[FUN_Mail] Sleep postbac position at NIH

Thu Dec 22 20:05:49 UTC 2022

To view this ad online, go to:
https://www.funfaculty.org/jobs_listing.asp?id=267

The Advanced MRI Section (AMRI) in the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland is seeking postbaccalaureate fellow candidates for its all-night EEG-fMRI sleep study.  The fellow will assist with research-coordinator duties (eg, participant scheduling) and data collection.  With time (4 months or longer), the successful candidate may be invited to develop an independent data-analysis project.  Candidates must be willing and able to work night shifts and in the MRI environment.  The start date is summer 2023.

In addition to developing unique methods for white matter imaging, ultra-low and ultra-high field imaging, and perfusion imaging, the Section is interested in studying the brain with fMRI during sleep.  This encompasses the characterization of both neuronal and autonomic activity changes across the full range of arousal states during overnight sleep. After a successful pilot study, AMRI recently started a main study that is currently in full swing. Early analysis of the pilot data has revealed novel interactions between autonomic and neural activity that will be further investigated with advanced analysis techniques. It is anticipated that further development of analysis approaches will be important for proper analysis and interpretation of the data.

As part of the NIH Intramural Research Program, AMRI has access to unique imaging and computational resources, including access to 3T and 7T MRI scanners, EEG and MEG systems, and a large (currently 107,000-core) computational cluster. In addition, it has expertise in state-of-the-art MRI imaging techniques and data analysis tools, and a dedicated group of researchers including MRI physicists and sleep neuroscientists.

Minimum Qualifications:
1)	Willingness and ability to work in the MRI environment
2)	Willingness and ability to work night shifts (generally, one per week)
3)	US citizen or permanent resident
4)	Candidates must intend to apply to graduate or professional school during their tenure at the NIH (if they have not already been accepted)
5)	College graduates who received their bachelor's degrees less than THREE years prior to the date they begin the program; OR individuals who are more than 3 years past the receipt of their bachelor's degree but received a master's degree less than SIX MONTHS before they begin the program; OR individuals who meet one or both of the above and who have been accepted into graduate, other doctoral, or medical school programs and who have written permission from their school to delay entrance for up to one year to pursue a biomedical research project at the NIH

Desirable Qualifications:
1)	A strong desire to learn sleep neuroscience
2)	Statistics, computer programming, command-line interfacing, and/or signal processing

Applicants are requested to send curriculum vitae to Dante Picchioni, PhD at:
dante.picchioni at nih.gov
It is encouraged to include contact information for three references from mentors and/or colleagues.

For more information on the NIH Intramural Research Training Award, see:
https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postbac_irta

For more information on the laboratory, see:
https://amri.ninds.nih.gov

Please note that you must be willing and able to work night shifts and in the MRI environment.  You cannot perform these essential functions if you ever had a seizure; if you ever had a psychotic, depressive, or bipolar disorder; or if you have a serious contraindication for MRI.  This will be verified by a physical.

------------------------------------- 
Dante Picchioni, PhD 
Scientist (contractor) 
National Institutes of Health 
Intramural Research Program 
10 Center Dr 
Bethesda, MD 20892-1065 
USA 
Office: 301-451-9918 
Mobile: 301-213-7626 
Fax: 301-480-2558 

Autonomic arousals contribute to brain fluid pulsations during sleep. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35017126/ 
All-night functional magnetic resonance imaging sleep studies. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30243817/ 
Rates of cerebral protein synthesis in primary visual cortex during sleep-dependent memory consolidation, a study in human subjects. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29771362/ 
Decreased connectivity between the thalamus and the neocortex during human nonrapid eye movement sleep. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24497667/ 