Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Location: Belmont-MA, United States of America

Site: The McLean Hospital Corporation

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Job Summary

Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Longitudinal Neuroimaging of Pelvic Pain in Adolescents and Young Adults Clinical and Translational Pain Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital (Mass General Brigham / Harvard Medical School)

Position Summary

The Clinical and Translational Pain Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital seeks a postdoctoral fellow to lead a longitudinal, multimodal neuroimaging study of adolescents and young adults with pelvic pain. The study integrates structural MRI as well as resting-state and tasked-based fMRI, quantitative sensory testing, and detailed clinical and psychosocial assessment across multiple time-points. The fellow will take a central role in the day-to-day operational aspects of the study including protocol execution, data acquisition, image processing, and eventual participation in data analysis, and manuscript preparation. A post-doctoral fellow typically holds dual affiliations at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

This is an ideal position for an early-career scientist who wants to build an independent research program at the intersection of pain, neurodevelopment, and women's health. The fellow will work closely with both Principal Investigators - Drs. Laura Payne and Christine Sieberg, who are pain researchers and Co-Investigator Dr. Edina Szabo (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), along with a collaborative network of clinicians and imaging scientists across the Mass General Brigham system. The position is designed to support the fellow's development toward independent funding (e.g., F32, K-series) and a faculty career.

About the Laboratory

Dr. Payne’s and Dr. Sieberg’s studies evaluate how chronic pain develops, persists, and can be treated, with a particular focus on under-recognized pain conditions affecting girls and women. The lab has a strong mentorship culture, and trainees are encouraged to develop their own lines of inquiry within the lab's broader scientific mission.

Key Responsibilities

Study Leadership and Management

• Serve as the lead scientist for the longitudinal imaging study, coordinating all aspects of neuroimaging data collection, quality control, and data management
• Oversee study timelines, participant retention across follow-up visits, and scanner scheduling in partnership with the research coordinator and McLean Imaging Center
• Supervise and train research assistants, graduate students, and undergraduate trainees involved in recruitment, assessment, and scanning
• Assist with progress reports and contribute to grant renewals and new proposals

Participant Recruitment and Assessment

• Work with clinical collaborators to identify and recruit participants and matched pain-free controls
• Implement and oversee a developmentally appropriate battery of clinical, psychological, and sensory assessments (quantitative sensory testing), including pain characteristics, menstrual and pubertal history, mood, anxiety, trauma exposure, sleep, and functioning
• Ensure sensitive, trauma-informed, and developmentally appropriate interactions with participants and families, particularly given the intimate nature of the clinical conditions studied

Neuroimaging Acquisition and Analysis

• Oversee acquisition of high-quality structural, resting-state, and task-based fMRI data, in coordination with Dr. Szabo.
• Implement strategies to minimize and monitor head motion, including real-time motion monitoring and standardized quality control
• Develop and maintain reproducible preprocessing and analysis pipelines (e.g., fMRIPrep, FreeSurfer, CONN, FSL, SPM, or equivalents) with version-controlled code
• Assist with analyses of functional connectivity, task-evoked activation, brain structure, and their relationships to clinical trajectories in collaboration with the research team
• Apply longitudinal modeling approaches (e.g., linear mixed-effects, latent growth, or related methods) that account for developmental change, repeated measures, and attrition
• Contribute to multivariate and predictive modeling aimed at identifying neural markers of pain persistence and resolution

Dissemination and Scholarly Development

• Lead the preparation of first-author manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication, and contribute to collaborative papers
• Present findings at national and international scientific meetings (e.g., International Association for the Study of Pain, U.S. Association for the Study of Pain, International Pelvic Pain Society)
• Contribute to open science practices, including preregistration, data sharing, and code sharing consistent with funder requirements
• Develop an independent research question within the broader study and pursue external funding to support it

Qualifications

Required

PhD (or equivalent doctoral degree) in neuroscience, psychology, biomedical engineering, cognitive neuroscience, medical imaging, or a related field, completed or expected prior to the start date

Demonstrated hands-on experience with human MRI data acquisition and analysis, including structural, resting-state, or task-based paradigms.

Proficiency in at least one major neuroimaging software package and in a programming or statistical language such as Python, R, or MATLAB

Experience with, or working knowledge of, longitudinal data analysis

Evidence of scholarly productivity, including peer-reviewed publications commensurate with career stage

Excellent written and ve