Research Fellow

Post-Doc position in brain stimulation and imaging at MGH Martinos Center, Boston, MA

We are seeking a full-time Post-Doctoral Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) / Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

The Post-Doc will mainly be responsible for recording and analyzing animal preparation and human brain data. The animal work involves transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) while recording the responses from in vitro tissue preparations. The work in humans includes magneto-and electroencephalography (MEG/EEG) and using MRI-guided TMS. Other types of recordings may include MRI, fMRI, diffusion MRI tractography, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and behavioral recordings. In addition, the Post-Doc is responsible for data cleaning, MEG/EEG source analysis, TMS/tDCS electric field analysis, MRI data analysis, statistical analysis, preparing and publishing articles in scientific journals, progress reports, and participating in grant writing. This position requires past training and experience with animal recordings and stimulation in neuronal tissue, a detail-oriented personality, learning to use and develop complex devices and analysis techniques, and excellent organizing / time management skills.

You will be working as an integral member of an experienced team, reporting directly to the project leadership at MGH. You will work closely with Research Technicians assigned to the project and other Post-Docs. The position allows interacting with other world-class neuroscientists, engineers, physicists, and physicians at the MGH Martinos Center, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The position will give cutting-edge expertise in multimodal brain stimulation and imaging. Salary is according to NIH recommendations.

To apply, please send, as three separate documents, the following:

1. Academic CV that includes a description of prior research experience and a list of publications,

2. Statement of future goals and interests, and

3. Names and contact information (email, phone) of 3 professional references.

Email application materials and inquiries to:

* Tommi Raij, MD PhD, raij@mgh.harvard.edu

* Padma Sundaram Patel, PhD, padma@bwh.harvard.edu

The position is full-time, with an initial 2-year commitment required (to be extended depending on work performance and availability of funds), starting October 2023 at the earliest. This would be an ideal opportunity for a candidate bound for an academic career combining animal and human neuroscience.

MGH is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.

1. IACUC/IRB and Clinical Trials documentation

• Obtain informed consent from human participants. We mainly study healthy adults, but some projects may include neurological and psychiatric patient populations.
• Assist in preparing and submitting IACUC and IRB documentation as needed
• Manage Clinical Trials documentation

2. Lead data Collection (major responsibility, training will be provided)

* Coordinate data collection with PIs and research staff as appropriate

* Assist in training the Research Technicians and other personnel for data recordings

* Lead recording sessions on-site with the Research Technicians, including:

- Animal preparations

- Conduct human safety screenings for MEG, EEG, TMS, tDCS, and MRI recordings

- Prepare human subjects for MEG, EEG, TMS, tDCS, and MRI recordings

- Record EEG electrode locations using 3D digitizer/navigator devices as needed

- Record high-quality electrophysiological and MEG/EEG/TMS/tDCS data using our equipment

- Record MRI, DTI, and/or fMRI data

- Record TMS coil locations using navigator devices

- Manage stimulus presentation (visual, auditory, somatosensory) and behavioral response devices and software (Presentation)

- Identify and correct on-line for TMS/tDCS and other artifacts in electrophysiological/MEG/EEG/EMG/ECG recordings

- Monitor participants during and after TMS/tDCS/MEG/EEG/MRI, and in the event of an adverse reaction, keep subjects from harm and alert the clinical team

- Conduct interviews using a variety of structured and non-structured questionnaires

3. Lead Data Management and Analysis (major responsibility, training will be provided)

* Store, organize, clean, and analyze the collected data as needed

* Conduct evoked and oscillatory domain MEG/EEG data analyses using existing software

* Conduct source analysis of MEG/EEG data using existing software

* Conduct TMS/tDCS electric field analyses using and adapting existing software

* Generate reports detailing data collected, quality assurance findings, and analysis results

* Conduct literature searches, distribute articles as appropriate

* Supervise various record-keeping tasks such as filing consent forms and other data collection forms on participants to ensure ease of data retrieval and tracking of participants

* Assist in training Research Technicians and other personnel for data management and analysis

4. Dissemination, Support Scholarly Activities

* Prepare and publish manuscripts in leading scientific journals

* Give talks and other scientific presentations

* Attend scientific conferences as required

* Attend internal meetings

* Assist in grant writing

* Prepare data tables, graphs, and charts for presentations and manuscripts

5. Perform other duties that may be assigned in the best interest of the Martinos Center TMS Core

• A Doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognitive Sciences, or related fields.
• Courses, knowledge, and hands-on experience with animal and/or human recordings of the brain.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification is required after starting the position (offered at MGH).
• Courses in neuroscience, signal analysis, mathematics, statistics, computational modeling, physics, and/or experimental psychology are useful.
• Demonstrated skills in matlab, python, and linux (CentOS, csh) are required for data recording and analysis. C++ programming skills are a plus. Experience with stimulus presentation and behavioral response devices and software (e.g., Presentation) is helpful.
• Skills with one or more research neuroimaging software package (e.g., FreeSurfer, FSL, SPM, MNE, FieldTrip, Brainstorm) are useful. Learning to become proficient in FreeSurfer and MNE is necessary.
• Excellent communication (verbal and written English) skills.
• Analytical ability is required to prepare reports, maintain data inventory, develop graphs, and identify concerns.
• Strong interpersonal skills are needed to interact effectively with subjects/family members, physicians, supervisors, technicians, and students for various research projects.
• Flexibility to coordinate scheduling with other staff is needed.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment in assigned areas of responsibility.

EDUCATION:

Required: Doctoral Degree

Required: Must be responsible, self-motivated, detail-oriented, resourceful, organized, a team player, and have excellent communication (verbal and written English) and interpersonal skills. Prior hands-one expertise with animal and/or human subject preparation, recordings, and analysis is required. Demonstrated programming experience with matlab/python is necessary. No more than 5 years of past Post-Doctoral experience.

Optional: Knowledge of physics, electromagnetism, and computational modeling of electric and magnetic fields. Experience with at least one major MEG/EEG/neuroimaging software (FreeSurfer, FSL, SPM, MNE, MNE-python, FieldTrip, and/or BrainStorm) is useful. Experience with several major MEG/EEG/neuroimaging software applications (FreeSurfer, FSL, SPM, MNE, MNE-python, FieldTrip, and/or BrainStorm) is an advantage.

1. Normal office/research laboratory environment with little or no exposure to dust or extreme temperatures.