Postdoctoral Fellow – Botero Lab

Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow – Botero Lab

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Hiring Department:

Department of Integrative Biology

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Nov 01, 2022

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Oct 31, 2023

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

This position ends one year from initial hire date. Renewable based on job performance, funding acquisition and research goals. The position will include a full-time benefits package.

Security sensitive; criminal background check conducted on selected candidate. Hiring decision is contingent upon applicant clearing background check requirement.

Interested candidates should send a full CV, a one-page statement of research interests and career goals, and contact information for three reference writers to Dr. Carlos A. Botero at [email protected]. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Purpose

The Botero Lab at the University of Texas at Austin invites applicants for a Postdoctoral Research position in the development of High Density Diffuse Optical Tomography (HD-DOT) and functional connectivity in birds.

This position will provide opportunities for extensive collaboration (both virtual and through occasional site visits) with a research team of world leaders in neuroimaging and evolutionary biology located in Austin, TX (Carlos Botero, Integrative Biology @ UT Austin), Saint Louis, MO. (Joseph Culver, Biophotonics Research Center @ Washington University in Saint Louis) and Bochum, Germany (Onur Güntürkün, Biopsychology @ Ruhr-Universität Bochum). The successful applicant will assist with the development of methods for the analysis and interpretation of functional connectivity data and with the development and validation of HD-DOT imaging for birds. The project will also offer opportunities to develop new evolutionary methods for large-scale cross-species comparisons of functional connectivity.

Our team is looking for a highly collaborative colleague with a robust quantitative background, extensive coding experience, and ideally, some imaging/instrumentation experience. The Botero Lab offers an inclusive, nurturing, and family-friendly culture with ample career development, intellectual exploration, and outreach opportunities tailored to the applicant’s own abilities and interests. All are welcome to apply.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and interpret existing functional connectivity data sets

• Assist in the development and validation of HD-DOT imaging in birds.

• Coordinate activities and workflows across collaborating labs

• Publish and present findings in peer-reviewed scientific outlets

Required Qualifications

• Must have received their PhD or completed all qualifications and degree requirements within three years prior to the effective date of their initial assignment.

• A Ph.D. or equivalent degree in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, physics, or a related field.

• Extensive experience with Matlab, R, python, or other relevant programming languages

• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills

• Strong work ethic and ability to plan, prioritize and sometimes multitask

• A track record of documented productivity

• Ability to work with others and a strong commitment to maintain a respectful, professional, and inclusive environment

• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience in the analysis of MRI or MRI-like data (e.g., segmentation, atlas and registration)

• Research experience with fNIRS or other optical imaging – instrumentation and analysis

• Statistics, machine learning, AI, and Big Data Analytics

• Experience with functional connectivity analysis

• Experience with task-based assays

Salary Range

$65,000 + depending on field and experience

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• May travel to Saint Louis, MO and/or Bochum, Germany for short periods

• Will interact with external collaborators once a week through zoom

Work Shift

• Flexible: 40 hours/week is required, and most of this time should be during normal business hours (e.g., 9:00am-5:00pm), although numbers of hours/day and days/week can be negotiated and may change depending on what projects are being pursued.

Required Materials

• CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• One-page statement of research interests and career goals

• PhD verification (Example of official documentation of the degree include: Copy of diploma (preferred) or official English translation of diploma, Copy of a letter of completion on letterhead from the office of the registrar or graduate office confirming completion of degree requirements, Copy of official transcript in English with “degree awarded” information.)

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the 2021 report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite UTA 2.206, Austin, TX 78701.