Post-Doc Position at the University of Washington

Post-Doctoral Research Position

Stress and Development Lab

University of Washington

We are seeking a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. This position will be based in the Stress and Development Lab, led by Katie McLaughlin.  Our research examines the impact of environmental experience on cognitive, social, and emotional development in children and adolescents.  Many of our studies are focused on identifying developmental mechanisms linking adverse environmental experiences to the onset of psychopathology. 

The post-doctoral research associate will be involved in all aspects of the research process, including study design, survey and behavioral task development, participant recruitment, data collection, supervision of the research team, management of daily operations, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and grant writing.   These duties will primarily focus on two ongoing projects: a) a longitudinal fMRI study examining trauma exposure and development of neural networks underlying emotion regulation in 8-16 year olds; and b) a study characterizing underlying dimensions of environmental experience (e.g., language exposure, environmental complexity) associated with child poverty and the associations of these dimensions with the development of executive functions in 5-7 year olds.  In addition, there will be opportunities for designing and implementing new studies. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

•       Design surveys, behavioral tasks, and MRI tasks
•   Supervision of a team of graduate students and research assistants in data collection, cleaning, and analysis
• Develop and maintain relationships with community organizations working with children exposed to trauma
•     Deliver presentations to interested organizations about the lab’s research and ongoing studies
•  Supervise the administration of clinical interviews and neuropsychological tests
•  Supervise the implementation of standardized protocols for collecting and scoring psychophysiology and MRI data
•    Write IRB proposals and interact with the human subjects committee
•    Analyze existing psychophysiology and MRI data
•    Prepare manuscripts for publication\
•   Assist with grant writing
•     Perform related duties as required

Qualifications:  

• Doctoral degree in psychology or cognitive neuroscience.
• Experience collecting data from children and adolescents
• Experience with task presentation software (e.g., Eprime, Psychopy, MATLAB)
• Experience in assessment and analysis of neurobiological data (autonomic nervous system, neuroendocrine markers, structural and functional MRI)
• Managerial skills and ability to effectively manage a research team
• Familiarity and comfort working in a command line environment (e.g., Linux operating systems) is preferred. 
• Clinical experience working with children and adolescents and administering clinical interviews and/or neuropsychological tests is preferred.

To apply, please send a cover letter, a CV, a 2-page statement of research background and interests, 2 reprints/preprints (or other writing samples) and have three letters of recommendation emailed directly to Katie McLaughlin: mclaughk@uw.edu. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Application review will begin December 1 and continue until the position is filled. A Ph.D., or foreign equivalent, is required by the date of appointment. This is a 100% FTE position. The initial appointment will be for 1 year, but a multi-year appointment is possible, and desirable, with renewals.

The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, status as protected veterans, or status as qualified individuals with disabilities.