RESEA001556 Research Scholar

NCIRE - The Northern California Institute for Research and Education, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

NCIRE in partnership with the San Francisco VA Health Care System and UCSF seeks a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in PTSD, trauma, sleep, and fear learning. Based at SFVAHCS, the appointment spans two years and aligns with UCSF's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

The fellow will devote most of their time to research and education, with up to 25% for clinical training, and will contribute to mechanistic studies, pharmacologically augmented psychotherapies, and multi-site grant

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in clinical psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, public health, or a closely related field at the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated research productivity including peer-reviewed publications or strong evidence of publishable work.
• Strong interest in PTSD, trauma-related disorders, sleep/insomnia, TBI, fear learning/extinction, psychophysiology, and mechanistically informed interventions.
• Prior experience with clinical research, clinical trials, psychophysiology, sleep research, and trauma-exposed populations is desirable but not required for outstanding candidates.
• For clinically trained applicants, prior experience with clinical assessment and evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute research studies focused on PTSD, trauma, sleep, and fear learning (e.g., augmented psychotherapy trials, fear-conditioning paradigms, sleep-related studies).
• Lead data analysis efforts integrating clinical, psychophysiological, and sleep-related measures.
• Write manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications and develop presentations for conferences.
• Contribute to and increasingly lead grant development, including pilot grants and multi-site proposals.
• Engage in supervised clinical assessment and structured, manualized psychotherapy for clinically trained fellows as appropriate.

Skills

PTSD research

Sleep research

Data analysis

Scientific writing

Quantitative skills

Education

Doctoral degree in clinical psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, public health, or related field

Tools

R

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE) is the leading nonprofit research institute in the United States devoted to advancing Veterans health research. NCIRE is part of one of the world's most dedicated and successful Veterans care communities, pioneering new treatments and understandings of military medicine and care.

Along with our partners at the San Francisco VA Health Care System and the University of California, San Francisco, we are working to discover and develop effective, safe, and practical treatments for military injuries and diseases affecting Veterans. Through new technologies, novel scientific insights, and international clinical collaborations, we strive to set a new standard of health care research for Veterans and military personnel.

Position Definition:

Dr. Sabra Inslicht and the Stress, Trauma, and Resilience Program (STaR Lab) at the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) are recruiting for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in PTSD, trauma, sleep, and fear learning. This position has an expected duration of two years and is based at the SFVAHCS, is affiliated with University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and is supported through Northern California Institute for Research and Education, Inc (NCIRE).

The primary goal of this postdoctoral position is to train clinical and translational researchers (e.g., PhD psychologists/neuroscientists, MDs in psychiatry/neurology, or other allied health professionals) to become leading investigators in the areas of PTSD and trauma-related disorders, insomnia and sleep disturbance, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and mechanistic studies of fear learning and extinction. Over the course of the 2-year program, fellows will devote at least 75% of their time to research and educational activities (including didactics, seminars, and career development) and up to 25% to clinical training and/or other tailored professional development, depending on discipline and goals. Fellows will be responsible for driving innovative research projects while also gaining the skills needed to become independent investigators.

The STaR Lab focuses on mechanism-informed, pharmacologically augmented psychotherapies and experimental paradigms of fear learning and extinction, including studies of orexin antagonists for PTSD and insomnia, remote and in-lab psychophysiology (e.g., fear conditioning, EDA, HR/HRV, EMG, facial coding, remote PPG), and sleep and cardiovascular risk in trauma-exposed populations, including women Veterans and other high-risk groups.

Essential Functions - Training & Research Opportunities:

The fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with SFVA/UCSF investigators and participate in structured didactic sessions, career development seminars, and lab meetings across SFVA and UCSF.

Under the primary mentorship of Dr. Sabra Inslicht (and co-mentors as appropriate), the postdoctoral scholar will:

• Design and execute research studies focused on PTSD, trauma, sleep, and fear learning (e.g., augmented psychotherapy trials, orexin antagonist trials, experimental fear-conditioning and extinction paradigms, remote psychophysiology).
• Lead data analysis efforts, integrating clinical, psychophysiological, and sleep-related measures.
• Write manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications and develop presentations for national and international conferences.
• Contribute to and increasingly lead grant development, including pilot grants, career development awards, and multi-site proposals.
• For clinically trained fellows (e.g., clinical psychology, psychiatry, social work), engage in supervised clinical assessment and structured, manualized psychotherapy (e.g., exposure-based PTSD treatments) aligned with the fellow’s training level and licensure trajectory.

Potential projects may focus on:

• Pharmacologically augmented PTSD treatments, including trials combining evidence-based psychotherapies with medications that facilitate fear extinction or improve sleep.
• Remote and in-lab fear conditioning and extinction paradigms using psychophysiological measures (EDA, EMG, HR/HRV, facial coding, remote PPG).
• Insomnia and sleep disturbance in trauma-exposed populations, including women Veterans in the menopause transition.
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI), PTSD, and sleep as interacting risk factors for functional outcomes and cardiometabolic health.

Job Requirements:

• Doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, PsyD, MD, or equivalent) in clinical psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, public health, or a closely related field at the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated research productivity, including peer-reviewed publications or strong evidence of publishable work.
• Strong interest in PTSD and trauma-related disorders, sleep/insomnia, TBI, fear learning/fear extinction, psychophysiology, and/or mechanistically informed interventions.
• Prior experience with clinical research, clinical trials, psychophysiology, sleep research, and/or trauma-exposed populations is highly desirable but not strictly required for outstanding candidates.
• For clinically trained applicants (e.g., clinical psychology, psychiatry, social work), prior experience with clinical assessment and/or evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD or related conditions is a plus.
• Strong quantitative, analytic, and writing skills; experience with tools such as R, Python, or MATLAB is desirable.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team.

Working Conditions:

The work environment is a biomedical research laboratory. It may include minor annoyances such as noise, temperature variations, etc. The incumbent may be required to sustain standing and seated postures and to use a computer keyboard and display monitor for prolonged periods.

VA Onboarding Requirements:

NCIRE is an affiliate organization of the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS), which requires all candidates to complete SFVA onboarding in addition to NCIRE's onboarding process. The SFVA is a federal agency that requires a federal background check, occupational health clearance, vaccines and immunizations, and drug testing for certain positions. Drug testing may include screening for marijuana which remains an illegal substance according to federal law. The failure to pass required drug testing will disqualify candidates from employment.

The base wage range for this position is $70,304.00 - $79639.96 per year. The wage actually offered to a successful candidate will take into account various relevant and non-discriminatory business factors including, without limitation, the candidate’s geographic location, job-related experience, knowledge, and skills, and education, as well as internal equity considerations. A successful candidate may also be eligible to earn additional compensation including bonuses.

The Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. NCIRE is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, Veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected under federal and state law, and to make all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We are committed to furthering the principle of equal employment opportunity. NCIRE actively works to attract and retain talented individuals. NCIRE offers career opportunities in research and administration in pursuit of furthering medical research for our nation’s Veterans.

Per San Francisco's Fair Chance Ordinance, Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE) will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories.