Post Doctoral position in Neuroscience at UCLA and the Karolinska Institute

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Karolinska Institutet, Neurology clinic and UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

We are seeking a highly talented, innovative and enthusiastic researcher with a PhD or MD/PhD in medicine neuroscience, cognitive science, computer science, engineering, biostatistics, psychology or physics, with experience of brain imaging (the latter is mandatory).

Your mission

This is a collaborative research project addressing the neurobiology of self-gender identity, gender dysphoria, and the comorbidity between autism spectrum disorders and gender dysphoria. We are also studying sexual orientation and its possible neurobiological underpinnings. The focus is on the perception of own body in the concept of self. The study will be conducted both at the Karolinska Institute (PI Professor Ivanka Savic) and at UCLA (PI Professor Jamie Feusner). Our team consists of physicians, physicists, engineers, neuroscientists, psychologists and biomedical experts, and our laboratories have expertise in functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, PET, and psychophysics. We have MEG and TMS facilities. We have access to two state-of-the-art 3-Tesla MRI scanners (both sites), an EEG lab, and the latest generation of the PET scanner (Karolinska Institute and Hospital).

Your profile

The ideal candidate will have expertise in cognitive neuroscience, human brain imaging (PET and/or MRI), and mathematics, have knowledge about brain anatomy, and insight in experimental psychology. The applicant should have experience in MRI acquisition and analysis, excellent programming skills (eg Linux, Matlab, Python, shell scripting), knowledge of statistics, and an appreciation of methodological issues in cognitive brain imaging. The applicant should be thorough, efficient, a good communicator, and enjoy working as part of a diverse, energetic, interdisciplinary team, and accept travels between the two sites. He/she should be able to manage several projects simultaneously, have strong verbal and written English skills, and an aptitude for writing manuscripts. The applicant will organize methodology workshops for PhD and doctoral students of the institutions. The applicant will also have many opportunities for learning and career development including national and international workshops and meetings. The applicant will be able to take advantage of the scientific skills at both sites, and will primarily be located at UCLA. This is a NIH supported study. A tentative plan is to spend first year at Karolinska Institute, second year at UCLA

The candidate is expected to work within the general framework of the research program and actively contribute to teaching and improving MR methodology, with respect to data post processing/analysis. It is important that the candidate can independently keep updated with the latest software and their advantages. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a consistently good academic record, including publications in peer-reviewed journals. Applicants are expected to have knowledge of post processing and analysis of MRI data. This includes functional connectivity and functional multivariate pattern analysis; analyses of structural connectivity and computational morphometry; and gene-brain interactions. There are several ongoing joint projects covering various fields (e.g., effect of chronic stress on the brain, impact of sex hormones on cerebral physiology and behavior, self-identity in human epilepsy and gender identity) that you could also be part of.

The position is for 1+1 years. Applicants with a foreign PhD are welcome.

Qualified to be employed as a postdoctor is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) date of employment. This must be substantiated by the applicant's main supervisor, director or equivalent.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment full of expertise and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. Karolinska Institutet is a state university, which entitles to several benefits such as extended holiday and generous occupational pension. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Location: Solna

Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
A complete list of publications
A summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome to apply at the latest June 15th, 2020

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all