Opportunities
Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Belief in Jordan Grafman’s Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab & Northwestern University
Description
A postdoctoral research fellowship in the cognitive neuroscience of religious belief is available as soon as possible at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab under the supervision of Drs. Jordan Grafman and Patrick McNamara. These positions are for 2.5 years, with the possibility of extension. Affiliated with the Northwestern University School of Medicine, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab features a dedicated 3.0 T human MRI scanner and excellent MRI-compatible auxiliary equipment, and significant computational resources are available in the local research community.
Requirements
The successful candidates will contribute to a John Templeton Foundation funded research project, with an emphasis on understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms of an attachment to God. Several experiments are funded including (1) Collecting Normative Data and (3) Three Functional Neuroimaging Experiments looking at the relationship of religious belief and attachment to God. Other ongoing projects in the Laboratory include: 1) investigation of plastic brain functional network changes in individuals with brain injury and 2) investigation of the effect of damage to the human frontal lobes on various aspects of cognition, but in particular, reward and reinforcement. The postdoctoral candidate will have opportunities for collaboration and to further develop their skills in lesion mapping and functional brain imaging. The post-doctoral fellowship will also require helping coordinate the research activities of several subprojects funded by this grant. The candidate should have a keen interest in developing an independent research career. A minimum 2.5-year commitment is required. Salary for the qualified candidate is consistent with NIH guidelines.
Qualifications
A Ph.D. degree in cognitive neuroscience, neuroscience, psychology or related disciplines.
Experience in functional neuroimaging (particularly task-activated or resting-state fMRI) data analysis.
Experience with functional neuroimaging software (AFNI, FSL, MATLAB, or other relevant programs). Substantial experience in MRI data acquisition and analysis, including expertise working with MRI analysis software such as FSL, SPM, AFNI, CONN, or FreeSurfer, as well as some familiarity with Bash, Python and/or MATLAB. Some experience in multivoxel pattern analysis and relational similarity analysis is desirable.
Ability to assist with supervision and training of a research assistant and students.
Good verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to work independently and, as importantly, in a team environment.
Experience in Bayesian Statistical approaches, cognitive neuroscience methods, and previous work with clinical populations are also desirable (but not required).
To build a diverse workforce, The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab encourages applications from all individuals. The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.
Applications for the post-doctoral fellowship should include (1) a CV or resume; (2) a one-page statement of interest and future career goals; and (3) 3 letters of recommendation.
Please send applications or inquiries about this position to:
Jordan Grafman, Ph.D.
Director, Brain Injury Research
Chief, Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
Think and Speak Lab
25th Floor, Northeast Corner
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
355 E. Erie Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611-5146
Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Neurology, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s
Center, Department of Psychiatry, Feinberg School of Medicine & Department of Psychology,
Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois
E-Mail: jgrafman@northwestern.edu
E-Mail: jgrafman@sralab.org
Office Phone: 312-238-1495