Postdoctoral Researcher

The Medical College of Wisconsin • Milwaukee, WI

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The DREAM (Developing Resilience to Ease Anguition in Mourning) Lab, led by Dr. Joseph Goveas within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to join our multidisciplinary neuroimaging research team. Our lab's mission is to uncover neurobiological biomarkers predictive of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) onset and treatment response. With an extensive longitudinal dataset already collected, including multimodal MRI (e.g., resting-state connectivity, DTI, quantitative morphometry, task-induced BOLD activation, cerebral blood flow), along with detailed clinical and behavioral data, we are scaling up analytic efforts to answer fundamental questions about how grief unfolds over time—especially in older adults—and what differentiates resilient adaptation from PGD. Current projects include developing predictive models of chronic grief outcomes in acutely grieving adults, characterizing the heterogeneity in grief trajectories, and investigating how targeted interventions modulate brain networks and relate to clinical improvement in PGD. The Fellow will contribute to the development of computational brain models of grief and resilience in older adults, participating in multiple projects that employ advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to investigate brain network mechanisms underlying diverse grief trajectories, including adaptive (resilient) responses and complications such as PGD. This position also offers a unique opportunity to work with rich, multimodal longitudinal datasets from both acutely and chronically grieving adults.

Requirements

• PhD in a relevant scientific field (e.g., computer science, image processing, or computational neuroscience).
• Programming experience is required.
• Prior experience performing neuroimaging analysis is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Python is required.
• Experience working in Linux environment and writing Bash scripts is also expected.
• Programming and prior experience with neuroimaging data analysis is required.
• Solid foundation in statistical modeling and data analysis is required.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific concepts.
• Excellent English reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills in scientific contexts.
• Demonstrated ability in critical thinking and solving complex research problems.
• An aptitude to mentor student and research assistants

Nice To Haves

• Experience with longitudinal modeling, machine learning methods, subgroup analysis, or other advanced modeling techniques is highly desirable.
• Experience with neuroimaging tools such as AFNI, SPM, FSL, Freesurfer, or similar is a plus.
• Experience preparing scientific reports, abstracts, manuscripts, and grant submissions is preferred.
• Strong programming and neuroimaging analysis experience.
• Familiarity with longitudinal modeling or machine learning techniques is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Transition to career independence through the development of professional skills that enable the postdoc to actively pursue a career of their own choosing.
• Be supervised by at least one senior scholar who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
• Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates equally the postdoc's career and training goals and the mentor's research goals.
• Pursue basic, clinical, or translational projects so long as effort is focused primarily on research.
• Publish results of the postdoc's research and scholarship during their appointment.
• Perform advanced computational analyses on longitudinal brain imaging and behavioral datasets.
• Design, implement, and refine innovative neuroimaging data processing pipelines.
• Report to the Principal Investigator and closely collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across the Center for Imaging Research, Neuroscience Center, and departments of Psychiatry, Biophysics, and Radiology.
• Lead manuscript preparation and contribute to high-impact scientific publications.
• Engage in regular meetings with the PI and research team to interpret findings and optimize methodologies.
• Attend and present at scientific conferences.

Benefits

• Outstanding Healthcare Coverage, including but not limited to Health, Vision, and Dental.
• Flexible Spending options
• 403B Retirement Package
• Competitive Vacation and Paid Holidays offered
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• Pet Insurance
• On campus Fitness Facility, offering onsite classes
• Additional discounted rates on items such as: Select cell phone plans, local fitness facilities, Milwaukee recreation and entertainment etc.

What This Job Offers

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