Research Scientist I

Job Title: Research Scientist I

Grade: 18

Salary: $67,552.00-$81,257.00

The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher position. The Anacker lab at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) is looking for a highly motivated, independent full-time postdoctoral researcher to use in vivo brain imaging techniques in rodent models to investigate neural circuits underlying vulnerability and resilience to stress. The postdoctoral researcher will use mouse models of social stress and early life adversity in combination with circuit tracing techniques, optogenetic and chemogenetic (DREADDs) techniques to inhibit or activate defined neural projections, in vivo Ca2+ imaging of neural activity and biosensors to visualize neurotransmitter changes in defined brain regions in freely moving mice during fear generalization and cognitive flexibility tasks.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively within the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). Duties and Responsibilities include the following:
• Conduct stereotaxic surgeries for viral injections and fiber-optic implantations into the mouse brain.
• Conduct mouse behavioral experiments, including fear generalization and cognitive flexibility tasks.
• Perform optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulation of neural circuits in freely moving mice.
• Conduct in vivo Ca² imaging of neural activity and neurotransmitter release in the mouse brain during behavioral tasks.
• Maintain transgenic mouse colonies and perform mouse genotyping.
• Perform immunohistochemistry and fluorescence microscopy.
• Independently conduct and manage daily experimental procedures.
• Analyze and interpret in vivo imaging data using MATLAB and/or Python.
• Apply statistical analysis using SPSS, R, and GraphPad.
• Contribute to project development, from conceptual framing and experimental design to conducting experiments and analyzing data.
• Present scientific findings at conferences and scientific meetings.
• Prepare and publish research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals

Minimum Qualifications:

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

Preferred Qualifications:

• in neuroscience or related field.
• At least 2 years experience working with rodents
• At least 1 year of experience with rodent stereotactic brain surgery for virus injection and/or implantation surgeries.
• More than 1 year of experience using either optogenetic or in vivo imaging techniques in rodent brain
• Basic skills in using MATLAB or Python for data analysis of in vivo imaging data
• Basic skills in R to analyze RNA sequencing data.

Work Location:

1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

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.