Postdoctoral Researcher

New York State Psychiatric Institute; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits package

Job summary

The New York State Psychiatric Institute seeks a Research Scientist to perform advanced systems neuroscience research focused on how early-life adversity affects reward processing and ventral pallidal-accumbal circuits. The role combines developmental stress models in mice with electrophysiology, optogenetics, viral tracing, and computational analysis.

Responsibilities include designing longitudinal behavioral studies, performing surgeries, maintaining mouse colonies, developing data pipelines

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or Master’s with relevant research experience; PhD preferred.
• Experience in neuroscience or related field with animal models encouraged.
• Strong experimental design and data analysis skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and run longitudinal behavioral experiments with developmental stress models.
• Perform stereotaxic surgery and viral delivery with recovery care.
• Breed and maintain transgenic mouse colonies; genotyping.
• Conduct in vivo optogenetic, fiber photometry and electrophysiology in awake mice.
• Histology, immunohistochemistry and whole-brain mapping; atlas registration.
• Develop analysis pipelines in Python, R or MATLAB.
• Prepare figures for manuscripts and grants; present at meetings.
• Supervise technicians and students; ensure safety and records.
• Maintain IACUC compliance and accurate experimental records.
• Occasional evening/weekend work for animal care.

Skills

Neuroscience research

Behavioral assays

Electrophysiology

Optogenetics

Data analysis (Python/MATLAB/R)

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree with relevant research experience

PhD preferred

Tools

Stereotaxic surgery

Viral vector delivery

Fiber photometry

Whole-brain mapping

Python/R/MATLAB

Job description

The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time position of Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The role of this Research Scientist will be to perform research in a systems neuroscience laboratory investigating how early-life adversity produces lasting changes in reward processing, and the ventral pallidal-accumbal circuit mechanisms that underlie them. The laboratory combines developmental stress models in mice with quantitative behavioral assays of reward sensitivity, in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetic circuit manipulation, viral tracing, and computational analysis, with the goal of identifying the circuit changes that link early adversity to motivational and affective dysfunction in psychiatric illness. This is a 100% full-time position.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The role of this Research Scientist will be to perform research in a systems neuroscience laboratory investigating how early-life adversity produces lasting changes in reward processing, and the ventral pallidal-accumbal circuit mechanisms that underlie them.

This research uses mice to study how early-life adversity alters reward circuitry and motivated behavior. Duties may include:

Designing and running longitudinal behavioral experiments, including developmental stress paradigms and reward-sensitivity assays

Performing stereotaxic surgery, viral vector delivery, and implantation of optical fibers and recording devices, with recovery care

Breeding and maintaining transgenic mouse colonies, including genotyping and records

Conducting in vivo optogenetic, fiber photometry and electrophysiological experiments in awake behaving mice

Performing histology, immunohistochemistry, whole-brain activity mapping, microscopy and atlas registration

Building analysis pipelines for behavioral, imaging and electrophysiological data in Python, R or MATLAB

Preparing figures and text for manuscripts, grants and progress reports; presenting at lab meetings and conferences

Supervising and training research technicians, undergraduate students and PhD students, including day-to-day direction of their experimental work

Maintaining IACUC and safety compliance and accurate experimental records

Occasional evening or weekend work is required for animal care and experimental timelines.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and (2) years of professional research experience in an appropriate field or master's degree in an appropriate field may substitute for one year of experience or a Ph.D.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preference may be given for some combination of the following; not all are expected.

• (2) years min: Doctoral training in neuroscience or a related field, with postdoctoral research experience.
• (2) years min: Rodent stress or developmental adversity models; longitudinal, ethological and sex-inclusive behavioral phenotyping.
• (2) years min: tereotaxic surgery, viral delivery and tracing, transgenic colonies, activity-dependent tagging, chemogenetics, whole-brain mapping.
• (2) years min: Atlas registration and quantitative microscopy; programming in Python, R or MATLAB, with mixed-effects, trajectory or network analysis.
• (2) years min: Peer-reviewed publications, trainee mentoring, and grant or fellowship writing.
• (2) years min: Interest in learning optogenetics, fiber photometry and in vivo electrophysiology; training provided.

Work Location:

1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

Mission of the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. (RFMH):

The Mission of the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. (RFMH) is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. RFMH is deeply committed to supporting underserved individuals, organizations, and communities. To this end, RFMH is focused on implementing activities and initiatives to reduce disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. A critical component of these efforts is ensuring that RFMH is a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees' unique attributes and skills are valued and utilized to support the mission of the Agency. RFMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

• Excellent Benefits Package.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer - Disabled/Veteran, 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) compliant.

The Research Foundation is a private not-for-profit corporation and is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits.

RFMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.