Research Postdoctoral Fellow - Center for Autism Research

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia • Philadelphia, PA

7d • $20,800 - $110,400 • Onsite

About The Position

Under the direction/guidance of a mentor (principal investigator), assumes responsibility for a specific, on-going research project. The experience will serve to extend, refine and enhance skills necessary for professional and career development, and will enable the individual to broaden his/her scientific background by acquiring new research capabilities. It is expected that this individual will conduct independent scholarly research, and will contribute directly to the overall research goals of the project and the research group.

This role will be expected to participate in project planning, recording and interpretation/evaluation of data, and communication of results. This position will also be expected to acquire technical, lab management, and manuscript/grant writing skills; and participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions and presentations at national meetings. This role also may be required to supervise junior lab members, develop new methods and protocols for research, and assist with the development of other research projects in the lab.
The Center for Autism Research (CAR) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to join our project focusing on innovative technologies to better understand social communication. Our NIH-supported fellowship involves the use of perceptual computing (particularly computer vision analysis of facial expressions and gestures) to track social and affective processes among neurotypical and neurodivergent youth, primarily during naturalistic interactions with peers. Additional research emphases include computational linguistics and measures from cognitive neuroscience, including peripheral nervous system function and brain imaging. The position involves active, structured mentorship from senior leadership, particularly Principal Investigator Dr. John Herrington, and is designed to serve as a stepping stone toward a future career as an independent scientist and scholar. The appointment is for two years, with the possibility of extension depending on available funding and the fellow’s professional development needs.

Requirements

• PhD in psychology with a focus on social and/or affective information processing (clinical, developmental, or cognitive psychology are strong fits)
• PhD in computer engineering, data science, quantitative methods, or a related field with an emphasis on computer vision or wearable-device data, particularly electrocardiography (ECG)
• Demonstrated track record of independently writing computer code
• Proficiency in Python is preferred, but proficiency in another programming language (e.g., R, JavaScript, BASH) will be considered, provided the applicant is willing to develop Python proficiency during the fellowship
• Ability to wear a respirator device

Nice To Haves

• Experience with computer vision
• Experience with wearable-device data, particularly electrocardiography (ECG)
• Experience with Python
• Experience with R
• Experience with JavaScript
• Experience with BASH

Responsibilities

• Conduct independent scholarly research and develop new methods and protocols
• Participate in project planning, recording and evaluation of data
• Acquire technical, lab management and grant writing skills
• Participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions and presentation at national meetings
• Supervise junior lab members
• Assist with other research projects
• Data analysis
• Manuscript preparation
• Grant development
• Applying for independent sources of grant funding
• Provide supervision and mentorship to trainees, including research assistants and doctoral students

Benefits

• Participation in the world-class academic environments of both Penn and CHOP
• Training in advanced computational methods and statistical approaches, including computer vision, machine learning, and related techniques
• Affiliation with informatics colleagues in CHOP’s Department of Biomedical Health and Informatics (DBHi)
• Affiliation with CAR collaborators at the Linguistic Data Consortium and Department of Computer Science at Penn
• Expertise in a wide range of human behavior across human development, with specific expertise in autism and other developmental or psychiatric disorders
• Participation in a broad range of professional development and scholarly activities across CHOP and Penn, including laboratory meetings, journal clubs, clinical group supervision, seminars, and invited talks
• Support for a healthy work-life balance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree