Research Fellowship
Vanderbilt Osher Center (Nashville, TN)
The Contemplative
Neuroscience and Integrative Medicine lab (CNIM) at the Osher
Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical
Center invites applications for a post-doctoral research
fellowship. The post-doctoral appointment is for 1-3 years with
the possibility to establish an independent program and a faculty
appointment at VUMC.
The mission of The Osher center’s new CNIM research laboratory is
to alleviate suffering and improve well-being through rigorous
investigation of the mind. Under the direction of David Vago,
PhD, the CNIM utilizes a translational approach to identify and
characterize neurobiological substrates mediating
psychopathology, to better predict outcomes and clarify potential
biologically-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for
those suffering with mental illness and chronic pain.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute your technical
expertise and creativity to innovative research projects in a
collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment and to gain
experience in patient-centered research using psychological,
first-person phenomenological, cognitive-behavioral, genomic,
neuroendocrine, physiological (e.g., EEG, EMG, ECG, HR, BP,
pupillary, skin conductance) and multimodal (e.g., fMRI, MRI,
DTI, MRS, EEG-fMRI) brain imaging techniques. The successful
candidate will have access to state-of-the-art brain imaging and
computational facilities at the Vanderbilt University Institute
of Imaging Science (VUIIS), the VU Brain Institute, the largest
DNA databank (BioVU) in the world, and Vanderbilt Institute for
Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) in order to carry out
high-impact multi-disciplinary research and development of
innovative mental health applications. Access to de-identified
medical record information and data associated with participation
in integrative medicine therapies is also available from
Bravenet, the nation’s largest practice-based integrative
medicine research network across 19 collaborative
institutions.
The successful candidate will work closely with our expert team
of clinicians and research staff, neuroimaging faculty, and
collaborators across the Vanderbilt University campus to
contribute to the rigorous investigation of mind-brain-body
interactions and their therapeutic relevance in health care
settings. The post-doctoral fellow will be expected to contribute
to ongoing projects and to develop an independent line of
research. Mentorship, training, and professional development
opportunities will be provided to facilitate the fellow’s future
career in academic, research, or industry settings with expertise
in affective neuroscience, the science of meditation and
integrative medicine.
Qualifications/Experience:
- A PhD and relevant research experience in cognitive neuroscience, computational neuroscience, brain network modeling, biostatistics, bioinformatics, or related fields.
- Experimental paradigm design/implementation (e.g., E-Prime, Presentation, PsychoPy, etc.),
- Psychophysiological experimentation (e.g., Startle-blink, skin conductance, etc.)
- Neuroimaging analyses (e.g., GLM, MVPA, ICA, functional and anatomical connectivity/morphometry) using both BOLD and ASL.
- Computational methods and programming/scripting skills used in neuroimaging (e.g., Matlab, C/C++, Python, AFNI, FSL, SPM, Freesurfer).
- Exceptional skills in experimental design, quantitative methods, statistical modeling, and the ability to carry out independent data entry and statistical analyses using standard software packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, R) are particularly desirable.
- Solid mastery of written English and show evidence of peer-reviewed publications. Candidate must be eligible to work in United States.
A competitive salary is offered that is commensurate on experience plus full benefits. Start date as soon as possible. This is a 1-3 year full-time position that depends upon leveraging future funding and performance. Please email a CV, statement of research interests and relevant background, and names of three referees to Dr. David Vago at david.vago@vanderbilt.edu.