Postdoc and PhD student positions on fMRI study of spontaneous thoughts
The lab led by Mingbo Cai (https://cailab-miami.org/) at the Department of Psychology, University of Miami, seeks a talented cognitive neuroscientist or AI researcher to join as a postdoctoral associate in the beautiful Miami of USA!
The primary focus of this position is to work on an exciting collaborative project of decoding spontaneous thoughts. However, candidates with strong background and interest in other major directions of the lab (learning and decision making, computational psychiatry) are also welcome to apply. For the project on spontaneous thoughts, the candidate will work closely with Dr. Mingbo Cai, the director of the lab, and have the opportunity to collaborate with Nicolas Schuck (https://schucklab.gitlab.io/) at University of Hamburg and Quentin Huys (Quentin Huys | Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research) at University College London, with the added possibility of establishing new collaboration with other faculty inside the department (Faculty by Division| Faculty | People | Psychology | University of Miami).
The intended project focuses on understanding the contents and dynamics of spontaneous thoughts using fMRI decoding and natural tasks, their interaction with memory and emotion, and rumination in mental disorders. You will have the opportunity to analyze a rich fMRI dataset of healthy and clinical participants during spontaneous thoughts, and conduct new experiments. Expertise and track record in at least one of the following domains are highly desirable: deep learning models on natural language processing or computer vision, advanced analysis of fMRI using encoding or decoding models, computational modeling of spontaneous thoughts or psychiatric disorders or human behavior, design of experiments using naturalistic stimuli.
Deadline for applications: August 31, 2024. Strong applications will be evaluated immediately upon receiving. The position will remain open until filled.
Interested candidate can submit the following documents at this link:
- a cover letter including contact information for 2-3 reference letters
- CV
- research statement
- writing sample representing your works. Multiple manuscripts may be concatenated into one pdf.
Informal inquiry can be sent to mingbo [dot] cai [at] miami [dot] edu, with a title of "[postdoc] + your name"
The lab will also accept a PhD student in Fall 2025. Email inquiry is welcome with a title of "[grad application] + your name"
Best wishes,
Mingbo Cai
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Miami