Postdoctoral Fellow - Precision Medicine in Autism (PRISMA)

This position has an appointment of 2 years and offers a benefits package found at Postdoctoral Fellows Benefits .

Location - Work primarily takes place at North Campus Edmonton.

Working for the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Working for the Precision Medicine in Autism (PRISMA) Group

The Precision Medicine in Autism (PRISMA) group, led by Dr. Moreno De Luca, focuses on research, clinical care, education, and community engagement efforts supporting the role of genetics for people with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. As part of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta, and within the framework of the CASA Research Chair with Alberta Health Services and CASA Mental Health, our work aims to understand how diverse individually rare but collectively common genetic changes may lead to different psychiatric and medical phenotypes, and identify opportunities to use this information to enhance clinical care and put forth precision medicine interventions for people who need them. 

Position 

The postdoctoral fellow will be a collaborating member of the PRISMA research team, and mentored by Daniel Moreno De Luca, MD, MSc. He/she/they will contribute to grant writing, data analyses, and manuscript publication. In collaboration with the PI and the Physician Learning Program, leverage local datasets (e.g., claims, medications, public health datasets) for implementation science projects around genetic testing for autism; take a leading role in a new initiative in which the PRISMA group will explore challenges and opportunities to expand access to genetic testing for people with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual developmental disorder; and develop strategies to use this genomic information to advance precision medicine strategies in mental health in an equitable way. 

Duties 

• Designs individual experiments, data collection protocols and standards under the supervision of the Principal Investigator.
• Determines most appropriate methodology to meet identified research goals.
• Oversees/conducts data collection. Conducts advanced analysis of research data and results.
• Summarizes, analyzes and organizes data for publication. Participates in the writing of research papers, the preparation of presentations and/or other publications.
• Assists in the preparation of research grant applications and contract proposals.
• May be responsible for the maintenance and efficient operation of the research group (e.g., specialized assessments or IT requirements, establishing and maintaining access to research databases).
• May guide technical staff, students, or more junior clinical/research fellows in the lab. 
• May advise on specialized technical procedures or equipment.

Minimum Qualifications

The candidate must have an MD, or PhD, or equivalent degree, with a focus on psychiatry, neurodevelopment, or mental health, and genetics, translational research, and data science. 

Preferred Qualifications

Ability to communicate fluently in other languages beyond English (in particular Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese).

At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.