UC Davis - Postdoctoral Fellowship - MIND Institute
/UCDAVIS HEALTH
School of Medicine - Public Health Services
1 Year Postdoctoral Fellowship (with potential option for renewal for 2 years) – MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Available starting August-September 2021. The UC Davis ReCHARGE (Revisiting Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment) project is seeking applicants with training in epidemiology, and/or developmental psychology or clinical child psychopathology to participate in the NIH-funded Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) project at UC Davis. The overall project is directed by Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D. with co-Principal Investigators, Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D. and Deborah Bennett, Ph.D. The fellow will be directly supervised by Drs. Julie Schweitzer and Marjorie Solomon.
This UC Davis ECHO ReCHARGE Study evaluates a cohort of children last seen at ages 2-5 years (baseline) to determine environmental chemical and non-chemical stressors and resiliency factors that are associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes at ages 8-12 years and 13-19 years. This project leverages the resources of the CHARGE Study, which, includes three groups: children with autism, other developmental delays and typically developing children. These 3 groups will be examined for: attention deficit or hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms; changes in cognitive or adaptive function; changes in severity and diagnosis; and symptoms of anxiety or depression.
This highly collaborative project involves psychologists, epidemiologists, environmental researchers, geneticists, pulmonologists and other researchers with expertise in studying the effects of the environment on neurodevelopment and child and adolescent health. The UC Davis team works collaboratively with 30+ other sites in the U.S. on the broader goals of the NIH ECHO project and thus the fellow will have an opportunity to learn from state-of-the-art research in child health from sites across the U.S. as well as learn about multi-site collaborations.
The primary exposures of interest are pesticides, metals, air pollution, phthalates, nutrients, neighborhood characteristics, and family factors. Additionally, three mechanistic studies will be conducted: an investigation of intergenerational epigenetic profiles; method development for metals analysis in dried blood spots; and sex specific associations of adrenal hormones with depressive symptoms. This project is unique in that it studies life course development in children with two different types of disabilities, and a novel model of adrenal hormone relationships with sex-specific affective disorders. The focus of the Post-Doctoral project will be related to data management and analysis, manuscript preparation, and publishing. Fellow’s with a background in developmental psychology will also have the role of ascertainment of psychological and neurodevelopmental functioning in the children and their parents. Trainees needing supervision hours to meet the requirements for clinical licensure will also have the opportunity to be supervised and accrue hours for psychology licensure.
We seek candidates with a strong research interest in epidemiology and childhood disorders such as Autism and ADHD. Ideal candidates would hold a PhD in epidemiology and/or clinical and developmental neuroscience. Qualified candidates with a clinical psychology background will have the option to perform assessment of children and adolescents with autism, other neurodevelopmental disorders, ADHD and emotional functioning. The individual will be housed at the UC Davis Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopment Disabilities (MIND) Institute, at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. The MIND Institute is a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, parent-initiated biomedical research center founded in 1998.
Review of applications will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Interested individuals should submit a single pdf file as the application including: 1) CV; 2) 1-2 page statement of previous research experience and career interests; 3) Contact information for 2-3 references.
The application should be e- mailed to Julie Schweitzer at jschweitzer@ucdavis.edu.
For further information e-mail Dr. Schweitzer. A Zoom appointment to discuss the position can also be arranged.