The Position
A 4-year postdoctoral fellow position is currently available to work with Greg Fonzo, Ph.D. in the Translational and Clinical Neuroscience Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School.
This position is tied to a NIMH-funded R01 project examining the effects of trauma-focused psychotherapy (cognitive processing therapy) on reward circuit function (assessed through functional magnetic resonance imaging; fMRI) and information encoding (assessed through computational models of reward-processing task behavior) under conditions of both safety and threat in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The overall goal of the project is to understand, across levels of brain and behavior/symptoms, how evidence-based treatment for PTSD leads to an improvement in trauma-related symptoms of diminished positive affect (e.g., anhedonia, diminished interest).
Laboratory/Learning Environment
Dr. Fonzo’s laboratory employs multimodal methods of brain and behavioral assessment to characterize affective disturbances arising from trauma and stress and to design and inform novel treatments. This position will provide the trainee with the opportunity to work on a new clinical trial of cognitive processing therapy for PTSD coupled with both brain imaging and computational modeling of reward-based decision-making behavior, including models of reinforcement learning with hierarchical Bayesian inferential methods.
The postdoc would join an existing team of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatry research residents, graduate students, research fellows, and research assistants in a highly-collaborative, multidisciplinary laboratory devoted to translational and clinical neuroscience, including methodologies such as fMRI, electroencephalographic (EEG) recording, clinical and behavioral assessment, and established/novel forms of neuromodulation (including transcranial magnetic stimulation and focused ultrasound).
There are additional numerous professional development opportunities to analyze and publish papers on existing datasets, including cross-sectional fMRI datasets of posttraumatic stress disorder, reward processing, and reinforcement learning with novel and established behavioral tasks.
Dr. Fonzo is also Co-Director for The Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at UT Austin’s Dell Medical School, which provides additional sources of data, analysis, publication, and training opportunities with new and ongoing clinical studies of psychedelic therapies.
Qualifications
Required:
- A PhD in clinical or counseling psychology, experimental psychology, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or a related field.
- Prior experience with or a strong interest in working with trauma-exposed individuals.
- Strong work ethic.
- Ability to work well with a multidisciplinary team of individuals.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Good knowledge of basic statistics.
Preferred:
- Although a Ph.D. clinical or counseling psychologist is preferred, individuals with a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or a related field are also eligible for consideration.
- A Ph.D. clinical or counseling psychologist would have the opportunity to accrue clinical hours and professional supervision as part of the process toward state licensure as a psychologist.
- Experience with fMRI acquisition and/or analysis, coding/scripting, and more advanced statistical analyses is preferred, but not required (on-job-training will be provided).
- Experience working with clinical populations, particularly those with mood, anxiety, and/or posttraumatic stress disorders, is a major plus.
- Experience with structured clinical assessments and delivery of cognitive processing therapy or other forms of trauma-focused psychotherapy (for clinicians) is also a major plus.
Salary and benefits are competitive and negotiable, based upon prior experience and demonstrated adequacy for the position. Start date is also negotiable.
How to Apply
Please send a CV and cover letter to gfonzo@austin.utexas.edu with details on your motivation for applying, prior relevant professional experience, and short/long-term career goals.
Life in Austin, Texas
As an additional perk, Austin is an outstanding place to live and work. As the state capitol of Texas, it is home to the flagship University of Texas campus. UT Austin has the 8th largest enrollment in the US with over 50,000 students and over 24,000 faculty and staff. Among the original Public Ivy institutions, UT Austin is a leading center for academic research, with over $1 billion in research expenditures last year. The newly created Dell Medical School is the first new medical school created at a tier 1 research institution in more than 50 years. DMS strives to rethink and improve existing mental health approaches.
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is strategically focused on three critical areas in mental health: mood, stress, and addictive disorders. The faculty use rapidly advancing technologies like neuroimaging, neuromodulation, and genetic techniques integrated with the outcomes of innovative clinical trials to guide the creation of brain-based models and help formulate novel interventions for patients.
Austin is the 11th most populous city in the U.S., and is one of the fast-growing cities in the U.S. The city has an endless array of attractions and perks, including an eclectic array of live music shows/venues, excellent food/restaurants, and numerous parks and lakes offering opportunities for hiking, biking, swimming, and boating.
