Postdoctoral Associate

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CORE JOB SUMMARY
The Postdoctoral Associate performs scientific research and studies under the supervision of managing staff. Moreover, the Postdoctoral Associate promotes institutional recognition through literal contributions to the scientific community.

CORE JOB FUNCTIONS
1. Conducts research on specific areas of study as assigned.
2. Prepares research reports and technical papers for publishing.
3. Investigates the feasibility of applying a wide variety of scientific principles and theories.
4. Maintains substantial knowledge of state-of-the-art principles and theories.
5. Develops advanced analytical models and systems and provides solutions and analyses to support strategic and tactical decisions.
6. Adheres to University and unit-level policies and procedures and safeguards University assets.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

CORE QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
Doctorate degree in relevant field required

Experience:
No previous experience required

Certification and Licensing:
Refer to department description for applicable certification requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Learning Agility: Ability to learn new procedures, technologies, and protocols, and adapt to changing priorities and work demands.
• Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with others and contribute to a team environment.
• Technical Proficiency: Skilled in using office software, technology, and relevant computer applications.
• Communication: Strong and clear written and verbal communication skills for interacting with colleagues and stakeholders.

This is a core job profile description and is not reflective of all duties that may be assigned to a specific position in each individual department. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and primary responsibilities of this core job profile. Specific duties and tasks may vary based upon departmental needs. Other duties may be assigned to the above consistent with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the job.

DEPARTMENT ADDENDUM

Department Specific Functions
1. Conducts research investigating the neural circuits that control breathing and movement and their plasticity following spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions, using preclinical models.
2. Designs and performs experiments to define respiratory and motor circuit function using approaches that may include whole-body plethysmography, diaphragm and other muscle EMG, neural electrophysiology, in vivo calcium imaging, viral circuit mapping, behavioral and locomotor assessment, and optogenetic/chemogenetic neuromodulation.
3. Performs survival surgeries, viral vector injections, neural and muscle recordings, respiratory and locomotor behavioral testing, tissue collection, histology, microscopy, and quantitative analysis as required by individual studies.
4. Acquires, processes, and analyzes respiratory, electrophysiological, imaging, anatomical, locomotor, and other behavioral data using appropriate computational and statistical methods.
5. Develops and optimizes experimental approaches to identify spared and reorganized supraspinal and spinal circuits that can be targeted to improve respiratory and motor function after neurological injury or disease.
6. Maintains accurate research records; contributes to laboratory protocols, regulatory documentation, data management, and compliance with IACUC, biosafety, and University policies.
7. Prepares manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, and data for grant applications and disseminates findings at scientific meetings.
8. Works collaboratively with the Principal Investigator, laboratory members, trainees, and internal and external collaborators and contributes to mentoring junior trainees when appropriate.

Department Specific Qualifications         

Education:
Ph.D in neuroscience, neurobiology, physiology, biomedical engineering, or a closely related field.
Certification and Licensing:
Not applicable

Experience:
Prior research experience in neuroscience, neurophysiology, respiratory physiology, motor control, spinal cord injury, neural circuits, or a related area is preferred. Experience with rodent models and one or more of the following is highly desirable: in vivo electrophysiology/EMG, respiratory physiology or whole-body plethysmography, locomotor or motor behavioral assessment, calcium imaging, viral vector approaches, optogenetics/chemogenetics, stereotaxic or spinal surgery, histology, microscopy, and quantitative data analysis.

Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes:
Strong experimental and quantitative skills with the ability to independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and analyze studies.
Knowledge of neural circuit physiology and an interest in respiratory and motor control, neuroplasticity, and functional recovery after neurological injury or disease.
Experience with acquisition and analysis of physiological, electrophysiological, imaging, respiratory, locomotor, or behavioral data.
Strong organizational skills and attention to rigorous, reproducible research practices.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including preparation of manuscripts and scientific presentations.
Experience with programming or quantitative analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python, R, Spike2, or related platforms) is desirable.

The University of Miami offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, tuition remission and more.

UHealth-University of Miami Health System, South Florida's only university-based health system, provides leading-edge patient care powered by the ground breaking research and medical education at the Miller School of Medicine. As an academic medical center, we are proud to serve South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. Our physicians represent more than 100 specialties and sub-specialties, and have more than one million patient encounters each year. Our tradition of excellence has earned worldwide recognition for outstanding teaching, research and patient care. We're the challenge you've been looking for.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.

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