Postdoctoral Fellow

at  Baycrest

JOB SUMMARY:

Dr. Nicole Anderson, co-PI of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)’s Team 10: Cognitive Intervention, Cognitive Reserve, and Brain Plasticity, and Dr. Malcolm Binns, Biostatistician, invite applicants for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Rotman Research Institute in Baycrest Academy of Research and Education. This is an excellent opportunity to gain a broad understanding of healthy and pathological aging, to enhance both theory-driven and computation-based data analysis skills, and to collaborate with Canadian leaders in dementia research.
The Rotman Research Institute (RRI) at Baycrest Academy for Research and Education is a premier international centre for the study of human brain function, with a special focus on aging and the brain. Founded in 1989, and fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, the RRI’s scientists, staff, and trainees have supported Baycrest in becoming Canada’s #1 most research-intensive hospital, with scientific foci in four primary areas consistent with its home on the campus of Baycrest Seniors Care: sensory and cognitive neuroscience, computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics, aging and brain health, and Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The RRI has significant research infrastructure for neuroimaging, neurostimulation, psychophysics, and behavioural testing, including Institute-based and mobile-testing laboratories. The RRI houses several research centres and programs, including the Kunin-Lunenfeld Centre for Applied Research and Evaluation, the Anne and Allan Bank Centre for Clinical Research Trials, the Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness, the RRI Research Training Centre, and the Ben and Hilda Katz Inter-Professional Research Program in Geriatric and Dementia Care.

QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• PhD in psychology or a cognate field
• Strong background in statistical analysis and cognitive aging
• The ability to manage multiple projects
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment
• Ability to turn data into knowledge through insightful analyses and thoughtful manuscripts.

• Working with various Team 10 members to improve understanding of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in relation to healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
• Leveraging CCNA’s COMPASS-ND data, the postdoctoral fellow will identify factors that distinguish SCD from healthy aging, and factors that predict progression to MCI. The potential foci include olfaction, cognition, activities of daily living, sleep, lifestyle behaviours, and blood biomarkers.
• Developing and implementing research protocols to address study aims
• Working on distinguishing SCD from SCD+ analyzing
• Analyzing data using state-of-the-art methodologies regarding the the influence of depression and sex.
• Disseminating research results through publications, conference presentations, and other knowledge mobilization tools in a timely manner
• Mentoring and supporting junior lab members and research assistants