Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Scientist

Department:

SOM KC Radiology

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Levendovszky Lab

Position Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Scientist

Job Family Group:

Professional Staff

Job Description Summary:

Department of Radiology has an immediate opening for a full time Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Scientist to join a strong magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research lab focused on the cerebrovascular pathology and its interaction with glymphatic biology for the purpose of better understanding neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. As a member of the Cerebrovascular Imaging and Analytics (CInA) lab, the candidate will be involved in developing purposeful, scientifically sound, imaging and analysis approaches for an accurate representation of brain physiology. The lab focuses on identifying the best practices in selecting imaging parameters that increase sensitivity to, and specificity of the physiological signal being measured. Instead of a generalized pipeline that works for all, we tailor processing and analysis steps for each study based on the acquisition, image quality, and the question to be answered. For this purpose, we strategically collaborate with neurologists, psychologists, radiologists, physicists, bioengineers, and biostatisticians. This multi-year position will report to CInA Director, Dr. Swati Rane Levendovszky (slevendovszky@kumc.edu).

Job Description:

Job Duties Outlined:

Research Overview: Design and conduct experiments and interpret data under the mentorship of the Principal Investigator (PI).

• Work independently and collaboratively on research projects.

• Perform preprocessing and pipelining of functional and structural MRI and DTI data; prepare and analyze data for presentation; work at the command-line in for neuroimaging processing and analysis (FSL, AFNI, in-house software tools).

• Assist with modifying computer scripts dedicated to analysis tasks.

• Prepare manuscripts and assist in grant preparation.

• Attend and participate in IBIC meetings.

• Maintain a current Laboratory Notebook, documenting all calculations, work, experiments, and other pertinent research information.

• May train and guide other analysts and technicians requiring assistance with analysis or analysis tools. 

Expectations: The Postdoc will be expected to complete research projects under the guidance of the faculty mentor, record and interpret the results of their experiments in an (electronic) laboratory notebook, prepare publication-quality manuscripts (including figures and tables) and publish in peer-reviewed literature.

• Read literature articles, develop new ideas, and assimilate the information into his/her project design/interpretation.

• Dissemination of studies: Interact on a regular basis with their PI, faculty mentor and members of the laboratory to discuss experimental design and interpretation of results.

• Present research aims and findings at department seminars and at local and national scientific meetings. Write and publish their results as first author in abstracts, manuscripts, and posters.

Compliance: Attend and maintain compliance on all orientation and training sessions designated by the University and the Department, understand and follow IACUC and biosafety protocols, and attend departmental seminars and regular lab meetings.

Self/Team Development: Provide innovative, visionary and collaborative initiative; continue to grow your own skill set necessary in your position; contribute to a team atmosphere in working with all internal/external customers.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. It is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, duties, and assignments. Furthermore, job duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required Qualifications:

• Education: PhD with experience in neuroimaging research OR equivalent education/experience.

• Work Experience:

  • Experience applying MRI methods to neuroscience; familiarity with a command line environment (e.g., UNIX, MATLAB, Python, R).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education: PhD in engineering, biomedical engineering, medical physics, physics, chemistry, biostatistics, computational neuroscience or related fields.

• Work Experience:

  • 2 years of experience in neuroimaging data processing.