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.

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