Assistant/Associate/Full Specialist in Brain Imaging and Network Neuroscience Full-time

Assistant/Associate/Full Specialist in Brain Imaging and Network Neuroscience

Study brain network mechanisms of chronic pain and pain relief from neuromodulation

Job Summary: We are seeking a brain imaging researcher and data analyst to join a multidisciplinary lab focused on understanding the brain network mechanisms underlying chronic pain and therapeutic relief through brain stimulation. The ideal candidate will have training and experience in the analysis of human brain imaging data, including functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and a strong interest in translational neuroscience. Our research aims to identify reproducible brain network signatures of chronic pain and to understand how these networks change in response to therapeutic neuromodulatory interventions such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Successful candidates should be scientifically motivated self-starters, comfortable working in a highly productive academic environment, and keen on applying cutting edge network neuroscience concepts to clinical brain imaging data.

Working closely with a collaborative team of clinicians and neuroscientists, the candidate will be involved in the acquisition, preprocessing, and analysis of high resolution structural and functional brain imaging data from patients with chronic pain. We are particularly interested in candidates seeking to apply advanced network neuroscience concepts (e.g., precision functional mapping, graph theory, hierarchical clustering, etc.) to clinical brain imaging data. This position provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to research that bridges systems neuroscience, pain medicine, and clinical neuroimaging. Successful candidates will interface with a large group of researchers applying neuromodulation (e.g., TMS, deep brain stimulation, focused ultrasound) and advanced imaging methods across neuropsychiatric disorders.

The appointment will be with the Motzkin Lab, which is part of the Department of Neurology at UCSF.

Required Qualifications:

• Assistant Specialist: Master's degree or a baccalaureate degree in Neuroscience, Bioengineering, Computational Biology, Mathematics, Statistics, Psychology, or a related field with three or more years of research experience.
• Associate Specialist: Master's degree (or equivalent degree) in one of the above disciplines or five to ten years of relevant experience.
• Full Specialist: Terminal degree (or equivalent) in one of the above disciplines or ten or more years of relevant experience.
• Proficiency in conventional MRI processing and analysis tools, including fMRIPrep, QSIPrep, AFNI, FSL, and/or SPM.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Unix/Linux shell scripting, MATLAB and/or R.
• Demonstrated experience conducting and managing neuroimaging analysis pipelines, including quality assurance and batch processing of datasets.
• Experience with cloud-based storage and service tools is helpful

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS or PhD in a relevant field
• Experience with network neuroscience, graph theory, or connectomics
• Familiarity with high-performance computing environments
• Interest in translational research related to pain or neuromodulation