Postdoctoral Fellow

Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 71,750; Full time

Job summary

Massachusetts General Hospital's Cognitive-Motor Behavior Lab seeks a postdoctoral scholar (40 hours/week) to advance clinical and rehabilitation research in MS. The fellow will contribute to project management, study design, data analysis, and dissemination across multiple studies and a clinical trial.

The position offers training in rehabilitation trials, mixed methods, and implementation science, with opportunities to publish and present findings and to mentor students within a supportive

Qualifications

• PhD in a health or rehabilitation field.
• Clinical training in a rehab specialty or aligned expertise.
• Interest in pursuing a career in rehabilitation research in MS.
• Ability and willingness to commit to a minimum of 2 years to the postdoctoral fellowship.

Responsibilities

• Mentor-directed research activities (50%): manage MS rehab projects, fatigue, gait, attention, and other lab studies.
• Postdoctoral fellow directed research activities (30%): develop an independent MS rehab project.
• Professional development (10%): participate in meetings, supervise students, attend seminars and conferences.
• Selected courses, training workshops: conduct clinical trials design, grant writing, NIH independence.

Skills

Critical thinking

Fast learner

Analytical thinker

Biostatistics

Movement analysis

Cognitive assessment

First-author work

Communication skills

Collaboration

Problem solving

Education

PhD in health or rehabilitation

Clinical rehab training

Interest in MS rehab

Willing to commit 2 years

Job description

The Cognitive-Motor Behavior Lab at the MGH Institute of Health Professions (Principal Investigator: Dr. Prudence Plummer) is seeking a postdoctoral scholar (40 hours per week) to work on clinical and rehabilitation research in multiple sclerosis (MS). The position is funded by a National MS Society Mentor-Based Postdoctoral Training Grant.

The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for aspects of project management across several types of projects, new project design and development, data analysis, and dissemination activities. Initially, the postdoctoral fellow will play a crucial role in managing an ongoing clinical trial of combined pharmacological and rehabilitation interventions in people with MS and other studies investigating mechanisms of fatigue, visual attention during postural control tasks, and intervention-related clinical outcomes under different models of care. Information about the lab and projects can be found here: https://www.mghihp.edu/research/labs-facilities/cognitive-motor-behavior-lab.

The Mass General Brigham community is an outstanding environment for training in clinical and rehabilitation research. The successful fellow will receive training in developing scientific concepts and related analytical designs with a focus on rehabilitation clinical trials, mixed, methods, hybrid trials, and implementation science to prepare the postdoctoral fellow to contribute significantly to the field of rehabilitation research in MS.

Principal duties and responsibilities

• Mentor-directed research activities (50%)
  • Dalfampridine combined with physical therapy for improving mobility impairment in people with MS
  • Sensorimotor mechanisms of fatigue in MS
  • Visual attention and postural stability during distracted walking
  • Examination of longitudinal rehabilitation outcome data in people with progressive MS
  • Identifying barriers to accessing rehabilitation by people with progressive MS
  • Other lab projects
• Postdoctoral fellow directed research activities (30%)
  • Development of an independent project related to MS rehabilitation and aligned with the focus of the Cognitive-Motor Behavior Lab
• Professional development (10%)
  • Participation in weekly lab meetings
  • Supervisory responsibility and mentorship of doctoral and masters students
  • Conference attendance and participation
  • Attendance at weekly doctoral seminar
• Selected courses, training workshops, seminars (10%), may include:
  • Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Statistical methods
  • Implementation Science workshops
  • Design and conduct of clinical trials
  • Grant writing courses and workshops
  • Navigating NIH pathway to independence

Education, experience, qualifications

• PhD in a health or rehabilitation field.
• Clinical training in a health or rehabilitation specialty (e.g., physical therapy) or well-aligned expertise without a clinical degree (e.g., kinesiology, human movement science).
• Interest in pursuing a career in rehabilitation research in MS.
• Ability and willingness to commit to a minimum of 2 years to the postdoctoral fellowship.

Skills required

• Excellent critical thinking and appraisal skills
• Ability to learn quickly with sufficient resources and training, analytical thinker
• Strong background in statistics, biostatistics
• Experience with movement analysis systems and/or cognitive assessment
• First author of one or more peer-reviewed scientific publications or preprint
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong problem-solving skillsAbility to collaborate with other lab members and scientists

The compensation range

The compensation range for this role is between $70,000-$71,750 with the final offer determined by the candidate's years of experience and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The General Hospital Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.