Postdoctoral Fellow

The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest has an opportunity for a

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP
Focus on the cognitive neuroscience of auditory and memory function

Position Type: Temporary Full-time (approx. 2yrs)

Shift Type: Day

Bi-Weekly Hours: 70 Hours

Posting Number: 8322

Union: Non-Union

Date Posted: October 29, 2024

Our research team is seeking a postdoctoral fellow. The postdoctoral fellow will be supervised by Dr. Björn Herrmann at the Rotman Research Institute, and collaborate with Morgan Barense at the University of Toronto and Alexander Barnett at McGill University. The successful applicant will use behavioral/psychophysical methods and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) in younger and older adults with or without hearing loss to study how naturalistic speech is perceived, encoded, and recalled, including the underlying brain and cognitive processes. The research aims to investigate the intersection of speech processing and memory. The fellow will have the opportunity to develop other projects depending on their skills, interests, and interactions with other lab members. The fellowship will start early 2025 (flexible) and offers ample opportunity for collaborations both within the institute and with other researchers in Toronto. The application deadline is December 1, 2024.

The Rotman Research Institute (RRI) is a premier international centre for the study of human brain function. The RRI is committed to advancing knowledge of healthy aging and age-related brain disorders, such as dementia, stroke, and sensory loss, by building on its foundational strengths in cognitive neuroscience and its leadership in the innovative use of informatics, electrophysiology, and neuroimaging technologies.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Experimental design, data collection and analysis, manuscript preparation
• Data analysis using advanced, multivariate statistical tools applied to behavioral and fMRI data
• Dissemination of research results (e.g., publications, conferences, public outreach)

Qualifications include but are not limited to:

• PhD or equivalent degree in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, physiology, electrical engineering, or similar
• Must have advanced quantitative and computer skills, including the ability to program in MATLAB or Python for experimental design and sophisticated data analysis
• Experience recruiting and testing research participants
• Experience with fMRI data collection and analysis
• Effective oral and written communication skills

Application Guidelines:

We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, or persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

In order to minimize any implicit bias in the initial review of applications, we require all applicants to submit two independent application documents: One main application file and one supplementary anonymized application file. Only the anonymized information will be used for the initial screening and rating of applicants.

• A brief cover letter (half a page to a page) describing your interest in the lab and your skills/experiences; please also comment on a potential starting date
• One selected publication
• Two names and contact information of references who can be contacted, including the PhD advisor

The file should not include your name or any identifiers. This file should include the following sections:

• Most significant research contribution (300 words or less). Describe a single publication, or a set of publications. Indicate its/their current status (e.g., published, preprint). What is it about? How has it advanced your field? What was your contribution? Do not include your name. If referring to publications, please follow the guidelines below.
• Most significant other contribution (300 words or less). This may or may not be a research contribution. Other areas are leadership, public outreach, contributions to EDI, contributions to training, methods or theoretical development, symposia/workshop organization, or any other area where you feel you made a significant contribution. Do not include your name. If referring to publications, please follow the guidelines below.
• Education and experience: List your postsecondary degrees and years awarded. List the field of research (e.g., Psychology) for each degree but do not list the institution. List any previous fellowships with start and end dates and research field, but do not name institutions or supervisors.
• Honours, Awards, Grants: List honours, awards, and research grants with dates of the awards. For national or international awards list full award/grant information. For institutional awards describe the award but do not list the institution name.
• Publications: Provide a list of publications organized by type (e.g., review articles, research article, book chapter, etc.) and status (e.g., published, preprint, in revision). Do not list author names, but do provide title, journal title and year. Briefly annotate each publication to indicate your contribution (first/primary author, middle-author and collaborator, etc.) and provide the current number of lifetime citations.

Internal applicants: It is preferred that you submit your application online via our intranet. Please ensure that your updated resume is submitted with your application. Failure to submit your resume may affect your candidacy for this position.

External applicants: Please submit your application online by clicking the Apply button below.

Remarkable people of Baycrest are changing the future of brain health and aging.

Thank you for your interest in joining Baycrest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Baycrest is committed to providing accessible employment practices that are in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (‘AODA’). If you require accommodation for disability during any stage of the recruitment process, please notify Human Resources at recruitment@baycrest.org or 416-785-2500, ext. 2961.

All successful candidates will be required to complete a police reference check/vulnerable sector screen. Such exemptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.