[CogSci] Postdoctoral Scholar Position- Stanford University (Cognitive-motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease)

[Kevin Bryant Wilkins]

The Human Motor Control and Neuromodulation Lab under Dr. Helen Bronte-Stewart (https://med.stanford.edu/bronte-stewart-lab.html) part of the Stanford Movement disorders Center within the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to investigate cognitive-motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease.


The goal of the research in the laboratory is to understand the pathophysiology of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. At Stanford, innovations in neural interface technology have allowed us to discover how abnormal electrical brain activity contributes to disorders in movement. In the Human Motor Control and Neuromodulation Lab, the first decoding of electrical activity in deep brain structures during abnormal movement in Parkinson’s disease patients was performed using novel and investigative sensing neurostimulators. Our team has deconstructed brain activity to discover both the neural code responsible and kinematic quantification for various motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. This has enabled us to reverse engineer brain circuitry and restore movement in Parkinson’s disease using the first closed loop, demand-based brain pacemakers that respond to neural and kinematic markers of movement impairment. We are now working towards expanding this approach to address the currently unsolved problem of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease.


The aim of the current work is to characterize the cognitive-motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease using a combination of cognitive assessments, motor tasks, and structural neuroimaging to pave the way for a novel deep brain stimulation therapy aimed at improving these deficits. Specifically, you will investigate the role of the cholinergic system in specific cognitive domains in Parkinson’s disease and its overlap with gait and fine-motor tasks. Additionally, the candidate will help validate the use of novel targets for deep brain stimulation using a combination of tractography and DBS modeling. The current position offers an exceptional opportunity for neuroscientists with a background in cognition and/or structural imaging to apply these skills in a clinically-relevant domain.


The desired candidate would have a PhD in Neuroscience or a related discipline with experience in cognition, motor control, and structural imaging. Preferred start date is before July 2022 but is flexible.


Job Requirements

Required:

PhD in Neuroscience or related disciplines with expertise in data sciences

Experience working in the area of cognition and motor control

Experience in structural imaging (tractography, voxel-based morphometry, etc.)

Comfortable analyzing data in Matlab, Python, or similar languages

Strong data science skills

Ability to work well in a diverse team

Effective oral and written communication skills

Excellent organization skills and demonstrated ability to complete detailed work accurately

Excellent problem-solving ability



Preferred:

Experience with Parkinson’s disease or other clinical populations

Experience with deep brain stimulation modeling (volumes of tissue activated, etc.)

Experience with larger data sets



How to Apply:

Apply by sending the following to Kevin Wilkins (wilkins2 at stanford.edu)

CV

Cover letter describing interest and relevant experience for the project

Three potential reference contacts

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