Postdoctoral Research Associate

The lab of Benjamin Philip, PhD at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research Associate with interests in human rehabilitation and its neural mechanisms. Under the direction of Dr. Philip (https://www.ot.wustl.edu/about/our-people/benjamin-philip-73), this position will take a lead role in multiple studies, with primary focus on a five-year NINDS funded project using behavioral, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation approaches to determining how brain lateralization and interhemispheric connectivity support long-term forced use of the non-dominant hand.

Dr. Philip’s lab is uniquely situated at the intersection between neuroscience and rehabilitation science. Housed in the Program for Occupational Therapy, the lab seeks to connect neuroscientific knowledge to patient life. Our goal is to identify how the brain responds and compensates after changes in the body, and how to capitalize on those changes to help patients live the lives they want to lead. The laboratory's primary techniques include, but are not limited to: task-based neuroimaging, sensory and motor assessments of the upper limb, measurement of hand choices, and neuromodulation.

The successful candidate will join the growing laboratory, and work directly with Dr. Philip to gain relevant technical and scientific expertise, as well as professional development mentorship. The postdoctoral fellow will be able to interact directly with collaborators across Washington University, including in surgery, radiology, neuroscience, and psychology.

Primary duties and responsibilities:

1. Leads the execution of studies associated with the primary project described above
2. Assists in the design of research experiments
3. Assists in preparation of manuscripts and grants
4. Conducts quantitative analyses of behavioral and neuroimaging datasets
5. Develops original research ideas under the aegis of funded laboratory research
6. Provides guidance and mentorship to more junior lab members
7. Disseminates the lab's research through presentations at conferences, symposia, etc.
8. Serves as a liaison to other research groups to facilitate collaborations within and beyond Washington University

Required qualifications:

1. Ph.D. degree in relevant field, e.g. Neuroscience or Movement Science
2. An interest in applying the tools of neuroscience to improve patient life and rehabilitation

Preferred qualifications:

1. Experience in one or more of the following areas: research with human participants, movement assessment and instrumentation, neuroimaging (task-based, resting, and/or structural), neuromodulation, data analysis and programming in Matlab or R, and rehabilitation science
2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including scientific writing and interpersonal
3. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team