Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

The Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) is seeking a Research Fellow to join our Neurosurgery Restorative Neurotrauma Lab (RNL). This position is designed for individuals pursuing neurosurgery or related clinical training and provides direct exposure to a high-volume county hospital environment with active prospective clinical trials.

This is a hybrid role with a strong in-person component at Hennepin County Medical Center located in downtown Minneapolis, MN.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The fellow will be an integral part of a multidisciplinary team focused on spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), with an emphasis on neuromodulation, electrophysiology, and restoration of neurologic function. The role combines clinical research coordination, project leadership, and academic productivity, with opportunities for first-author publications and direct mentorship from neurosurgery faculty.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Under the direction of the Principal Investigators, the Research Fellow will:

• Lead and contribute to clinical research projects in SCI and TBI, including prospective neuromodulation trials
• Take ownership of at least one primary research project with the goal of first-author publication
• Assist with patient recruitment, screening, and enrollment across active clinical studies
• Serve as a liaison between the research team and clinical neurosurgery service to support study integration into clinical workflows
• Participate in study visits and patient-facing research activities, including data collection and clinical assessments as appropriate
• Contribute to data analysis and interpretation across a range of datasets (clinical, physiologic, electrophysiologic)
• Prepare abstracts, presentations, and manuscripts for scientific conferences and peer-reviewed journals
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including neurosurgeons, research coordinators, engineers, and rehabilitation specialists
• Support ongoing study coordination, regulatory documentation, and protocol execution

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:

Education/Experience:

Any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. Typical qualifications would be a baccalaureate degree and at least one (1) year experience with the specified research field. Experience with electronic medical records (EPIC), regulatory documentation, writing and preparing grant proposals and managing research budgets, preferred. Experience implementing clinical research protocols, recruiting patients for research studies, data gathering, and maintaining research data.

Skill, Knowledge & Ability (SKA):

Requires interaction with a diverse population. Work effectively within multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with researchers on projects related to Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury research.

Minimum qualifications:

• Strong interest in neurosurgery, neurotrauma, or neuromodulation
• Experience participating in research projects and contributing to scientific writing
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced clinical research environment
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to work independently within a team
• Proficiency in standard research tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Preferred qualifications:

• Prior experience with clinical trials or prospective human research
• Experience with data analysis or statistical methods
• Familiarity with electrophysiology, neuromodulation, or neuroscience research
• Experience working in a hospital or clinical environment
• Exposure to programming (MATLAB, Python) or data analysis tools (not required)

HHRI is an Equal Opportunity Employer