Post-doctoral Fellowship in Psychiatric and Statistical Genetics

Position Responsibilities:

The Department of Psychiatry, within the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia, invites applications for three full-time postdoctoral researcher positions, available immediately.

The positions will be located at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) (www.vipbg.vcu.edu). VIPBG is world-renowned for its contributions to the genetic epidemiology of behavior and psychopathology. Its faculty and affiliates represent diverse disciplines including molecular genetics, psychology, epidemiology, and statistics. Accordingly, the successful candidates will have access to a range of training opportunities during the course of their postdoctoral research.

Most postdoctoral training is expected to take two years, although in some instances one or two additional years may be available. The successful applicants will participate in a rich and diverse research environment to study the causes, consequences and correlates of psychiatric disorders. This research training program is funded through an NIMH T32, and has a primary focus on psychiatric disorders, their etiology, co-morbidity and treatment.

Opportunities are available for travel to work with the Institute’s many national and international collaborators, to give conference presentations, and to attend workshops to further develop research skills.

Specific responsibilities will include:
• To acquire and apply research skills consistent with the specific aims of funded T32.
• To collaborate with their primary mentor and other members of the research education team.
• Documentation of all analytic procedures through open science applications.
• Manuscript preparation and submission to peer reviewed academic journals.
• Contribution as a co-author to manuscripts led by other members of the research team.
• Presentation of findings at professional conferences.

Required Qualifications:

Applicants should have a PhD or MD/PhD and a background in one of the following fields: psychiatric epidemiology, behavioral genetics, psychology, mathematics, statistics, biology, or similar.
Proficient written and oral communication skills are desired. Applicants must work well both independently and in collaborative environments; strong interpersonal skills are also beneficial. Due to government regulations, this position is only available to US Citizens and Permanent Residents.

Preferred Qualifications:

A history of interest in and contributions to the scientific literature concerning some aspect of statistical or psychiatric genetics is desired. A track record of peer-reviewed publications is preferred.

This is a restricted position with no set end date and continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.