Postdoctoral Associate - Psychiatry - Child Division - Posner Lab

Duke Careers • Durham, NC

81d

About The Position

The Postdoctoral Associate will conduct independent research activities under the guidance of a faculty mentor in preparation for a full-time academic or research career. The individual will work primarily on the Duke Predictive Model of Adolescent Mental Health (Duke-PMA) study, a multi-site NIH-funded project that leverages artificial intelligence to predict risks of adolescent mental illness and to improve early detection and prevention strategies in primary care settings. This study aims to enhance, deploy, and rigorously validate the Duke Predictive Model of Adolescent Mental Health (Duke-PMA), a neural network-based tool designed to identify youth at high risk for psychiatric illness using low-cost, accessible clinical and behavioral measures. The overarching objective is to address the urgent need for accurate, individualized mental health prediction tools-particularly in rural and under-served communities where access to psychiatric services is limited.

Requirements

• PhD or equivalent doctorate (e.g., ScD, MD, DVM) in psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, biostatistics, bioinformatics, computer science, or a related field.
• Research background in clinical, computational, or developmental sciences relevant to mental health.

Nice To Haves

• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team.
• Commitment to publishing research and pursuing a career in academic or translational research.
• Experience with statistical modeling, machine learning, or related quantitative methods preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Engage in substantially full-time research or scholarship under the guidance of a faculty mentor, focusing on areas related to adolescent mental health and predictive modeling.
• Design, conduct, and analyze experiments and studies related to the Duke-PMA project, which integrates psychosocial, neurobiological, and clinical data to develop and validate predictive models of psychiatric risk.
• Prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and present findings at national and international conferences.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of investigators, data scientists, clinicians, and community partners involved in the Duke-PMA study.
• Contribute to the preparation of grant applications, progress reports, and other project-related documents.
• Maintain accurate and complete records of research activities in accordance with Duke University standards.
• Adhere to University standards regarding use of human subjects, data security, and responsible conduct of research.
• Participate in mentoring activities with graduate and undergraduate students, as appropriate.

Benefits

• Health insurance plans
• Generous paid time off
• Retirement programs with employer contributions
• Tuition assistance for employees and their children

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees