Job Details

Department Overview

The post-doctoral fellow will be part of a landmark NIH-funded study focused on advancing understanding of brain and behavioral development from infancy through childhood. The team at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon is led by Drs. Elinor Sullivan, Alice Graham, and Bonnie Nagel. OHSU is one of 25 institutions nationwide that will recruit families to participate in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study. The HBCD Study is the largest, long-term study of early brain and child development in the United States with the goal of understanding how multiple factors impact brain development to better support children and families. This ambitious project, funded through a partnership of a dozen Institutes, Centers, and Offices of the National Institutes of Health, will enroll approximately 7,500 participating families from across the United States and follow them from pregnancy through early childhood. This post-doctoral position will be focused on the MRI component of the project, which affords a unique opportunity to get cutting-edge training in developmental neuroimaging and collaborate with leading experts from around the country who are working together on this effort.

The post-doctoral researcher on this project would be expected to lead and organize MRI data collection efforts from infants and young children and engage with the HBCD consortium by representing the OHSU site, serving on workgroups, attending relevant trainings, and giving presentations. There will also be opportunities for the postdoctoral fellow to pursue research questions with exciting existing datasets from federally funded developmental studies made available by the PIs, Drs. Alice Graham and Elinor Sullivan.

Learning and training opportunities will be developed commensurate with the interests and skills of the candidate. The position will provide two years of funding, with additional years dependent on performance.

Function/Duties of Position

• Leading and organizing MRI data collection efforts from infants and young children including attending scans on evenings and weekends and responsibility for data quality control.
• Engaging with HBCD consortium (representing the OHSU site by serving on workgroups, attending relevant trainings, and giving presentations).
• Statistical analysis of MRI and other data types in preparation for dissemination.
• Training graduate students, undergraduate students, and research assistants.
• Assisting with research protocols and compliance.
• Contributing to dissemination of data including preparing manuscripts for publication and presentation of data at national and international meetings.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Psychology, Neuroscience or other relevant field.
• Experience collecting and analyzing MRI or related data in developmental populations and a record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Background in neuroimaging and developmental neuroscience.
• Strong independent writing and speaking skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• The ability to work well in a cross-disciplinary environment and in a team.
• Keen attention to detail and strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in statistical software packages (e.g., R, Mplus, SPSS).

Preferred Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will also have experience with advanced statistical methods such as structural equation modeling, longitudinal data analysis, mixture modeling, and machine learning.
• Experience working both collaboratively and independently.

All are welcome

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply.