Postdoctoral Fellow - Professor in MRI

The University of Auckland; Auckland; On-site; NZD 92,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Staff benefits

5 weeks annual leave

Career development

Parental leave

Job summary

The University of Auckland invites an energetic academic with brain MRI expertise to lead longitudinal analyses in neonates and children within the Liggins Institute. The appointee will oversee diffusion, structural, and functional MRI data processing, alongside multidisciplinary clinicians and researchers.

Salary will align with University of Auckland scales, with opportunities to collaborate internationally and contribute to impactful maternal, fetal, and child health outcomes.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in neuroscience, medical imaging, or a closely related field.
• Postdoctoral/academic experience in brain MRI processing is desirable.
• Experience with neonatal and pediatric diffusion/structural/functional MRI is required.
• Strong communication and collaborative skills for multidisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency with MRI analysis tools such as FSL, AFNI, SPM.

Responsibilities

• Oversee longitudinal MRI analysis in neonates and children.
• Manage data collection, storage, processing, and quality control.
• Analyse relationships between clinical variables, development, and imaging findings.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across institutions.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation and dissemination of findings.

Skills

MRI processing

Diffusion MRI

Structural MRI

Functional MRI

Scripting

Collaboration

Data management

Statistical analysis

Education

PhD in neuroscience or medical imaging

Tools

FSL

AFNI

SPM

Job description

The University of AucklandThe University of Auckland is New Zealand’s pre-eminent research-led University. Established in 1883, it is an international centre of learning and academic excellence. With just over 5,200 staff and more than...

We have an opportunity for an energetic, enthusiastic academic with experience in brain MRI to join a clinical research group at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland. The successful candidate will be involved in overseeing longitudinal analysis of MRI studies in neonates and children, including MoPED and STAMP.

MoPED is a cohort study in moderate-late preterm babies investigating the relationships between early brain imaging findings and later development. STAMP is a school-age follow-up study of MoPED plus another moderate-late preterm cohort, including brain MRI and developmental assessment.

The appointee will have day-to-day responsibility for ensuring appropriate collection, storage, processing and analysis of diffusion, structural and functional MRI data in these study cohorts. Analyses will include assessing relationships between neonatal clinical variables, developmental outcomes, and brain MRI findings in the neonatal period and at school age.

fulltime three-year post will provide an opportunity to work closely with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, developmental and MRI researchers and statisticians at the Liggins Institute, Auckland, and collaborate with researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto. It will be an exciting opportunity for an applicant with a background in brain MRI processing and analysis, ideally in infants and children.

Applicants from postdoc to professor level will be considered. Salary will be on the University of Auckland salary scales depending on experience. This range is $92,213 (postdoctoral fellow) - $190,294 (professor)

You will be a collaborative and motivated researcher who enjoys working across disciplines to improve understanding of infant and child development. You will bring a strong background in MRI processing and analysis, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a highly regarded research team.

Success in this role will come from your analytical capability, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for research that has real-world impact on maternal, fetal and child health outcomes. You will be comfortable working in a dynamic academic environment, building strong relationships with colleagues and collaborators while contributing to a culture of excellence and innovation.

You will bring:

• Experience with MRI image processing and analysis packages.
• Expertise in diffusion, structural and/or functional MRI methodologies.
• Strong writing, reporting and presentation skills.
• Experience with scripting or programming for image processing workflows.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary research teams.

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading university and maintains significant computational, laboratory and analytic facilities. Auckland itself is frequently rated as one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment through:

• Flexible employment practices (including working from home if feasible, flexible hours)
• Up to 6.75% company superannuation scheme
• A competitive salary with five weeks’ annual leave

In addition, we also offer career development programmes, discounted car parking, a generous parental leave allowance, childcare, and a number of other discounts on internal and external services. For more information, please visit Staff Benefits.

Applications must be submitted online by the closing date of 16 October 2026 to be considered.