Post-Doctoral Fellowship in neuroimaging of network-based neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric syndromes
Neurology Neuro-Cognitive Division
The Darby Lab is excited to announce a new position for a post-doctoral fellow. The fellow will participate in three funded research projects investigating: 1.) Moral decision-making and neuroimaging in patients with frontotemporal dementia and antisocial behavior; 2.) Moral decision-making and neuroimaging in patients with Parkinson’s disease and impulse control disorders; and 3.) Development of innovative neuroimaging methods to investigate the functional consequences of network neurodegeneration in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementias Broadly, our lab has worked to develop new neuroimaging methods combining structural neuroimaging in neurological patients with normative maps of the human connectome to localize neurological symptoms to symptom-specific brain networks. We have focused on complex but poorly understood symptoms including delusions, antisocial and criminal behavior, and disordered free will perception. Our current goal is applying this approach to neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementias. The candidate would be primarily responsible for the development of novel neuroimaging methods combining structural atrophy patterns with functional connectivity and network-based approaches to understand how atrophy affects connected brain regions. The fellow would also be responsible for applying these methods to understand abnormal moral behavior, psychosis, agency, and volition in neurodegenerative disorders. We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic post-doctoral fellow with experience in cognitive neuroscience and/or neuroimaging. The ideal candidate would have a strong background in neuroimaging, including familiarity with common neuroimaging analysis software packages (FSL, SPM, Freesurfer), programming (Matlab, UNIX, Python), and most importantly, a passion for understanding brain-behavior relationships for complex neuropsychiatric symptoms. Fellows will be expected to transition towards working independently, with a focus on producing first-authored publications.
Interested candidates should send a brief cover letter describing their research interests (1 page max), CV, and 2-3 references to Ryan Darby atrichard.r.darby@vumc.org.