Post Doctoral Scholar, Department of Psychology

Position Description

Area: Neurophysiological Basis of Spontaneous Thought

Duration: 2 Years

Start Date: November 1st, 2023 (negotiable)   

Salary: $50,000 CAD per year, plus Plan C health benefits

The Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar.

Job Description:

The Internal Attention Laboratory is seeking a highly motivated post-doctoral candidate with a background in cognitive neuroscience and interest in internal attention (also referred to as mind wandering). The candidate will work closely with Dr. Julia Kam in a collaborative environment within the Department of Psychology and Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary, with opportunities to work with international collaborators.

The candidate will work in an interdisciplinary environment with a team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, and computer scientists on several funded projects that aim to discover the neurophysiological basis of spontaneous thought, using intracranial EEG, machine learning and potentially stimulation approaches. Their primary role will involve executing the funded projects (i.e. acquisition of intracranial EEG from epilepsy patients, analysis of intracranial EEG data, development of analytic tools, scientific dissemination). With access to state-of-the-art neuroimaging facilities and academic resources, the candidate will have the opportunity to pursue collaborative and self-directed projects beyond the funded research. They will also be strongly encouraged to apply for national and international awards.

The lab’s mission is to deepen our knowledge of the neural underpinnings of internal attention and spontaneous thoughts in neurotypical individuals, as well as clinical (e.g., ADHD), and neurological populations (e.g. stroke), using a multi-modal approach that combines behavioral and eye tracking methods with scalp EEG and intracranial EEG. The candidate can expect to work in a diverse and inclusive environment, which aims to provide trainees with relevant opportunities and support them to achieve their career goals.

* Please review the Postdoc Eligibility Guidelines for more information prior to applying for this position.

Qualifications:

• A PhD in Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering or related disciplines.
• Background in human neuroscience or cognitive science.
• Interest in internal attention and electrophysiology.
• Experience with analyzing neural time series data (with strong preference for EEG/MEG/iEEG).
• Strong scientific computer programming (Matlab/Python) and statistical analysis (SPSS/R) skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, and strong interpersonal skills to interact with a diverse subject population (patients and healthy controls) and interdisciplinary team members.
   

Application Details:

• Please submit your application including the following documents in a single pdf to Dr. Julia Kam at [email protected]:
• A cover letter describing the relevance of applicant’s research experience and publication record to the position
• Current curriculum vitae 
• 1-2 first author publications (if available)
• Contact information (i.e., email) for 2 to 3 references (who may be asked for a reference letter if necessary).

Applicants are encouraged to apply to this position immediately. Application packages will be accepted until 11:59 pm MST August 15th , 2023.

Only those applicants selected for interviews will be contacted further. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada, although others are encouraged to apply.

Postdocs who are not Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada are advised to visit Information for International Postdoctoral Scholars.

Additional Information

To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Postdoc Careers website. For more information visit Careers in the Faculty of Arts.

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

To succeed as one of Canada’s top universities, where new ideas are created, tested and applied through first-class teaching and research, the University of Calgary needs more of the best minds in our classrooms and labs. We’re increasing our scholarly capacity by investing in people who want to change the world, bringing the best and brightest to Calgary to form a global intellectual hub and achieve advances that matter to everyone. For more information visit research.ucalgary.ca/postdocs.

About Calgary, Alberta

Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has been named one of the world's most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders – in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from the strongest economy in the nation and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour’s drive from the Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).