023 start date.
Applicants should send:
(1) Cover Letter or Portfolio summarizing relevant experiences, skills, and interests—please be specific and concrete about your contributions to prior projects—and how they align with the qualifications noted above.
(2) CV
(3) Unofficial academic transcripts, documenting relevant coursework
(4) Contact Information for 2-4 professional references. Formal letters of recommendation are not required for the initial application and will only be requested for short-listed applicants.
(5) Relevant paper(s) or preprint(s).
Please email your materials to Dr. Shackman (shackman@umd.edu).
Applicants will be considered until the position is filled.
This is a fantastic opportunity to live, work, and explore DC, MD, and Northern VA!
- Learn more about the revitalization of College Park at the Greater College Park website, in the Fall 2018 issue of Terp Magazine(flip to page 38) and in a special section of the Washington Business Journal
- College Park and neighboring Hyattsville were highlighted again in the Washingtonianand the Washington Post
- Hyattsville deemed a ‘hot’ neighborhood by the Washingtonian
The University of Maryland is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, and gender diversity. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, national origin, physical/mental disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
Employment is contingent on proof of COVID vaccination (or approved religious/medical exemption) and completion of a background check. A prior criminal conviction(s) will not automatically disqualify employment.
Note: In addition to the Maryland position, there will be a parallel hire at UC-Davis. The Davis Postdoctoral Fellow will work on theory-driven computational modeling of fear and anxiety under the supervision of our close friend and colleague, Dr. Andrew Fox, in collaboration with Dr. Erie Boorman. The data will be collected at Maryland and modeled at Davis as part of a collaborative NIMH project. Please contact Dr. Fox for additional details (dfox@ucdavis.edu).