Postdoctoral Scholar Fellow
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
Full-time
Education
Posted on April 2, 2024
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU's sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's generous benefits package that includes: competitive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, Virginia Retirement System (VRS), professional development & certifications, tuition waiver, parental leave, caregiving leave and community service leave. Learn more about VCU's benefits here: https://hr.vcu.edu/careers-at-vcu/why-work-at-vcu/
Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.
Summary:
The Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) residing within the Department of Psychiatry, in the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia, invites applications for a full-time postdoctoral researcher position, available immediately. VIPBG is an interdisciplinary institute that brings together researchers with backgrounds ranging from statistical and molecular genetics to epidemiology, psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience, all with a shared focus on understanding how genetic and environmental factors impact the development of psychiatric and substance use disorders and behavioral phenotypes/complex traits.
The postdoctoral research education program is tailored to the experience and needs of the research fellow, and has an emphasis on tutorials and collaborative research. Suitable backgrounds include, but are not limited to, mathematics, statistics, psychology, psychiatry, biology, genetics and medicine. A broad array of courses in biostatistics, computer programming, mathematics, psychology, molecular genetics, statistical genetics, bioinformatics, pharmacology and biomedical sciences may be attended as desired. Future employment prospects for fellows are exceptionally good; high demand in the fields of genetics, psychology, biostatistics and data science are supplemented by industry demands for statistical geneticists.
The development of research skills is the primary focus of post-doctoral training, with an emphasis on broad exposure to psychiatric and behavior genetic methods together with detailed study in one or more areas that would lead to publications and grant proposals. The core of post-doctoral training is supervised research under the mentorship of experienced scientists. As trainees may have a variety of degrees (PhD or MD), their directed research training may be supplemented by formal course work or directed reading. In consultation with their primary advisor, trainees will develop an individualized training program, tailored to their needs. The exceptionally rich academic environment and the wealth of funded research projects allows the trainees to pick a research project of interest. Trainees are encouraged to write first-author scientific papers on their research and develop grant proposals.
Specific responsibilities will include:
- Development of research questions consistent with specific aims.
- Execution of analyses independently and in collaboration with other members of the research
team. - Documentation of all analytic procedures through open science applications.
- Manuscript preparation and submission to peer reviewed academic journals.
- Contribution as a co-author to manuscripts led by other members of the research team.
- Presentation of findings at professional conferences.
- Behavioral Genetics
- Deep Phenotyping
- Advanced Statistics
- Methods Development
- Health Disparities
- Big Data Science
- Grantsmanship
- Professional Development
- Molecular genetic & genomic research studies
- Twin studies, extended pedigrees
- Statistical genetics methods development and application
- Neuroimaging
- Clinical laboratory studies
- Numerous substantive areas: schizophrenia, suicide, depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, alcohol use disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, birth outcomes, smoking, autism, and related risk and protective factors
- Collaborative work on large-scale studies of neuroimaging and neurocognition and genomics consortia worldwide
PhD in a related field: Mathematics; Biostatistics; Psychology; Psychiatry; Biology; Genetics; Epidemiology. Ability to work collaboratively and as part of a team. A commitment to thorough, rigorous research, and a thoughtful approach to problem solving.
Preferred Hiring Standards:
History of peer reviewed publications is preferred. Experience interpreting findings in a developmental context is preferred. Demonstration of excellent written and oral communication skills. Demonstrated skills in the design and execution of research aims related to psychiatric, substance use, or behavioral outcomes. Proven skills and experience in psychiatric epidemiology, behavioral genetics, psychology, or a related field. A strong background in quantitative analytic skills, preferably within the context of R data science programming language.
Position will remain open until filled.
The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran's period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!
This is a restricted position with no set end date and continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.
Salary Range: $56,484-$68,604
Position Details:
Department: Psychiatry/VIPBG
Employment Type: PD - Post Doc
Restricted Status: Yes
FTE: 1.0
Exemption Status: Exempt
Contact Information:
Contact Name: Tina Rust
Contact Email:
Contact Phone:
