Postdoctoral Researcher

Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher

Grade: 18

Salary: $67,552 - $81,257

The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher position. The Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY is seeking a full-time postdoctoral researcher in the field of Translational Neuroscience.


The postdoctoral scientist will work in the laboratory of Dr. Milenna van Dijk investigating how genetic susceptibility and early-life experiences shape risk for and resilience to depression by integrating basic neuroscience, human neuroimaging, statistical genetics, and large-scale population datasets.

The successful candidate will join an NIH-funded research program focused on hippocampal mechanisms underlying depression following early-life adversity. The postdoc will perform analyses of large human neuroimaging and genomic datasets, including cross-species translation and integration of mouse and human post-mortem gene expression signatures with human neuroimaging and genetics in large cohort studies.

This position offers the opportunity to work at the interface of neuroscience, genetics, epidemiology, and computational biology while contributing to research aimed at identifying biological pathways that can inform prevention strategies for youth at risk for depression. The postdoctoral scientist will be encouraged to develop independent research questions, lead publications, and collaborate with an interdisciplinary network of neuroscientists, geneticists, and clinicians.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• We are seeking an exceptionally motivated, creative, and collaborative scientist who is excited about understanding the biological mechanisms underlying depression and translating basic discoveries into clinically meaningful insights.
• The candidate will investigate how early life adverse events interact with novel hippocampal gene expression based polygenic scores to increase risk for hippocampal dysfunction and depression development in 2 human longitudinal cohorts. They will work in a collaborative research environment and take a leading role on the day-to-day execution of the project, guided by Dr. van Dijk. The day to day work will largely consist of analysis of already existing data sets, although side projects could include new data acquisition.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including neuroscientists, statisticians, genomics and epidemiology researchers
• Literature review of the topic.
• Genomic analyses across mouse and human big data sets, including Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis on RNA sequencing data from mouse and human postmortem data and polygenic score calculation in large human cohorts.
• (Secondary) analysis of neuroimaging markers with respect to genetic and environmental risk factors and depression development.
• Data analysis and interpretation.
• Mentorship of students and staff.
• The candidate will be expected to present data in oral and written format (e.g. presentation at scientific meetings, manuscript preparation for publication.)
• The postdoc is expected to be able to work on a flexible schedule, dependent on deadlines.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD or MD/PhD with graduate degree in neuroscience, epidemiology, psychology, genomics, bioinformatics or related discipline.
• Strong statistical and/or computational skills: a minimum of (2) years working with R, Python or similar data analytic software

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency or significant experience with one or more the following: neuroimaging analysis, statistical genomics and/or bioinformatics including experience with analysis of RNA sequencing data.
• A collaborative, curious, and highly organized work ethic.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Work Location: 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

To Apply: Submit an application through our website at . Please note only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

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.

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