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CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.
This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.
POSITION SPECIFICS
The Cognition, Affect, and Temperament Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University, headed by Dr. Koraly Pérez-Edgar, seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar (http://www.catlabpsu.com).
Ideal start date would be early fall.
The postdoctoral scholar will have the opportunity to work on NIH-funded studies investigating a number of complex biological, cognitive, and social mechanisms that shape early trajectories.
The primary studies will be:
P-CAT, an NIMH-funded longitudinal study that will examine parental transmission of anxiety to preschool children. This project includes fNIRS (parent-child interpersonal neural synchronization), EEG, and behavioral coding and will focus on parent-child interaction and socialization of anxious behaviors through child observation. A sub-aim of the study focuses on anxiety transmission in fathers.
HBCD, a consortium study linking 25 sites across the country. The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study will create a representative sample of families, recruited in pregnancy, and then followed in the first decade of life. Findings from this cohort study will provide a template of normative neurodevelopment in infants and young children and help untangle the impacts of perinatal exposures to substances and childhood environments on developmental trajectories. Data from this comprehensive study will include infant MRI, EEG, neurodevelopmental testing, biospecimens, observed behavior, and parental report.
The post-doctoral scholar will also have the opportunity to contribute to and work with data from a number of studies. One example includes:
LAnT, a completed NIMH-funded longitudinal study that examined the role of attention and temperament in the early emergence of social behavior and anxiety symptoms in the first two years of life. We completed data collection with 357 families, providing rich data for follow up analyses and publications. Data from this study include EEG, eye-tracking, observed social behavior, and parental report
The postdoctoral scholar will have his or her main hub at PSU University Park, but will interact extensively with collaborators at multiple sites, including Washington University in St. Louis and the Penn State College of Medicine. Depending on the scholars focus, the work will incorporate a number of techniques, including electrophysiology (EEG & ERP), psychophysiology (RSA), neuroimaging (fNIRS, MRI), eye-tracking (mobile & stationary), direct behavioral observation, and questionnaires. This work will take advantage of the University’s broad resources, including the Child Study Center (http://csc.psych.psu.edu/).
The postdoctoral scholar will primarily be responsible for collecting and analyzing data and writing scientific papers and presentations. Other duties will include working with research staff and graduate and undergraduate students.
A Ph.D. in Psychology, Human Development, Neuroscience or related field is required by the appointment date. This is a non-tenure-track position.
Position qualifications include experience with neuroimaging (fMRI, fNIRS, or EEG) acquisition and analysis; strong experimental and statistical skills; ability to work independently and in a team environment on multiple tasks and projects and to share one’s expertise with others. Experience with data collection platforms (e.g., BrainVision, Mindware, SMI), programming tasks (E-prime, Presentation), statistical analysis (R, SPSS, SAS) and general computing (MATLAB, Unix, Python) is highly desired. Excellent scientific writing skills are also desired.
Interested candidates must submit an online application, and should upload the following application materials: a letter of interest, CV or resume, and a list of three references with contact information.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Salary will conform to NIH guidelines.
Visit our website at https://www.catlabpsu.com/ for more information on our Lab. We are housed within Penn State’s Child Study Center, https://csc.la.psu.edu/.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
This position requires the following clearances in addition to applicable background checks: PA State Police Criminal Background Check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance Form, and Federal (FBI) Fingerprint Criminal Background Check.
BENEFITS
Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.
For more detailed information, please visit ourBenefits Page.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
EEO IS THE LAW
Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
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